Red Dog Poker is a casino table game, not a poker variation. No skill and no real intelligence are required to play it, and like virtually all casino table games, the overall expectation of winning is negative. Nevertheless, Red Dog Poker has some enthusiastic adherents, both in brick-and-mortar casinos and online. Depending on where you come from, you may know it by “Acey-Deucy” or “In Between.” The game is increasingly rare in live casinos, but online, its popularity seems to be growing.

In live casinos, cards come from a six-deck shoe, but 8 decks can sometimes be found. (The house edge goes down slightly as the number of decks goes up.) Online, if a single deck is used, shuffled after each game, the house edge is about 3.2% instead of 2.8% with a six-deck shoe.

The player makes his bet before the dealer deals. Then two cards are dealt, face up.

  • If the two cards are consecutive, it is a push, and bets are returned.
  • If the two cards are the same rank, a third card is dealt. If it is the same rank as the other two, the player is paid 11:1; otherwise it is a push and bets are returned.
  • If the two cards are not consecutive, the dealer announces the spread. This is the number of ranks in between the ranks of the two cards. Aces are always high. The maximum spread is between an ace and a deuce: 11. In online games the spread is announced with a graphic, almost always a red dog. The player can then add to the bet, up to double the original amount. Then a third card is drawn. If it falls within the spread, the player wins. If outside the spread, the house wins. If it is the same as one of the two cards, it is a push, and bets are returned.

Payoffs are made to the winning player as follows:

  • 5:1 for winning a one card spread
  • 4:1 for winning a two card spread
  • 2:1 for winning a three card spread
  • 1:1 for winning any spread of four or more

Only when the spread equals 7 or more does the player face a positive edge over the house. Therefore, the bet should not be increased except when the spread is 7 or higher, and then is should be doubled.

The overall, long-run, expected return to the player is $97.20 paid in winnings for every $100 in losses, assuming optimal play.