Online Red Dog Table Game

Published: July 5, 2012

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Almost all online casinos offer a table game titled Red Dog. It does not draw much traffic, simply because it does not have a land casino base and is therefore relatively unknown. However, Red Dog is a game worth trying out. It is a simple game with an easy optimum strategy. Played correctly it offers an average return to player of about 97.5%, depending on the number of decks used.

The game play is illustrated using the Microgaming version of Red Dog. This is played with a single deck. The bet range is between 1 credit and 50 credits. The suit is irrelevant in Red Dog. The cards are ranked as in poker, with aces always being the highest. The screen is laid out like a casino table. The betting area is at the bottom; the payout table is displayed in the center and there are three slots for dealing the cards at the top. The game begins with the player placing the ante wager. When the Deal button is clicked, two cards are dealt face up on the two outside slots. If the two cards are consecutive then the hand ends in a tie and the player’s bet is returned. If the two cards are equal then a third card is dealt in the center slot. If the player gets a three of a kind then the payout is 11 to 1, otherwise the hand is a push.

If the two cards are neither consecutive nor equal then a marker appears on the spread in the payout table. The spread is the number of card values in between the dealt cards and it can vary from 1 to 11. The payout for the spread is indicated below the spread value. The player is then given a chance to raise, in which case a wager equal to the original wager is placed on the table. The player can choose to call, which indicates that he wants to continue playing without increasing the stake. The third card is then dealt. If it is in between the first two cards the player wins according to the payout table. If the third card matches or is outside the first two cards the player loses all wagers. 1-card spread pays 5 to 1. 2-card spread pays 4 to 1. 3-card spread pays 2 to 1. A spread of 4 cards or more pays even money.

The player has to make two decisions. The first is the amount of the ante wager. This is a bankroll based decision and has nothing to do with Red Dog strategy. The real decision is whether to raise or call when a spread is announced. Based on the mathematical probabilities and payouts, the expectations have been calculated for each spread. The outcome is that for spread of 1 to 6 the player will expect to lose money in the long run and that for spread of 7 to 11the player will expect to win money in the long run. Therefore the optimum Red Dog strategy states that players should raise only when the spread is 7 or more.

Microgaming Red Dog can be played in online casinos like 32Red, Platinum Play and Crazy Vegas. Red Dog offered by other software providers differs only in screen layout and bet ranges.

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