RED DOG

 

Red Dog is a casino game most frequently found in online casinos, though it used to also be popular in brick and mortar casinos as well. Currently, online casinos players can find Red Dog games as one option under the categories of cards games, table games or specialty games at most online gambling rooms. Red Dog is a multi-deck card game played with a dealer, where players make wagers based on the potential spread of the cards. It can also be known as a variation of the game In-between or Acey-Deucey. These names come from the premise that players win based on what is in between the dealt cards, which run in rank from highest, acey, to lowest, deucey. Red Dog Poker, as it is sometimes called, also used to be known as yablon or Between the Sheets.
 

 

Best Casinos to Play Red Dog Online

 

 

Red Dog Rules

 

Red Dog is actually a very simple game to learn and play. There are some key components to the game, but it plays in a straightforward manner with no other exceptions to the standard rules. Players first need to know a few basic pieces of information to play Red Dog effectively:

1. Suit doesn't matter or affect the outcome of the cards.
2. Cards have a hierarchical ranking as in poker.
3. Aces are always the highest value cards.

From there, the basic rules of Red Dog involve players betting and the flop of the cards to determine the winning bets. Red Dog is usually played with at least six decks of cards all shuffled together. It may be played with one deck or up to eight decks, depending on the number of players at the table.
 

 

The Push

 

First, the player places his initial bet. Then the dealer deals two cards to each player, laying them face up on the table. A push occurs if the two face up cards are consecutive, like a four and five. No wins or payouts are awarded, but the player's original bet is returned.

If the two cards are the same value, the dealer adds a third card to the table also facing up. If the new card does not match the original two, this is also a push and the player receives his original wager. If the third card is also the same value as the first two cards, the player wins at a payout of 11 to 1 on his original bet.
 

 

The Spread

 

If the first two cards the dealer lays out are not consecutive or equal value then the issue becomes the spread between the two cards. The spread is the quantity of card values in between the two visible cards, not including them. Thus, two dealt cards of a three and nine have a spread of five. Five other cards fall between the 3 and 9 cards, those being 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.

Now the player has the option to increase his original bet. The player may raise the bet with any amount up to the matching total of the original bet, so that the maximum final bet on the table is double the first bet. Usually in online betting, the Raise button automatically doubles the original bet. Don't Raise leaves the original bet to stand as is.

After the player either raises his bet or passes on raising, a third card is placed face up on the table. If the card matches one of the first two cards, the player loses. Also, if the card falls outside the spread of the first two cards, the player loses. However, if the card falls between the spread of the first two cards, the player wins at payout rates based on the spread between the first two dealt cards.

If the spread of the original cards is:

1 card, player wins 5 to 1.
2 cards, player wins 4 to 1.
3 cards, player wins 2 to 1; some online casinos pay 3 to 1 for 3-card spreads.
4 or more cards, player wins even money, 1 to 1.
 

 

Red Dog Strategy

 

The most important strategy rule players need to consider if they want to win at Red Dog given the standard odds found in most casinos is this:

Only raise the original bet on card spreads of seven or higher.

The only particular point of strategy in Red Dog involves the betting structure. The first bets are made blind with no cards down. Only the presence and spread of the two table cards give the player an indication of where to go next. Red Dog is a game of odds. Regardless of how many decks are in play, the odds hold mathematically at the same rate. Only at a seven card spread and above do the players' odds of winning rise above 50%. The wider the spread, the greater the players' odds of winning.

Red Dog players need to remember that even though a spread of four or more cards only pays even money, it is far more likely that a player will win even money more often. It is a smarter bet, which earns the player more winnings in the long run and costs the player less on losses for smaller card spreads. Thus, for any winning odds, players need to remember the above strategy rule and only place a raise on their original bet when the spread is at least seven. See how the odds improve significantly at a seven card spread and above with the following list:

A player's odds when the card spread shows:

1 card spread: 7.7% chance to win
2 cards: 15.4% chance to win
3 cards: 23.2% chance to win
4 cards: 30.9% chance to win (wins pay even money from here on)
5 cards: 38.7% chance to win
6 cards: 46.4% chance to win
7 cards: 54.2% chance to win
8 cards: 61.9% chance to win
9 cards: 69.7% chance to win
10 cards: 77.4% chance to win
11 cards: 85.1% chance to win
 

 

House Edge in Red Dog

 

The house edge, or the advantage the casino has that the player does not, varies depending on the number of decks used to play Red Dog. The house edge consistently falls around 3% and the player's risk falls just under. The house edge lowers as more decks of cards are added, which in turn lowers the risk for players. The breakdown is as follows:

According to a standard deviation of 1.60 for Red Dog:

With 1 deck, the house edge is 3.155% and the player's risk is 2.672%.
With 2 decks, the house edge is 3.077% and the player's risk is 2.609%.
With 4 decks, the house edge is 2.884% and the player's risk is 2.447%.
With 6 decks, the house edge is 2.798% and the player's risk is 2.375%.
With 8 decks, the house edge is 2.751% and the player's risk is 2.335%.

Red Dog is a favorite online casino game because it is direct and fast to play. Betting and strategy is very straightforward for Red Dog and the odds are decent enough that players can have a poor Red Dog round and not lose a significant amount of money quickly. The odds of winning at Red Dog are better than some other casino chance games.