Red Dog
Encyclopedia
Red dog, also known as red dog poker or yablon, is a game of chance
played with cards
. It is a variation of acey-deucey
or in-between
. While found in some land casinos
, its popularity has declined, although it is featured at many casinos online
. Confusingly, there are other card-based games of chance by the same name that are unrelated to the rules described here.
The deck used to play red dog is the standard, fifty-two-card variety. The game may be played with anywhere from one to eight decks, with an increasing number of decks decreasing the house edge — the house's advantage begins at 3.155% with one deck, but falls to 2.751% when eight decks are used. This is in contrast with some other casino card games, such as blackjack, where a higher number of decks used will increase the house edge.
The game only uses three cards at a time, which are ranked as in poker
, with aces high. Suit is irrelevant. A wager is placed, and two cards are placed face up on the table, with three possible outcomes:
The spread table is as follows:
Game of chance
A game of chance is a game whose outcome is strongly influenced by some randomizing device, and upon which contestants may or may not wager money or anything of monetary value...
played with cards
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
. It is a variation of acey-deucey
Acey Deucey (cards)
Acey Deucey, also known as In-Between or Sheets, is a simple card game that involves betting. Before the action, each player must add their ante into the pot. Two cards are then dealt face-up to one player. That player then bets from nothing to the amount that is in the pot at the time whether...
or in-between
Acey Deucey (cards)
Acey Deucey, also known as In-Between or Sheets, is a simple card game that involves betting. Before the action, each player must add their ante into the pot. Two cards are then dealt face-up to one player. That player then bets from nothing to the amount that is in the pot at the time whether...
. While found in some land casinos
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
, its popularity has declined, although it is featured at many casinos online
Online casino
Online casinos, also known as virtual casinos or Internet casinos, are online versions of traditional casinos. Online casinos enable gamblers to play and wager on casino games through the Internet....
. Confusingly, there are other card-based games of chance by the same name that are unrelated to the rules described here.
The deck used to play red dog is the standard, fifty-two-card variety. The game may be played with anywhere from one to eight decks, with an increasing number of decks decreasing the house edge — the house's advantage begins at 3.155% with one deck, but falls to 2.751% when eight decks are used. This is in contrast with some other casino card games, such as blackjack, where a higher number of decks used will increase the house edge.
The game only uses three cards at a time, which are ranked as in poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
, with aces high. Suit is irrelevant. A wager is placed, and two cards are placed face up on the table, with three possible outcomes:
- If the cards are consecutive in number (for example, a four and a five, or a jack and a queen), the hand is a push and the player's wager is returned.
- If the two cards are of equal value, a third card is dealt. If the third card is of the same value, then the payout for the player is 11:1, otherwise the hand is a push.
- If neither of the above is the case (for example, a three and an eight), then a spread is announced which determines the payoff (a 4-card spread, in this example), and a third card will be dealt. Before dealing the third card, the player has the option to double his bet. If the third card's value falls between the first two, the player will receive a payoff according to the spread; otherwise the bet is lost.
The spread table is as follows:
| Spread | Payout |
|---|---|
| 1-card | 5 to 1 |
| 2-card | 4 to 1 |
| 3-card | 2 to 1 |
| 4-to-11-card | 1 to 1 (even money) |
Strategies
Even when using eight decks, red dog does not offer favorable odds for the player in comparison with other games of chance common to casinos. There is little strategy involved; raises should only be made when a spread statistically favors a player (which is at seven cards or more, regardless of the number of decks used).External links
- Rules of Card Games: Red Dog - Features variations on the rules and adaptation for at-home play