Handout 07 · Limit · Split pot
Badacey
Ace-to-five triple draw and badugi with the same five cards. Here the ace is the best card in the deck for both halves, which makes it a very different game from its sibling.
- Cards
- Five, all face down
- Draws
- Three
- Betting
- Fixed limit, four rounds
- Players
- Up to six W
- Pot
- Half to the A-5 low, half to the badugi
- Spelled
- Badacey, Badacy, Badaci
1How it is dealt and bet
As in every triple-draw game on this site: five cards, three draws of up to five cards, four betting rounds, the bet doubling after the second. W B At the showdown half the pot goes to the best five-card ace-to-five low and half to the best badugi made from four of the same five cards. W B C2
Like Badeucey, it made its WSOP debut in the 2014 dealer's-choice event and remains on that list. N3 N1
2Hand ranking: two hands in one
The low half
Ace-to-five: aces low, straights and flushes ignored, best hand 5-4-3-2-A. W
The badugi half
Ordinary badugi, ace low: the best is A-2-3-4 of four suits. W B You use the best four of your five cards, and if nobody has four cards of four suits the best three-card hand takes that half.
Together
The best possible hand is A-2-3-4 in four different suits with any five. W Unlike Badeucey, the nut low here is a straight, and it does not matter.
- A♣2♦3♥4♠5♠The nuts both ways: the wheel for low, and A-2-3-4 for the badugi.
- A♣2♦3♥4♠7♦ beats, for the badugi, 2♣3♦4♥5♠7♠The mirror image of the Badeucey example. With the ace low, A-2-3-4 beats 2-3-4-5.
- A♣2♣3♥4♠6♦A strong low, 6-4-3-2-A. For the badugi the two clubs clash, so you play the ace of clubs with the 3, 4 and 6: a six-high badugi.
- A♣2♣3♣4♣5♣The nut low, since flushes are ignored, and a one-card badugi. A hand that can win exactly half.
The WSOP's rules phrase the split as "most commonly" badugi against ace-to-five, which leaves room for a house to do otherwise. W We found no source describing a different split for this game. Odd chip: under the WSOP's rule for a split between two low hands, it goes by position, clockwise from the button. W
3The draws, step by step
| You keep | You are drawing to | Cards that hit | 1 left | 2 left | 3 left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A♣2♦3♥5♥ three-card badugi | A badugi | 11 | 23.4% | 41.7% | 56.0% |
| A seven low or better | 12 | 25.5% | 45.0% | 59.6% | |
| Both with the same card | 3 | 6.4% | 12.5% | 18.3% |
The pattern is the same as in Badeucey: plenty of cards finish one half, and very few finish both at once. Here those three are the 4, 6 and 7 of spades.
4Starting hands
- Standards are higher than in Badeucey. A seven low with a seven-high badugi is strong here but less dominant than an eight is there, so start with stronger holdings. C2
- Three unsuited cards of six or lower are generally playable. Top-heavy hands are risky from early position and against a raise. C2
- Smooth three-card sevens are for late position. C2
- When the pot has been raised and re-raised, fold even fairly strong hands. C2
Why standards rise: a pat eight or better is dealt 2.21% of the time under ace-to-five ranking and 0.71% under deuce-to-seven. Low hands are about three times as common under this ranking.
No solver baseline for this game. Our solver work covers single-pot triple-draw games. Nothing here comes from it.
5The key decision on each draw
- What to do with a seven. Keep it whenever it is one of your badugi cards. If it is not, draw two in a multi-way pot and keep it heads-up. C2
As in every two-way game: heads-up, winning one half and losing the other returns your own money, leaving aside the blinds and any rake. The profit is in the scoop.
6Common mistakes
- Carrying Badeucey habits across. The ace flips from worst card to best, straights stop mattering, and, on the published view in section 4, hand standards go up.
- Using five cards for the badugi. It is four. The fifth card helps only the low.
- Playing top-heavy hands up front. Published C2
- Paying off in three-bet pots. Published Even fairly strong hands are folds when the pot has been raised and re-raised. C2
Badacey: cheat sheet
Seminar 27 · Handout 07 · limit, five cards, three draws, split pot
The order of play
Deal 5 → bet (small) → draw → bet (small) → draw → bet (big) → draw → bet (big) → showdown → split.
Two rankings, one hand
- Low half: ace-to-five. Ace low, straights and flushes ignored. Best 5-4-3-2-A.
- Badugi half: best four of your five, four suits, four ranks. Ace low. Best A-2-3-4.
- No badugi anywhere? Best three-card hand wins that half.
- The nuts: A-2-3-4 of four suits plus a 5.
Badeucey or Badacey?
| Badeucey | Badacey | |
|---|---|---|
| Ace | High, both halves | Low, both halves |
| Straights, flushes | Ruin the low | Ignored |
| Nut badugi | 5-4-3-2 | 4-3-2-A |
| Nut low | 7-5-4-3-2 | 5-4-3-2-A |
Odds to carry (one-card draw, 47 unseen)
| Keep A-2-3-5, three suits, to | Hits | 1 left | 2 left | 3 left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A badugi | 11 | 23.4% | 41.7% | 56.0% |
| A seven low or better | 12 | 25.5% | 45.0% | 59.6% |
| Both at once | 3 | 6.4% | 12.5% | 18.3% |
Published rules of thumb
- Start stronger than in Badeucey. Three unsuited cards six or lower are the core.
- Keep a seven that plays in your badugi; otherwise draw two multi-way.
seminar27.com · Odds computed by the site's own script. Rules: WSOP live-action rules, BARGE rulebook. No solver baseline for this game. For education.