1. How To Play Montana Red Dog Card Game
2. How To Play Red Dog Card Game
3. How To Play Red Dog Poker
4. How To Play Red Dog Blue Dog

• Red Dog is a video poker game by Rival. You can learn more about the game, its rules, and how to play it in our article about how to play video poker.
• Red Dog is a betting card game for three to eight players. Quickly calculate your odds to help win this game! Find the video tutorial and written explanation for how to play Red Dog below. Red Dog Tutorial.

While traditional card games will always remain our favourite card game titles, from time to time we enjoy playing a variant or two. One variant which we can’t get enough of is Red Dog. Based on the game of poker – though the only real similarity is the ranking of cards – the title is available at many of recommended online casinos for our international readers to play (Australians are no longer able to play card games online for real bets after September 2017 due to new laws). We detail how to play and the best places to learn and practice the unique card game.

The first thing that pops up into your head when hearing “Red Dog” is probably the poker game with the fearsome bulldog mascot. Well, the name is definitely eye-catching, but apart from it, nothing else connects the Red Dog casino with the red dog game. As for the casino design itself, it is quite low-effort. At El Royale Casino, you will win in Red Dog if the third card dealt fits in between the two cards dealt face up or a loose if the third card is the same as one of the 2 cards or outside the spread. You will receive a payout of 4 to 1 for a spread of 2, 2 to 1 for a spread of 3, 1 to 1 for a spread of 4 to 11. Red Dog is a variant of poker that is played with a single deck of cards. The game is played by betting on whether the third card dealt will fall between the values of the first two cards that were previously dealt.

About Red Dog

Red Dog is a poker variant, which is said to have originated in the US in the 19th century. It was known as In-Between then, as the player wins if their third card drawn ranks in-between the two cards drawn first.

Its popularity has declined thanks to the increase in popularity of poker, so it isn’t likely you will see it regularly at land-based venues. However, there are a few top software providers who offer the title online – but instead of being called In-Between, you will find it under the name Red Dog.

Red Dog rules

Red Dog generally involves a standard deck of 52 cards, however you can get up to eight decks so be sure to look at the title’s rules.

Players receive three cards at a time, with each card in a deck ranked similarly to how cards are ranked in poker – with Aces the highest value and twos the lowest value. Additionally, the suit is not important here.

Players place their wagers via the interface if playing online, or on the table at land-based venues, and two cards are then dealt facing upwards. Based on these two cards, three possible actions can occur, as follows;

• If your first two cards drawn are in a consecutive order, such as an 8 and 9, the outcome is known as a push and your wager is returned to you and you can re-bet (online only) or start a new bet
• If your first two cards are of equal value, a third card will be dealt and if it too is of equal value you will receive a payout of 11:1. This is the best possible payout in Red Dog
• If neither occurs, a spread is put in play and it will determine the possible payout – the smaller the spread the larger the payout, as per the list below. A third card is then dealt and if it is outside the spread or matches one of the two cards you lose your wager. You win, however, if it is inside the spread

A spread is the number of cards available between the first two cards. A marker will land on the spread number on the online variants to help with your strategy.

Red Dog payouts

Red Dog payouts are as follows:

• Spread: 1 Payout: 5:1
• Spread: 2 Payout: 4:1
• Spread: 3 Payout: 2:1
• Spread: 4 Payout: 1:1
• Spread: 5 Payout: 1:1
• Spread: 6 Payout: 1:1
• Spread: 7 Payout: 1:1
• Spread: 8 Payout: 1:1
• Spread: 9 Payout: 1:1
• Spread: 10 Payout: 1:1
• Spread: 11 Payout: 1:1

The payouts remain the same irrespective of the number of decks in play.

Red Dog strategy

Unlike 21, there isn’t much strategy involved in a game of Red Dog.

The basic strategy involved is to raise when you have a spread of seven or more (though this strategy is based on when six or more decks are in play, but is also advised in a single deck Red Dog variant).

This strategy relies on the probability of winning as a spread of seven or more has a probability greater than 50% of the third card falling between the first two cards.

You can decide whether you want to raise for a spread of six as it is close to a 50% chance of winning, but you should avoid raising with a spread of five or less, as the probability of winning isn’t in your favour.

Red Dog house edge

The house edge is incredibly important for all casino games, as the lower the advantage the more chance you have of winning.

The more decks in play, the lower the house edge so we recommend trying to find a variant with a number of decks involved – eight if possible. However, online it may not be easy to find this.

The house edge per number of decks is as follows:

• One deck – 3.155%
• Two decks – 3.077%
• Four decks – 2.884%
• Six decks – 2.798%
• Eight decks – 2.751%

One deck still has a reasonable house edge though, and can be better than some other poker variants, such as Caribbean Stud.

Red Dog at online casinos

You will find Red Dog titles at some of our recommended online casinos, with two of the top software developers offering a version.

• Net Entertainment: Played with a standard deck of 52 cards, with the title available at www.GDayCasino.com. There is progressive betting available on this version of Red Dog, too.
• Microgaming: Played with a standard deck of 52 cards, with the title available at www.RoyalVegasCasino.com.

