Page Contents
Red Dog is no longer as popular as it used to be, and thus it’s now hard to find a casino that offers it. But you can still find Red Dog at a few online casinos, and I still think it’s a great game to play. It’s a game that provides a good pay out to players, a low house edge and there is no decision making to be performed by the player. It’s therefore worthwhile to know how to play this game properly and with a strategy in mind.
Red Dog Table Layout
The Table is similar to a blackjack table, and players can choose to sit at any position. Each position has equal odds, i.e. that is no advantage in choosing different positions. Normally a maximum of eight players can play at a time.
How to Play Red Dog
A wager is placed in the betting circle, and the dealer deals two cards face up in front of him.
In most rules, a ten card is worth 10, a Jack is 11, a Queen 12, a King 13 and an Ace 14. The card suit is irrelevant, it is the card values that determine the outcome.
If the two cards dealt are consecutive for e.g. 8,9 or J,Q then the outcome is a stand off.
If the two cards are a pair and third card is dealt face up. If the outcome is three of a kind, then the player is paid out 11-1. If the third card is different to the pair the hand is a stand off.
If the two cards are not consecutive and do not form a pair the dealer declares the size of the “Spread”, which is the difference between the value of the two cards. For example, if the two cards are a 2 and 8, then the Spread of 5 is declared, which could be 3,4,5,6 or 7.
Once declared the player has an opportunity to place an additional bet which is equal to the original bet. (Effectively doubling up).
A third card is dealt face up, and if the third card is a value that falls in the Spread , for example was a 3,4,5,6 or 7, then the player is paid according to a Spread Bonus scale.
Red Dog Spread Bonus scale:
- 1 card Spread – pays 5-1
- 2 card Spread – pays 4-1
- 3 card Spread – pays 2-1
- 4 card Spread – pays 1-1
- 5 or more card Spread – pays 1-1
Top 5 Red Dog Casinos
| CASINO | RATING | BONUS | PLAY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Vegas Casino Online | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 300% up to $3,000 1st Deposit Bonus | PLAY NOW Review |
| 2 |  Slots Plus Casino | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 400% up to $500 1st Deposit Bonus | PLAY NOW Review |
| 3 |  Las Vegas USA | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 400% up to $10,000 Welcome Bonus | PLAY NOW Review |
| 4 |  Cafe Casino | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 250% up to $1,500 1st Deposit Bonus | PLAY NOW Review |
| 5 |  Shazam Casino | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 300% up to $3,000 1st Deposit Bonus | PLAY NOW Review |
The Best Red Dog Strategy
Strategy 1: The best strategy is very simple to remember. Only place an additional wager if the spread is 7 or greater. Do not double your bet if it isn’t. Plain and simple. The odds simply aren’t worth it, if the spread is less than 7, so why risk any more money on those poor odds.
Strategy 2: Look for casinos which play many decks. The more decks the better the player odds. As a general rule the house edge for 6 decks is 2.8%.
The below table shows indicative House Edge percentages corresponding to the number of decks used.
| No. Decks | House Edge |
| 1 | 3.2% |
| 2 | 3.1% |
| 4 | 2.9% |
| 6 | 2.8% |
| 8 | 2.8% |
| 10 | 2.7% |
Summary
Red Dog is good old fun game to play. Keep the strategy simple, and play low wagers to maximize your bank roll. Only place an additional bet if the spread is 7 or greater. If less than 7 keep with the original bet and play on. On winning streaks increase bets slightly, but don’t go overboard, and of course reduce the bet size when winning streak is broken.
FAQ
In some cases, Red Dog Poker is the same as Red Dog as described above. However, there are some instances where Red Dog Poker is different, uses more cards in a hand and uses poker standard rules to determine the outcome. Just be careful when selecting Red Dog Poker that it is the right game that you had in mind.
The two games are very similar, but they differ in that Acey Deucey is more poker like than Red Dog. Acey Deucy revolves around players playing against each other, with a pot being contributed to and dispersed when won. The Ace in Acey Deucey can behave as a wild card unlike Red Dog. Acey Deucey also has many variations and can differ from region to region. The concepts of Acey Deucy and Red Dog, however, are very similar and are widely considered as variations of each other.
Yes, Yablon is another name for Red Dog. But confusingly it can also be considered a variation of Red Dog and a variation of Acey Deucy. Overall, if you know the rules of one game you can easily adapt to playing with any rules of the variations.