Red Dog is a card game that is losing popularity in land-based casinos. However it is doing quite well at Microgaming online casinos because it is a simple and fast paced game that offers a house edge on par with most table games.

The game is played with a single standard deck at Microgaming online casinos. The cards follow the usual ranking, with the ace being the highest. The suits of the cards are unimportant. The game begins with the player placing his bet in the area marked Bet. The range allowed in Microgaming Red Dog is from 1.00 to 50.00 credits. The dealer deals two cards face up on the two extreme rectangles leaving the central one blank. If the two cards are consecutive then the hand is a tie and the bet pushes. If the two cards form a pair then a third card is immediately dealt face up in the central rectangle. If a three of a kind results then the player is paid out at 11 to 1, otherwise the bet pushes.

If there is a gap in the ranks of the first two cards then the dealer indicates the spread by placing a marker on the corresponding number in the Spread row. The spread is the number of ranks that fall between the two dealt cards. If a seven and a king are the dealt cards the spread is 5. The player can now Raise or Call. If he clicks Raise an identical wager is placed in the Raise area. If he clicks Call then the existing wager stands. The third card is then dealt. If it falls between the two dealt cards then the total bet wagered is paid out according to the pay table. If the third card matches a dealt card or falls outside the range the player loses his total wager.

Microgaming Red Dog pays out as follows on player wins:

• If the spread was 1 the payout is 5 to 1
• If the spread was 2 the payout is 4 to 1
• If the spread was 3 the payout is 2 to 1
• If the spread was 4 or more the payout is 1 to 1

The only decision that the player has to take is whether to Raise or Call when there is a spread. Fortunately mathematical calculations have been made and are available. Based on the payouts specified and the mathematical probability of winning the expectation has been calculated. For spreads from 1 to 6 the expectations is negative, which means that the player is more likely to lose money. Hence it is unwise to Raise under these circumstances. The player should Call. For spreads of 7 and the more the expectation is positive and the player is more likely to win money even though the payout is only 1 to 1. Hence when the spread is 7 or more the players should Raise.

Microgaming Red Dog is played with one deck and that has a house edge of 3.16%. This is slightly more than European roulette and less than American roulette. In Red Dog the house edge decreases as the number of decks increase. Therefore if any other software provider is offering Red Dog with more than one deck, the player should prefer that. The assumption is that the rules and payouts are the same.

Microgaming Red Dog can be played at online casinos like All Slots Casino, Platinum Play Casino, Spin Palace Casino and Roxy Palace Casino.