How to Play Badacey

Updated August 2026 · 5 min read · By the Beyond Hold'em team
The short answer

Badacey is a split-pot triple-draw game: half the pot goes to the best badugi, half to the best ace-to-five low. You are dealt five cards — the low uses all five, the badugi uses the best four. Aces are low in both halves, which makes it the mirror image of Badeucy.

The rules in six ideas

The companion to Badeucy, and the easier of the two to learn if you already know Badugi — because here the ace behaves the way Badugi taught you it does.

1. One pot, two games. Half to the best badugi, half to the best ace-to-five low. Taking both is a scoop.

2. Five cards, two hands out of them. The low half uses all five; the badugi half uses the best four — four ranks, four suits.

3. Aces are low in both halves. The mirror of Badeucy, and the reason these two games are always taught together. Here the ace is the best card you can hold, in both halves at once.

Aces low, in both halves
A♠
2♥
3♦
4♣
✓ A-2-3-4 rainbow — the best badugi
5♣
4♠
3♦
2♥
A♠
✓ 5-4-3-2-A — the best low

4. The best low is 5-4-3-2-A. Ace-to-five lowball, so straights and flushes do not count against you — the wheel is simply the five lowest ranks, exactly as in Razz.

5. The best badugi is A-2-3-4 rainbow. Same as in Badugi. If you know that game, this half needs no relearning at all.

6. Three draws. A betting round on the deal and one after each draw. The same shape as every other triple-draw game in the rotation.

Try it — which hand wins the badugi half?

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Both hands are four different ranks in four different suits. Which takes the badugi half?

How the betting works

The same structure as 2-7 Triple Draw: blinds, three draws, four betting rounds — one on the deal and one after each draw — played fixed limit.

Frequently asked questions

What is Badacey?
A split-pot triple-draw game. Half the pot goes to the best badugi and half to the best ace-to-five low, made from the same five cards.
Is the ace high or low in Badacey?
Low, in both halves. That is the difference between Badacey and Badeucy, where the ace plays high in both.
What is the best hand in Badacey?
A-2-3-4 in four suits for the badugi half, and 5-4-3-2-A for the low half. A hand that does both scoops.
What is the difference between Badacey and Badeucy?
The low half and the ace. Badacey pairs badugi with ace-to-five lowball and plays aces low; Badeucy pairs badugi with 2-7 lowball and plays aces high.
Do straights and flushes count against your low in Badacey?
No. The low half is read ace-to-five, on ranks alone, which is why 5-4-3-2-A is the best low despite looking like a straight.

Terms to know

badugithe wheelscooppatsnow

Reading about poker doesn't make you good at it.

Badacey is coming to Beyond Hold'em — the skills transfer. Half of Badacey is an ace-to-five low, which is exactly the hand Razz teaches you to read. Razz is playable right now.

Play Razz free — the friendliest door into mixed games