Handout 06 · Limit · Split pot
Badeucey
Deuce-to-seven triple draw and badugi played at once with the same five cards. Half the pot goes to each, and the ace is a bad card for both.
- Cards
- Five, all face down
- Draws
- Three
- Betting
- Fixed limit, four rounds
- Players
- Up to six W
- Pot
- Half to the 2-7 low, half to the badugi
- Spelled
- Badeucey, Badeucy, Baduci
1How it is dealt and bet
The deal and the betting are those of deuce-to-seven triple draw: five cards, three draws of up to five cards, four betting rounds with the bet doubling after the second. W B C9 At the showdown the pot is cut in two. One half goes to the best five-card deuce-to-seven low. The other goes to the best badugi that can be made from four of the same five cards. One player can win both halves; that is a scoop, and it is the object of the game.
The game arrived at the WSOP in the first dealer's-choice event in 2014 and has been on that list since. N3 N1
2Hand ranking: two hands in one
The low half
Standard deuce-to-seven: ace high, straights and flushes count against you, best hand 7-5-4-3-2.
The badugi half
Standard badugi with one change that every source we read agrees on: the ace is high. The best badugi is 2-3-4-5 of four suits, not A-2-3-4. W B A1 C2 You use the best four of your five cards. As in badugi, if nobody has four cards of four suits, the best three-card hand takes that half.
Together
The best possible hand is 2-3-4-5 in four different suits with any seven: the nut low and the nut badugi at once. W
- 2♣3♦4♥5♠7♠The nuts both ways. Low: 7-5-4-3-2. Badugi: 5-4-3-2, using the first four cards.
- 2♣3♦4♥5♠7♠ beats, for the badugi, A♣2♦3♥4♠7♦The second hand's best badugi is ace-high (A-4-3-2), the worst kind. Its low is ace-high too. In badugi proper it would hold the nuts.
- 2♣3♣4♥7♠8♦A fine low, 8-7-4-3-2, and a badugi too: with two clubs, play the lower one for 8-7-4-2.
- 7♣4♦3♥3♠9♣ beats, for the badugi, 7♣5♦2♥2♠9♣Neither has a badugi. Three-card 7-4-3 against three-card 7-5-2: the second card decides. The BARGE rulebook gives this same comparison. B
- 2♣3♦4♥5♠6♣The nut badugi and a worthless low: 6-5-4-3-2 is a straight. This hand can win only half.
Sources disagree: the odd chip
When the pot does not divide evenly, the Asian Poker Tour's rules give the odd chip to the deuce-to-seven winner. A1 The WSOP's rules say that in a split between two low hands the odd chip goes by position, to the first player clockwise from the button. W It is one chip, but it is a different player.
3The draws, step by step
Two example hands, each drawing one card.
| You keep | You are drawing to | Cards that hit | 1 left | 2 left | 3 left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2♣3♦4♥7♠ badugi already made | An eight low or better | 12 | 25.5% | 45.0% | 59.6% |
| 2♣3♦4♥7♥ three-card badugi | A badugi | 11 | 23.4% | 41.7% | 56.0% |
| An eight low or better | 12 | 25.5% | 45.0% | 59.6% | |
| Both with the same card | 3 | 6.4% | 12.5% | 18.3% |
The first hand already owns a seven-high badugi and has twelve cards to add a strong low: it is drawing to scoop while holding a made hand for half. The second hand needs a spade for the badugi and a 5, 6 or 8 for the low, and only three cards (the 5, 6 and 8 of spades) do both jobs at once. Four suits among your low cards is what the difference between these two hands is made of.
4Starting hands
- Play hands that can win both halves: ones that can make an eight low or better and a badugi. C2
- Early in the hand, give priority to making the badugi, even at some cost to the five-card low. C2
- Deuces and cards of different suits make the most playable hands. C2
- Avoid entering raised multi-way pots with top-heavy hands, and be wary of hands that look reasonable but can only win one way. C2
- From late position, stealing the blinds with the right hands is appropriate. C2
- The game plays best with six or fewer. C9
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
Why half a pot is worth less than it sounds: with two players in, winning one half and losing the other returns your own money, leaving aside the blinds and any rake. You profit only when you scoop, or when three or more players have paid in.
6Common mistakes
- Playing the ace. It is the nut card in badugi and the worst card here, on both sides.
- Counting 6-5-4-3-2 as a low. It is a straight. The 2-7 traps all still apply.
- Using five cards for the badugi. The badugi is four cards. Your fifth card helps only the low.
- Drawing for half. Published One-way hands that look reasonable are weak. C2
- Keeping a nine-high badugi. Published See section 5. C2
Badeucey: cheat sheet
Seminar 27 · Handout 06 · 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: deuce-to-seven. Ace high, straights and flushes bad. Best 7-5-4-3-2.
- Badugi half: best four of your five, four suits, four ranks. Ace is high. Best 5-4-3-2.
- No badugi anywhere? Best three-card hand wins that half.
- The nuts: 2-3-4-5 of four suits plus a 7.
Odds to carry (one-card draws, 47 unseen)
| Keep | To | Hits | 1 left | 2 left | 3 left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-3-4-7, four suits | 8 low or better | 12 | 25.5% | 45.0% | 59.6% |
| 2-3-4-7, three suits | a badugi | 11 | 23.4% | 41.7% | 56.0% |
| 2-3-4-7, three suits | both at once | 3 | 6.4% | 12.5% | 18.3% |
Published rules of thumb
- Play to scoop. Deuces and four suits. Badugi first, early.
- Break nine-high badugis. Stay out of raised multi-way pots with top-heavy or one-way hands.
Ask before you sit
Who gets the odd chip? (Rule sets differ.)
seminar27.com · Odds computed by the site's own script. Rules: WSOP live-action rules, BARGE rulebook, Asian Poker Tour handbook. No solver baseline for this game. For education.