In Between Rules

In Between is a betting game played with poker chips, often dealt in home dealer's choice games. It is not poker: no poker hands are made. Each player bets alone against the pot.

A standard 52-card deck is used, with no wild cards. Cards rank from two (low) to king, with the ace high or low as set out in article 4.

Two to about eight players may take part. The object is to win chips from the pot by predicting correctly that a third card will fall strictly between two cards already dealt.

The casino game Red Dog is a house-banked relative of In Between, with payouts set by the size of the spread.

Before play begins, every player puts an agreed ante into the pot.

Starting with the player to the dealer's left, and going clockwise, the dealer deals the player two cards face up.

The player then either bets that the next card will fall between the two, or declines to bet. A player who declines simply passes, and their cards are discarded.

Size of the bet. The limit shall be agreed before play. The usual conventions are:

2.4(a) during the first round, a bet is often equal to the ante, and at most half the pot;

2.4(b) once every player has had at least one turn, a player may bet up to the whole pot;

2.4(c) a bet may never exceed the amount in the pot.

When the bet is placed, the dealer deals a third card face up.

The result depends on the rank of the third card:

3.1(a) Between: if its rank lies strictly between the first two cards, the player wins and takes the amount of the bet from the pot.

3.1(b) Outside: if it is higher than both or lower than both, the player loses and pays the bet into the pot.

3.1(c) The post: if it matches the rank of either of the first two cards, the player has hit the post and pays double the bet into the pot.

If the pot is emptied, every player antes again to start a new pot.

When the deck runs out, the discards are shuffled to form a new deck and play continues.

Consecutive cards. If the first two cards are consecutive in rank, such as a five and a six, no card can fall between them. A player in this position would normally decline to bet.

Pairs. Groups differ on what happens when the first two cards are a pair. A common rule is that the player may bet that the third card will be higher or lower than the pair; if the third card is of the same rank again, the player pays three times the bet. The dealer shall announce the rule before play.

If the first card dealt to a player is an ace, the player shall declare it high or low before the second card is dealt.

Sources differ when the ace is the second card. Some rules let the player choose high or low before betting; others treat a second-card ace as always high. The dealer shall announce which rule applies.

A low ace followed by a high ace gives the widest possible spread: any two to king wins.