Nearly everyone grew up passing a deck of cards around the kitchen table with their family on rainy days, and one of the most popular home games ever played is known as Red Dog. In fact, Bicycle playing card brand includes a detailed rules section for players to use during home games between friends. Closely related to classic card games like acey deucy and in between, Red Dog gives players the chance to wager based on the spread between two randomly dealt cards.

The game feels like a hybrid of blackjack and casino war, with two cards being dealt out face up on each hand, followed by a third. Players want the value of the third card to land between the first two based on rank. When they do, escalating payouts are awarded based on the spread between the first two cards.

Red Dog provides the best of both worlds for casino game fans, combining the fun of pure guessing with a crucial decision on every hand, one which doubles the ante bet and the potential pay-out.

By consistently making the correct choice to either raise or simply call, you’re able to apply mathematical proficiency and natural card sense to transform Red Dog into a challenging game of skill. And like any of the great casino games, even when you make the best decision possible on a given hand, the deal of a single random card can swing fortunes in a flash.

While the sight of Red Dog tables in brick and mortar casinos has diminished over the years, the game is enjoying a renaissance within the world of online casinos. People all over the world have recently discovered Red Dog thanks to the power of online play, and today the game ranks as one of the more popular card based table games. So whether you’re preparing for your first Red Dog hand, or you’ve played the game since childhood, the following guide will familiarize you with the rules, game play, mechanics, and strategy of this home game favorite.

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How To Play Montana Red Dog Card Game

How to Play

Red Dog is played using a standard 52 card deck of playing cards, although in most cases a shoe containing multiple decks is used. Some online casinos use a two-deck shoe while others use up to an eight deck shoe.

In Red Dog the cards are assigned their usual value based on rank, and aces are always high. The suit of each card is irrelevant.

The table is similar to most card-based table games, so you’ll see green felt lined with betting circles in front of you, and a lined grid in the middle. This grid features the numbers 1 through 11 in the top row, followed by the words consecutive, pair, and 3 of a kind. A series of blank squares sits underneath this row, followed by squares indicating payouts underneath each number or word.

The grid is typically shown as followed:

A hand of Red Dog begins when you place a mandatory ante bet. After that, the dealer will flip two cards face up. The difference between these two cards is known as the spread, and in the event that a spread exists, the dealer will announce the number before marking it on the grid. Online casinos will simply mark the spread number with a graphic on the betting grid. The spread figure determines the payout for players on winning hands.

For example, when the dealer turns over a 3 and 9, the spread for this hand is set at 6 which pays out at 1 to 1 or even money. If the dealer reveals a 10 and a queen, however, the spread is set at 1 and winning bets are paid out at 5 to 1.

As the grid shows, whenever the two cards dealt out are consecutive (4 – 5, J – Q, K – A, etc.), your ante bet is simply pushed and returned. When the two cards are identical, forming a pair, a third card is dealt out and whenever three of a kind shows up on board, you bet is paid out at 11:1.

Consecutives and pairs are relatively rare though, and most hands will create a spread to give you a chance to make the game’s crucial decision: whether or not to raise or just call. Raising requires you to double the original ante bet, while calling keeps that first bet out and nothing more. In either case, the dealer will then deliver a third card face up.

Players want the third card to fall in between the first two cards to win their wager, while cards that fall outside of the two card range are considered losers. This is why the spread number is so important, and payouts escalate when the spread shrinks. Basic logic holds that smaller spreads (3 – 5, 5 – 8, etc.) will be harder win on, while larger spreads (3 – Q, 5 – A, etc.) will lead to easier wins.

As the player, your only choice is to assess the spread on board before deciding if you’d like to raise or just call. Obviously, when you see a large spread the right play is to raise, and small spreads are best played with just a call, but hands that provide marginal spreads right on the edge give the game its gusto. When you throw in the escalating payouts based on the spread amount, Red Dog becomes a game of targeted risk taking that can provide plentiful rewards.

How To Play Red Dog Card Game

Proper Strategy

Red Dog is such a simple game that it may not seem like strategy comes into play, but the elegance of partial information and single decision card games makes all the difference.

The first thing to keep in mind if you want to improve your overall edge in Red Dog is the size of the shoe being used. In blackjack, the addition of more decks to the shoe increases the house edge, but in Red Dog players are the ones who benefit from more decks being put in play. With one deck being used the house enjoys an edge of 3.155 percent, but adding one more deck drops that number to 3.077 percent. A four deck shoe offers the house an edge of 2.884 percent, a six deck shoe reduces that to 2.798 percent, and an eight-deck shoe creates a 2.751 percent house edge.

So the choice is clear: whenever possible, play with multiple deck shoes to increase your expected value.

As far as the strategic concerns to keep in mind when playing Red Dog, the game can actually be boiled down into mathematical rules. The table below illustrates the win probabilities and player’s edge for every possible spread in play:

EXPECTED GAIN BY RAISING

How To Play Red Dog Poker

How To Play Red Dog Blue Dog

As you can see by the data depicted above, the only times raising becomes a profitable play is when the spread totals 7 or above. Therefore, optimal strategy for Red Dog is simply to call on all spreads of 6 and lower, while raising on all spreads of 7 and higher.