Red Dog is a simple and fast-paced card game, also known as red dog poker as well as yablon. The history of Red Dog can be seen going as far back as the first card games. Playing cards originated around the 12th century in the regions of China, Egypt, and India, and initially simple card games played with a few cards became popular. The modern form of Red Dog can be considered an in-between game played on American merchant ships. The game got the name Red Dog as well as officialized new rules in the 1930s, when gambling was legalized in the United States – albeit only in the Las Vegas gaming area.
The popularity of the game is based, at least in part, on the fact that it has very simple rules, the betting rounds are limited to two and the actual game moves are only required for one or two per game. The Red Dog plays against the dealer and the player is dealt two cards face up. A third card, if any, is then dealt, which should be placed between the first dealers. So the game doesn’t boast the number of cards.
History books don’t tell you why the game just got the name Red Dog. However, they say that it became a popular card game played at the same table as blackjack. This is still a custom in some stone-footed casinos to this day. The popularity of Red Dog slowly waned in the 20th century: games that demanded more strategy at the forefront of blackjack rose in popularity among players, and in this turmoil, Red Dog got stuck, forgotten, and became more unknown, especially outside casinos. On the other hand, casinos didn’t have the awful enthusiasm to waste their floor space on a game with a house advantage of a meager three percent. Eventually, the internet took the game to a new rise and can now be played at several online casinos. This is great because Red Dog is a really addictive and entertaining card game. Despite its simple rules, you should always check the rules of the venue before starting the game to refresh your memory. And then just towards the game tables!
Game structure and rules
Red Dog is played with a standard 52-card deck. The value of the cards is determined as in poker, ie the ace has a value of 14. The game begins with the player being dealt two cards face up. The card game is won by getting a third card, which is placed between the first cards with a point value. When two cards are dealt, there are three options. If the cards dealt are of consecutive value, such as three and four or a dude and a lady, the game ends in a draw and the player gets his bet back.
If the cards are of the same value, the third card is dealt. When this is equal to its two predecessors, the player wins his bet by a factor of 11: 1, otherwise the result is a draw and the bet is returned to the player. If there are cards between the first two cards dealt, for example a hand of a third and a hand, the game continues. At this point, the player can still either raise or pass. The player wins if the third card hits between the first two cards.
Game platforms
Red Dog can be played both at stone foot casinos and online. For some reason, the popularity of the game has waned on the side of stone-footed casinos, but fortunately – as with many other games – online casinos have come to the rescue and brought the game to new heights. Red Dog is a duel where the player plays against the dealer. For this reason, the games are run by a random generator, the actual live games are not held online. The game can be found quite well in the selections of many online casinos, and if you wish, you can also try it with play money at first, as you can easily find free versions on the internet.
How to win at Red Dog?
In Red Dog, the goal is to get a third card worth the first two split. As shown above, a game can end in a draw or a player’s win after the first two cards dealt. The most common, however, is that the third card is dealt. If it is placed between the cards, the player wins and otherwise he loses. Red Dog goes a long way in knowing some of the familiar card rankings in poker, meaning remembering an ace is worth 14, not one, as in some other games.
The odds are determined by the spread, ie the difference between the first two cards. When calculating the difference, the number of cards in between is taken into account. That is, if the hand were, for example, second and six, the spread is three. The odds are determined by the spread as follows: 1 card difference is 5: 1, two is 4: 1, three is 2: 1 and four or more is 1: 1.
Red Dog is a Game of Chance with only one strategy based on math and probability available: a raise should only be made when the spread is seven or more. In this case, the probabilities are on the player’s side. Because it is a coincidence-based game played against a casino, in-house care is taken to ensure that the game cannot be won in the long run. However, Red Dog can be played with 1 to 8 decks of cards, and if you only find a casino with more than one deck, you can influence the house advantage through this.
Namely, unlike many other card games in Red Dog, the house advantage decreases as the number of compulsions increases. With one pack it is 3.16%, but with eight it is only 2.75%. Overall, the house advantage is quite reasonable for Red Dog, so it’s a pretty nice game for that too. You should always check the details of the bet, such as the minimum and maximum bets, on the game or game provider’s website.