Red Dog

The casino game Red Dog is a variation of a game called In-between. It is more a game of chance than skill. Red Dog is usually played with six standard decks held in a shoe. All cards are ranked as in poker; Ace is highest, then King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9 and so on.

After the player places an initial wager, the game of Red Dog begins with the dealer drawing two cards face-up. If the two cards are ranked consecutively, such as 10 and Jack, then the hand is a push. If the two cards are of equal rank, then a third card is dealt. If the third card is of the same rank as the first two, then the hand pays 11:1 on the initial bet, otherwise the hand is a push.

If the two cards are not consecutive and are not of the same rank, then the dealer announces the spread. The spread is the number of card values in between the two dealt cards. For a 5 and a 9 the spread would be 3. For a Queen and a 7 the spread would be 4. Now it’s decision time for the player. The player must decide if the next card dealt will fall in-between the values of the first two cards. If the player believes the card will fall in the spread they can increase their wager up to the amount of the initial wager.

The third card is then dealt. If this card matches or falls outside of the first two cards, the player loses. If the card falls in the spread the player wins. The payout depends on the size of the spread. A 1 card spread pays 5:1. A 2 card spread pays 4:1. A 3 card spread pays 2:1. A spread of 4 or more pays 1:1.

The overall house advantage for Red Dog is 2.7%. Based on statistical probability, a player should only raise the initial bet when the spread is 7 or greater.