Red Dog, a game that heavily relies on luck, is not frequently played at casinos, instead it is commonly played at home for pleasure due to its low stakes.
Set Up
The objective is to have the highest number of chips when the game concludes. Chips are given to all players, and each player contributes one chip to the centre of the table, creating a pool or pot. One player distributes the cards, revealing them face up to each player in turn. The player holding the highest card becomes the dealer for the first round. Players have the freedom to shuffle the deck, and the dealer shuffles last.
After shuffling, the player on the dealer’s right performs the card cut. The dealer proceeds to distribute five cards, one at a time, to each player in clockwise order, starting from the player on the left. In case there are more than eight players, only four cards are given to each player to ensure a proper distribution.
Betting
After examining their cards, the player to the left of the dealer can wager any number of chips, up to the total chips in the pot at that moment. Alternatively, if a player chooses not to bet, they may contribute one chip as a forfeit to the pot. It’s important to note that no bet can surpass the number of chips already present in the pot. Once a player places their bet, the dealer reveals the top card from the remaining deck.
If the betting player possesses a card of the same suit and of higher rank, they display the card, retrieve their bet amount, and take an equivalent sum from the pot. However, if the betting player does not have a card that beats the revealed card, they must reveal their entire hand, and the bet amount goes into the pot.
Winning the Game
The process continues with the next player in the clockwise order placing their bet, and another card being revealed. This pattern persists until all players, including the dealer, have placed their bets. If at any point the pot becomes empty (due to a player “betting the pot” and winning), each player must contribute one chip to replenish the pot. Once every player has had their opportunity to bet, the role of the dealer shifts to the player on the left of the current dealer. Whoever has the highest number of chips once the game concludes is declared the winner.
