Red Dog Poker rules explained
Don’t be fooled by the name: Red dog poker technically doesn’t belong to the traditional poker family. In red dog poker, you don’t compete against other players or the bank as you would in a traditional poker game.
Furthermore, the hand ranking of red dog poker also differs from traditional poker games. Therefore, it makes sense to review the red dog poker rules before you start playing red dog poker online. Understanding the difference in rules between poker and red dog poker will increase your chances of winning when playing it online.
About Red Dog Poker
Red dog poker was being played in the USA as far back as early Nineteenth Century. At first it was called ‘in-between’ because of the way the game is played. The player wins the bet if the rank of third card drawn lies in-between the first two cards drawn. Please read on for a full explanation of red dog poker’s rules.
In-between was only played for a short period of time. According to players, the simple game rules of in-between ensured it was vulnerable to exploitation by cheats. And besides, traditional poker’s popularity was increasing dramatically. As a result in-between disappeared for a while.
When gambling became legal in Las Vegas in the Thirties, red dog poker was re-launched. Red dog poker was the improved version of ‘in-between’, and featured a brand new name and revised game rules. It has remained a fixture in the gambling industry ever since.
| Card | Value |
|---|---|
| two – 10 | Face value |
| Jack | 11 |
| Queen | 12 |
| King | Ace |
| Ace | 14 |
Simple rules in red dog
In this game there are no complicated elements involved. The game rules of red dog poker are therefore quite simple and easy to learn. Red dog poker still isn’t available at every online casino. On the right side of this page you can find links to those online casinos that offer this magnificent game. We also give our red dog poker recommendations at the end of this edition of ‘game rules explained’ guide.
Getting started
After placing your bet, the dealer starts the game by dealing two cards face-up on the table. Red Dog poker is all about predicting whether the third card value will lie between the values of the first two cards drawn. This rule is very similar to Pai Gow Poker. When the first two cards are drawn, the player gets the chance to raise his bet. He can, if he prefers, stick to his original bet by calling.
Red Dog rules concerning payout
The payout is determined by the spread between the first two cards. The smaller the spread, the higher the payout. If the third card lies outside the spread, or matches one of the first two cards, you lose. The payouts are described below:
| Spread | Payout |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5:1 |
| 2 | 4:1 |
| 3 | 2:1 |
| 4 | EVEN |
| 5 | EVEN |
| 6 | EVEN |
| 7 | EVEN |
| 8 | EVEN |
| 9 | EVEN |
| 10 | EVEN |
- If the first two cards drawn are consecutive, the round is over. Your original wager will be returned to your account. This is called a push.
- When the first two cards are equal, a third card will be drawn. If this third card matches the first two cards you get paid 11-to-one, otherwise it is a push.
Our red dog recommendation
As always, we end this ‘game rules explained’ guide with BestOnlineCasino.com’s recommendation on where to play red dog poker:
We hope that you found our explanation of the red dog poker rules helpful, and that it will contribute to your future success when playing red dog poker in online casinos! See our game rules explained section for background information and game rules of all popular online casino games!
Learn rules of other casino games: Sic Bo