We've put together this helpful guide to help you become a pro at minigames in Red Dead Redemption 2.

A criminal who doesn't gamble is like a cowboy who doesn't ride a horse. In Red Dead Redemption 2, there are plenty of ways to drain all your hard earned dollars while traveling through the Wild West. No real money slots there of course, but still It'll be a lot of fun.

You can play four mini-games: poker, blackjack, dominoes, and a five-finger fillet knife game. If you've never heard of them, you'll have a hard time getting the hang of it - particularly because Rockstar only demonstrates the rules of the games once, and then you have to figure it out for yourself.

But don't worry: in this article we've gathered all the hints and tips so that you can easily earn some money. Here is our guide to mini-games in Red Dead Redemption 2.

 

Five-Finger Filet

The most reliable mini-game, because it doesn't require luck: you just need to quickly press the controller buttons. The goal is to get the knife between your fingers a few times (and not cut them off in the process).

At each table, you'll take turns competing against several opponents, and each successive one will have faster moves than the previous one. There are a few variations in the sequence of moves, but you don't need to worry about that: ultimately it all comes down to being faster than your opponent and not hitting your knuckles.

How to win

The best way to win is to hold R2/RT when your opponent picks up the knife - he'll always start first - and watch the sequence of moves, because you'll have to repeat it. In the beginning it will be fairly easy, something like X, Triangle, X, Triangle, X, Triangle, X, Triangle and so on, but soon the sequences will become more unpredictable. You'll need to stab near your thumb after each hit, and you'll always need to press X (or A if you're playing on Xbox One) to do so, so that leaves you with 5 other buttons to memorize.

Modern case studies and practices. Leading Speakers

During your opponent's turn, constantly replay the sequence in your head - you can even say it out loud - and then just focus on pressing the right buttons without paying attention to what's happening on the screen. Just look at your controller, not the screen - it's much easier that way.

Where to play?

You'll first encounter this game in a small bar in Valentine. Later you can play Five Finger Filet in Stroberry and Van Horn. If you beat all of your opponents, you'll have to wait six hours before playing again.

 

Poker

Red Dead Redemption's bars offer Texas Hold'em, where each player starts with two cards. After a round of dealing, three common cards are placed on the table for everyone to use. After two more rounds of dealing, two more cards are placed on the table, and then you have to make the best five-card combination using seven cards (two pocket cards and five community cards).

During each betting round, you can bet, quit, or, if there have been no bets yet, pass the turn. When someone bets, you can bet the same amount of money, raise the bet, or fold the cards. You win if at the end of the round you have a better hand than the other players, or if all the other players fold (i.e. quit).

If you are new to poker, familiarize yourself with the poker hand hierarchy (seniority), which can be found inside the game in the help section. You should be able to make at least senior pairs.

How to win?

Poker is an incredibly complex game, and special techniques and strategies are developed for it. But you don't need to be a pro at it to win in Red Dead Redemption 2. All you'll need is a pinch of patience. Your opponents will often go all-in and lose big time.

Bluffing is pretty hard because if you bet a lot, your opponents will equalize their bets with yours. But this can be turned around in your favor. All you have to do is wait for a good pair of cards, such as a high pair or two high cards (if you want to get a better understanding, you can find a full list of the best starting cards here), and don't be afraid to bet big towards the end of the round.

Where to play

Again, the best place to start is in Valentine: when you get through the second chapter, you'll be able to access the bar. You can also play poker in Blackwater, Tumbleweed, and Flatneck Station.

 

Dominoes

This is probably the least stressful mini-game in Red Dead Redemption 2. You risk almost no money, and there's something soothing about lining up your knuckles on a wooden board in the setting sun.

Dominoes has a few game modes that allow you to diversify the gameplay a bit, but we'll look at them a little later. In the simplest version of dominoes, the rules are as follows: you place one knuckle on the board at a time, and you can only place a knuckle if one of its ends matches the ends of the domino chain. If a knuckle has a 3 at the beginning of the chain and a 5 at the end, you can only lay out knuckles that have either a 3 or a 5 on them.

How to win

As a rule, the main goal in dominoes is to get rid of all your knuckles first. To do this, you need to focus on three things.

First, you need to be prepared for any layout and have a variety of knuckles on hand for all occasions. If you don't have the right knuckle, you'll have to grab another one from the "bazaar" or skip a turn, depending on the variation of the game. Get rid of doubles as early as possible, as they only fit one number instead of two.

Second, get rid of knuckles with large numbers as early as possible. When one gets rid of all the knuckles, the numbers on the remaining knuckles in the hands of the other two players are added up, and the winner gets the corresponding number of points. It is better to have a 6-1 knuckle rather than a 6-5 knuckle in case someone else wins.

Third, try to find out what your opponents have in their hands. If they miss a move when there is a 3 on one end of the chain and a 5 on the other, they don't have any knuckles with a 5 or a 3. Take advantage of this advantage.

But how do you play dominoes with points?

In RDR 2, there are variations of "All Threes" and "All Fives" dominoes. Again, the object of the game is to get rid of all the knuckles, but this time you earn points every time you place a knuckle. In the "All Threes" variation you get points if the open ends of the chain (i.e. those dominoes next to which you can place your knuckle) sum up to a multiple of three - in "Fives" this number must be a multiple of five. This number is added to your points. For example, if at the open ends of the chain there are dominoes with numbers 3, 5 and 1, you will get nine points.

It sounds complicated, but don't panic. You just need to focus on getting your points. Get rid of doubles as early as possible and keep an eye on your opponents' play. If you want to play neatly (you're ahead of your opponents, but you have little chance of getting more points), try to reduce the numbers at the ends of the chain so that other players get fewer points. For example, if the numbers on the open ends are 3-2-6, you could try turning the 6 into a 1 to hold your position.

Oh yes, and lastly: usually a domino chain has only two open ends, but in dominoes with points there can be up to four of them. A normal chain looks like a long line, but in points dominoes it looks like a big plus sign.

 

Blackjack

The most popular casino game where you start with two cards and you need to score more points than the dealer, but no more than 21. Once you get your two cards, you can draw more (one at a time) until you are satisfied with the score. The cards (queen, jack, king) give you 10 points.

If you get more than 21 points, you lose, so it's important not to go overboard. If you already have a 10 and a 6, you can take another card in hopes of getting a 5 or less, or you can stay at 16 and hope the dealer loses.

The dealer always plays the same pattern: if he has less than 17 points, he must draw another card; if greater than or equal to 17, he must stop. One of the dealer's cards is open and visible to the player. Aces count for 1 or 11, depending on the situation.

How to win

A lot depends on luck in blackjack, but you can win fortune over to your side. If you have 17 points or more, don't draw another card - it's not worth it (unless you're holding an Ace, which magically turns into a 1 when you get over 21 points).

If you have 11 points or less, take another card. Cards worth 10 points are the most in the deck, so you have a very good chance of winning.

In case you have between 12 and 16 points inclusive, look at the dealer's open card. The golden rule is that if the dealer has a 7 to an Ace, take the card, if you have a 2 to 6, don't take it. This scheme is based on mathematical calculations, so you won't miscalculate.

Never make a safety bet (you are asked to make one if the dealer has an ace) and double your bet if your first two cards total 11. Then you will be dealt exactly one more card and you can only pray it is a ten or a picture.

Alternatively, just keep drawing cards non-stop in the hope of getting a blackjack. The choice is yours.