Heinz 57 Rules

Heinz 57 is played with the same rules as normal Five Card Draw poker except that fives and sevens are treated as wild cards. Traditional Five Card Draw poker has often been criticized as being too slow and boring because strong hands are so rare. With the addition of eight wild cards, Heinz 57 makes every hand an adventure.

Antes and Deal

Each hand in Heinz 57 begins with each player paying the ante, which is a forced bet that is roughly equal to 10% the size of the lower betting limit. The ante in a game with $10/$20 betting limits would be $1.00.

Some games may use a Hold'em-style blinds system instead of antes. In the blinds system, only two players must pay the antes each hand, but the cost is greater. The small blind sits to the left of the dealer and pays an amount equal to half the lower betting limit. The big blind sits to the left of the small blind and pays an amount equal to one small bet. Each hand, the responsibility to pay the big blind and small blind moves one seat to the left.

Each player is then dealt five cards face down, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer and moving clockwise around the table. Each player receives one card at a time until everyone at the table has five cards.

First Betting Round

The first betting round begins with the player immediately to the left of the dealer. This player has the option of making a bet, checking, or folding. The betting then continues clockwise around the table.

If any player makes a bet or a raise, the other players at the table must either meet that raise or fold their hands. All bets and raises in this round are made in increments of the lower betting level.

Draw

After the first betting round is completed, the players may now have a chance to discard cards from their hands and draw new cards from the deck. The maximum number of discards is three, unless a player has an Ace or Wild Card. In that case, the player may draw up to four new cards.

The draw portion of the hand is completely optional. If a player likes the hand they were dealt, they may elect to draw zero cards. This is commonly referred to as “standing pat” and is a good indication that the player in question has a strong hand.

Second Betting Round

The second betting round begins with the first remaining player to the left of the dealer. This time the bets are all sized in increments of the larger betting limit. In a $10/$20 game, all bets and raises would be placed in increments of $20. Other than that, the second betting round is played just like the first round.

Showdown

Any players remaining after the previous betting round now have a showdown by revealing their cards. The player with the best five card poker hand wins the pot. If there is only one player left at this point, that player automatically wins the pot without revealing his hand.