Playing Poker in Red Dead Redemption is one of the many activities players can engage in aside from living the life of an outlaw. Although it involves gambling with money, one can use different strategies to wipe out the entire table and become rich overnight. Unlike the game of Liar’s Dice, the rules of Poker are complex yet easy to get a hang of within the first few matches.
With buy-ins ranging from $10 to $250, players of all budgets can find a table to enjoy this epic card game. This guide will further explain the ins and outs of Poker in Red Dead Redemption.
Related
Red Dead Redemption: Where to Find Horse Deeds (Four Horses Challenge)
Completing the Four Horses Challenge in Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare DLC can take some time since the steeds spawn randomly.
How to Play Poker in Red Dead Redemption
Playing Poker is one of the many ways to earn money in Red Dead Redemption. The game follows the Texas Hold ‘Em rules, which take little time to get used to.
For starters, each player on the table gets two cards in their hand, and an initial betting round begins where a certain amount of tokens is raised. By the end of the betting phase, three cards will be placed on the table with their faces up, revealing their suits and ranks. Players can Check or raise the pot value in the following rounds. This process will continue until all five cards are laid down on the table.
From here on, the winner and loser are determined based on the combinations of the cards in hand with the ones on the table. Players can make a total of 10 hand combinations in Poker, and they are ranked in the following table, from the lowest to the highest.
|
Poker Hands |
Description |
|---|---|
|
High Card |
A hand with no matching card |
|
One Pair |
Two cards of the same rank |
|
Two Pair |
Two different pairs of same-rank cards |
|
Three of a kind |
Three same-rank cards |
|
Straight |
Five cards in a numeric order, don’t necessarily have to be the same suit |
|
Flush |
Five cards from the same suit |
|
Full House |
When five cards combine to make one pair and three of a kind |
|
Four of a kind |
Four same-rank cards |
|
Straight Flush |
Five cards in a numeric order from the same suit |
|
Royal Flush |
10-Jack-Queen-King-Ace of the same suit |
There are various locations to play Poker in Red Dead, and they can be discovered by progressing through the campaign. The buy-ins of each venue may vary depending on the grade of players on the table. These are the locations to play Poker in RDR:
|
Location |
State |
Buy-In |
|
MacFarlane’s Ranch |
New Austin |
$10 |
|
Armadillo |
New Austin |
$25 |
|
Thieves’ Landing |
New Austin |
$25 |
|
Chuparosa |
Nuevo Paraiso |
$50 |
|
Casa Madrugada |
Nuevo Paraiso |
$50 |
|
Blackwater Saloon |
West Elizabeth |
$100 |
|
Blackwater Hotel |
West Elizabeth |
$250 |
|
Beecher’s Hope |
West Elizabeth |
$100 |
With higher buy-ins, players have more profit-making potential at the risk of greater loss. Especially at the Blackwater Hotel, one can make a fortune at the high-stakes Poker table with a tactical approach. However, John Marston can access the venue only with a special outfit. He needs to dress in the Gentleman’s Attire, which is available in the game by default.
All you have to do is unlock the safe house to equip the cosmetics. Use the outfit to look wealthy and play Poker at the Blackwater Hotel. Winning the entire table might just be the fastest way to get rich.
The Beecher’s Hope Poker is only available in multiplayer mode.
How to Win Poker in Red Dead Redemption
Win Fair And Square
Poker is mostly a game of luck in Red Dead and RDR 2. However, proper strategies and decision-making can help secure a win, or at least minimize the losses. Here are some general tips to improve your Poker game in Red Dead Redemption:
- First and foremost, understand the ranking of each Poker hand.
- The higher combinations have a lower probability of forming, and vice versa. Therefore, take a risk and extend the bets while holding three of a kind or anything above that.
- It is also important to use fewer tokens and wait for the cards to appear on the table.
- Upon obtaining a strong hand, try not to bet a huge amount right away; instead, bait the NPCs into raising the pot value.
- Also, grasp the position of everyone at the table by paying close attention to the dialogue. NPCs tend to be optimistic if they have a strong Poker hand.
- Always click Check if you do not have a combination after the cards are revealed on the table.
- Bluff in both low and high-stakes games, as long as you have extra money to spare. It essentially forces the opponent to fold their hand, so raise the pot even when your odds of winning are low.
Be a Cheat
Cheating is the most convenient method of winning in Red Dead Redemption‘s Poker. For that, players need to equip the Elegant Suit during the card game. The apparel is unlocked after initiating the first Poker game or by entering the tailor shop at Thieves’ Landing.
The Elegant Suit is one of the many outfits from John Marston’s wardrobe, and it allows him to hide a card up his sleeve. He can swap the hidden card with the ones on his hand, provided players complete a quick minigame. John will get caught for losing the mini-game and will be forced to participate in a duel.
- Released
- May 18, 2010
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar San Diego