Badugi Mistakes: Not Value-Betting the Best Three-Card Hand

The mistake:

The name of the game is Badugi, right? So you really should only bet when making Badugis? In fact, much of the value in limit Badugi doesn’t come from playing Badugis, but in situations where both players have three-card hands. The best three-card hand is typically quite far ahead of the second-best, which is drawing to less than a quarter of the deck even if the best hand misses. So it’s imperative to bet when you think you have the best three-card hand in the middle rounds.

On the end, the equation changes, because many of the worst three-card hands will now fold, but there’s still a great deal of value to be had in betting the very best three-card hands when both players drew.

How to tell when your opponents are making this mistake:

This one’s very obvious. They check through a lot in situations where both players drew one. They’re usually passive on the first round even with strong three-card hands. They turn up at showdown with strong hands in small pots.

How to exploit an opponent who makes this mistake:

You can play significantly more drawing hands against this player because he will give you free cards frequently, and not punish you for drawing rough. However, be somewhat less aggressive with your marginal hands because you won’t be ahead as often as you would otherwise expect. When you both make a hand, go fewer bets with your good pats, because his hand range will be stronger than usual for a player who has been passive. When he does bet, be inclined to give him credit for having made a hand. Don’t try to check-raise him even if he bet the previous round. Bluff less often, both because he will have a bluffcatcher more than you expect and because pots against this player will be small. If possible, isolate this player by raising or reraising liberally on the first round; much of your advantage goes away in multiway pots.

Counterexploits to watch for:

This player may start bluffing you more often as he sees you folding to his bets. But even so, don’t call him very often, because the pots will be small. Other players will also try to get into pots with this opponent, leading to very complex multiway hands with a lot of guessing about who has the best hand and whether a bet is a good idea.