Two cards face up. Bet whether a third card falls between them.
Red Dog (also called Acey-Deucey) is a card game where the dealer reveals two cards face-up. You bet whether the third card the dealer flips will land in the spread between them. Aces are high; consecutive cards push; matching pair pays 11:1 if the third card matches.
The narrower the spread, the higher the payout. A 1-card spread pays 5:1 (very rare to win). An 11-card spread (the widest possible, between 2 and Ace) pays 1:1 (you'll usually win).
The standard option is "raise" — double your bet after the first two cards if you like the spread. Almost always optimal to raise on spreads of 7+. Skip raise on spreads of 1-3. House edge ~2.5% with optimal raising.
| Spread of 1 card | 5:1 |
| Spread of 2 cards | 4:1 |
| Spread of 3 cards | 2:1 |
| Spread of 4-11 cards | 1:1 |
| Consecutive cards (e.g. 7-8) | Push |
| Matching pair, 3rd card matches | 11:1 |
| Matching pair, 3rd card different | Push |
Raise (double) on spreads of 7 or more. Don't raise on smaller spreads. Optimal play gives ~3.2% house edge — better than blackjack played carelessly.
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Red Dog (also called "In Between" or "Acey-Deucey") is a simple game: two cards are dealt face up; bet whether a third card will rank between them. If the first two cards are consecutive or matching, the result is automatic. Payout scales inversely with the "spread" — the gap between the two cards. House edge of 3.03% in single-deck.
Place an Ante. Two cards are dealt face up. If they're consecutive in rank, push. If they match, a third card is dealt; if the third card matches the first two, the Ante pays 11:1 (otherwise push). Otherwise, the "spread" is the number of ranks between the two cards (Aces are high). You may "raise" by doubling your Ante. A third card is dealt; if it falls strictly between the first two ranks, you win at the payout determined by the spread: spread 1 pays 5:1, spread 2 pays 4:1, spread 3 pays 2:1, spread 4-11 pays 1:1.
Raise only when the spread is 7 or higher — the probability of winning is high enough to justify the additional bet at 1:1 payout. Spreads 1-6 should be played at Ante only. The Joker hands and 11:1 three-of-a-kind hit so rarely they don't affect strategy meaningfully.
Spread of 1: 4/50 = 8% win rate, paying 5:1 → 48% return = 52% loss. Spread of 11 (A-2 to K): 44/50 = 88% win rate at 1:1. The optimal-raise math says raise the bet only when the probability of winning the doubled bet exceeds 50% × (1 + house take), which works out to spread 7+.
Red Dog descends from an old soldiers' card game "Acey-Deucey." It appeared in casinos under various names from the 1930s and is now mostly a backroom or online curiosity rather than a featured table game.
| Bet | Payout | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spread 1 win | 5:1 | 8% win rate |
| Spread 3 win | 2:1 | 24% win rate |
| Spread 11 win | 1:1 | 88% win rate |
| Three of a kind on consecutive deal | 11:1 | Rare bonus |
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