Where To Play Red Dog Poker In New Zealand?

Red Dog Poker
Red Dog Poker

Red Dog Poker is a poker game to play at both land casinos in NZ and online casinos of New Zealand. Like any other poker game Red Dog Poker is played with a standard deck of 52 cards.

One important thing to note here is that Red Dog Poker is also known as Yablon and is a variation of the casino game Acey-Deucey or In-Between. It shouldn’t be confused with Red Dog poker which is the card game we are talking about here.

Red Dog is considered to be a variation of Acey-Deucy or In-Between. It is a game of chance, which uses playing cards.

Red Dog poker game as said above is played with anywhere between one and eight standard 52-card decks. The object of the game is very simple: all you have to do is to be the player with the biggest pile of chips at the end of the game.

The number of decks in play determines the house edge and it is considered that the more decks you play with, the smaller the edge, and the better your odds.  The rules are simple and you only need to pay attention to your hand and the cards the dealer is putting on the table.

How to play Red Dog Poker?

Red dog poker game features
Red dog poker game features

You can play Red Dog Poker in land casinos or in online casinos.

In a land based casino, many players may play a single hand of Red Dog at a time, but each one has a separate area of the table. On each area, there is a layout with options for betting and raising. At few online casinos you may be allowed to play Red Dog with several other players or online casinos will even allow you to set up a private room with your friends.

Red Dog poker online is powered by two popular gaming companies: Microgaming and Betsoft.

  • When you join online casino to play Red Dog Poker you can choose to join Microgaming online casinos like Jackpot City, Spin Casino or choose Betsoft casino like Jackpot City Casino to play this game.
  • You can play for free or with real money at online casinos but at land casinos of NZ you need to make a real money deposit.

When you load the game on your gaming screen be it PC, laptop or mobile while playing online, you make an initial bet. After the initial bet, two cards are dealt face-up on the table. If the cards are consecutive, then the hand is considered a push and your money is returned to you. If the cards are the same, then the dealer automatically draws a third card. If the third card is the same as the first two, players win a payoff of 11:1. Otherwise, in most casinos, the hand is a push, and money is returned to all players. In some casinos, it is not considered a push, and you’ll lose your bet.

If the cards are neither consecutive nor the same, then you have a choice. You may either raise your wager or you can opt to call the hand. Once you’ve made your choice, the dealer deals the third card. If the third card has a value between those of the first two, you win. The payout for the win differs from hand to hand, as will be explained later. If the third card is higher than the higher card or lower than the lower card on the board, you lose your bet. In addition, if the third card is the same as either of the other two cards, you lose your bet. It is not a push.

  • Note that the Ace is the most powerful, while the 2 (Deuce) is the least powerful. Everything in between increases in value as the order ascends from the 2 upwards. 
  • The dealer shuffles the cards after every round of play to avoid the possibility of card counting. Players do not touch the cards, so cards cannot be tampered with. Additionally, like all casino card games, the decks are renewed frequently at land-based casinos.
  •  Many casinos will punch a hole through a deck to show that it has been used. Some casinos will allow dealers to give you these used decks after use, since they cannot be used for cheating.
  • At an online casino, it is important to note that each hand is drawn from a full deck, and is unrelated to the previous hand. This makes card-counting impossible and irrelevant. It also means that the chance of a third card of the same value being drawn is 2 out of 50 or 4%. Since the deck is a standard deck, the odds are easy to calculate.

What are the payouts in this game?

Red Dog Poker Payouts
Red Dog Poker Payouts

The game plays according to standard rules of Red Dog, i.e. the player places the ante bet to start the hand, after which two cards are dealt. The goal of the game is to predict whether the third card will fall in between the values of two cards showing.

Once the first two cards are revealed, the player has two options: Stand, playing just for his ante bet, or Ride, adding another ante bet and playing for double the amount. If the next card falls between the two cards showing, the player wins and they are paid according to the paytable. The closer the spread, the higher the payout.

The payout for each bet varies depending upon the gap between the numbers. The gap is called a spread. The spread determines the payout. For example, the payout for cards with a spread of one number between them is 5 to1, while the chances of winning are 4/50 or 8%. If the spread is two, the payout is 4 to 1 (Chances of winning are 16%). For a spread of 3, the payout is 2 to 1 (Chances of winning are 24%). If the spread is bigger than 3, the payout is 1 to 1 (Chances of winning are 32% to 88%). However, the wider the spread, the less of a house edge there is.

Red Dog Rules

  • Raises are optional – You never have to raise your bet to stay in the game
  • Ace is high – Instead of an Ace starting a series with a value of 1 as in Ace – 2 – 3, it’s always at the end – Queen – King – Ace.
  • Consecutive cards mean a push – Two successive cards, such as a “5” and a “6,” result in an automatic push
  • Dealt pairs – Two identical cards, like a 4 and a 4, play like other non-consecutive card hands. A third card is dealt, and if it’s also the same card, players receive an 11:1 payout; if not, it’s a push
  • Face card value – All face cards (Jacks, Queens, Kings) are valued at “10”
  • Suits don’t matter – In Red Dog Poker, suits (hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades) are irrelevant; it’s all about the rankings

Where To Play Red Dog Poker in New Zealand?

You can play Red Dog Poker in New Zealand at land and online casinos.

Here are the list of online casinos to play Red Dog Poker

Also you can practice the game via the free Red Dog poker app on your mobile which is available for both iPhone and Android phones.