How to Play Red Dog: Rules and Tips

Red Dog, also called Red Dog Poker, Acey-Deucy, Maverick, Yablon, In-Between, and Between the Sheets, is a betting card game for three to eight players. It is one of the easier casino card games to learn since there aren’t as many decisions to be made.

The game first appeared in the US in the 19th century; however, it wasn’t as popular as the other card games of the time since the original rules made cheating easy. Decades later, when the government legalized gambling in Las Vegas in 1931, casinos made new rules for the game and renamed it Red Dog Poker.

We break down how to play Red Dog Poker in this post.

Red Dog Terms You Need to Know

Knowing the terms used in the game will ensure you know what’s going on at the table – whether you’re playing in a casino or online:

• Rank : The value of the card indicates its rank.
• Value : The rank of the third card dealt.
• Spread : Indicates the possible cards that fall between the cards dealt first and second. For instance, if the first and second cards are 3 and 6, the spread is two since the two possible cards between them are 4 and 5.
• Ride : It indicates a raise equal to the ante.
• Ace-high : Some card games assign a high and low value to an Ace; however, Red Dog is an Ace-high game. In simple words, the order is 10, J, Q, K, Ace and not Ace, 2, 3, …
• Push : It is an outcome of a Red Dog game that is neither a win nor a loss. You can pick your bet up off the table or leave it on the table for the next game.

How to Play Red Dog

After every player puts up their initial stake, the dealer deals two cards on the table, facing upwards.

Given that the ranks of the two cards are the same or consecutive, a player can increase their stakes. Players are allowed to raise upto the amount of their original bet.

Players decide whether to raise or not depending on their belief that the next card dealt will lie between the other two cards on the table. Players win the bet if the third card ranks between the other two cards.

The odds paid to a winning player depend on the spread. If the spread is one, the odds are 5:1, 4:1 for two, 2:1 for three, and all the larger spreads pay 1:1.

If the two cards dealt are consecutive, players cannot raise, and neither the player nor the dealer wins.

If the dealt cards are paired (the same), players are not allowed to raise, but a third card is turned, and the player wins 11:1 if the card matches the rank of the two cards.

Red Dog Poker Tips

1. Always bet within your means and never chase losses to try and win your money back.

2. Splitting your budget across a minimum of 40 bets is one of the best ways to ensure you have a good time and have enough to make the funds last a while. .

3. Making a second bet by making a raise is a good idea if the spread is seven or greater. Ensure to account for the second bet when deciding the initial bet amount.

4. Playing Red Dog Poker or any other casino game should be avoided when stressed, tired, or after consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. Your judgment is impaired in these situations, decreasing your odds of winning. Red Dog Poker isn’t complicated by any means, but if you want to win, it’s best to play when you’re feeling sharp.

How to Play High Card Pool

Besides Yablon, there’s another card game called Red Dog or high card pool, but it involves completely different rules. High card pool is played between two to ten players.

In this game, players put equal amounts in a pot. All the players get five cards, but if there are nine or ten players, then every player gets four cards. After dealing, players can look at their cards.

Betting begins with the player on the dealer’s left and ends with the dealer. Every bet must be equal to the ante or greater but not greater than the pot value. The dealer must keep track of all the bets.

When a player places a bet, the dealer discards the top card from the deck and reveals a card. If the player holds a card of the same suit but of a higher rank than the revealed card in their hand, they win the bet.

The player gets their initial stake back and also an equal cut of the pot. Players that lose forfeit their bets.

After a bet is complete, they put their cards aside facing downwards, and the player to their left places their bet. Every player puts in another ante when the pot becomes empty or has less than the ante.

On the other hand, if the pot is too large, the players may split it evenly and put antes into a new pot.

Conclusion

The nice thing about Red Dog is that you don’t have to spend money at a casino to play it. You can play it online for free at https://playreddog-online.com/, the best website for playing Red Dog Poker.