Red Dog
Red Dog Poker or Yablon does not have a particular history attached to its name. What is known, however, is that is an incarnation of the simple card game acey-duecey or in-between. It is, decidedly, a simple card game.
The cards in this game are the same as in poker – it doesn’t matter what the suits are in a set of cards. The aces, too, are always high. The standard 52-card deck is used.
A game of Red Dog begins with a player wagering an amount. The card dealer then places two cards, face up, on the table. If the two cards are consecutive, like 8-9 or Jack-Queen, then the car hand is a push.
If the two cards are equal, like 2 diamond and 2 hearts, the dealer deals a third card. A matching third card, or a 2 spade, pays the player 11 times his wager. Otherwise, the hand of three cards is a push.
If the two dealt cards are neither consecutive nor equal, the dealer announces a spread, or the card values between the cards. A 6 and 11, for example, would have a spread of 4, regardless of the combination of suits. The player can then increase his wager up to the amount equal to that of the original wager. A third card is dealt then. If the third card is between the first two cards, the player wins. If the third card is equal to one of the cards or is outside the spread, the player loses.
The payout ration of Red Dog depends on the spread. A one-card spread pays 5 times the original wager, a two card spread four times more, a three card spread pays just twice the amount of the original wager, while a spread of four cards or more pays just equal to the wager.
Red Dog is said to be waning in popularity because the chances of winning are purely statistical, unlike traditional poker where you can ride on a bluff. There are no strategies to this game, only spreads that have to be counted – five cards (3,4,5,6 and 7) between a 2 and 8, for example.
And even when eight decks are used, the Red Dog does not offer favorable odds as high as other card games and other games of chance in casinos worldwide. In a six-deck game, only spreads of seven or more cards are favorable to the player. A player is thus advised to raise bets on a spread of seven or more cards.
Popularity: 37%
