A round of online Let it Ride begins with each player making three identical bets. Next, each player is given three face down cards and the software places two face down community cards at the center of the table. At this point, each player may either retract one of his. Online, IGT has some great video poker variants, as well as blackjack, roulette and baccarat. ShuffleMaster: ShuffleMaster (SHFL) is a renowned table game manufacturer that has adapted some of its popular land-based games for online casinos. Unique SHFL titles include Let It Ride.

Let it Ride is a simple poker-based game based on the poker value of a final five-card hand. Start by making three equal bets. This is done by clicking a chip and then clicking on the spot marked with a $ sign on the table. The game will put an equal bet on the other two spots for you. If you want to bet more than one chip per spot, you'll have to repeat this process.

Then, as cards are revealed you'll have two chances to pull a bet back or 'Let it Ride'. All remaining bets at the end are paid according to the posted pay table.

For more information on the rules and strategy, please see my page on Let it Ride.

Questions

See questions I've answered about Let it Ride in my Ask the Wizard columns.

Let It Ride is a poker variation that’s based on five-card stud. Online casinos in regulated states now offer this table game.

Let It Ride sees you dealt three hole cards. The objective is to make the best five-card poker hand possible using your three hole cards and two community cards.

Play Let It Ride online, free

This game isn’t as famous as baccarat, blackjack and roulette; however, it still retains a prominent place on many casino gambling floors.

You don’t have to bet anything to play Let It Ride for free online; you can enjoy this game only by playing the demo version above. When you’re ready to move to real money, click on the “Play Now” button to lock in your bonus offer.

Basic rules for the poker game Let It Ride

Each round begins with you placing three wagers of equal size in three betting circles. For example, you might lay $1 in each of the three circles.

Following this initial betting round, the dealer delivers three hole cards to you. They also deal two face-down community cards.

You have two opportunities to withdraw one-third of your initial wager. The first chance comes after you look at your hole cards. At this time, you may or may not remove the wager in the first betting circle.

The second opportunity comes after the second community card is dealt. You can either remove your first wager, or the second if you’ve already removed the first bet.

You “let it ride“ when leaving all three wagers stand. At the end of the betting rounds, you’ll flip over your three hole cards and make the best five-card poker hand possible with the two community cards.

Potential payouts are based on the game’s pay table. You win so long as you hold a pair of 10s or higher. You lose, however, if you hold a pair of 9s or less.

How to play Let It Ride poker

The following steps summarize how to play Let It Ride hands:

1. You place three wagers of equal size in three betting circles.
2. The croupier deals you three face-down (“hole”) cards.
3. You can remove your first bet or let it ride.
4. The dealer deals the first community card.
5. You can remove your second bet or let it ride.
6. The croupier deals the second community card.
7. You flip over your cards.
8. Your five-card poker hand and the pay table determine if you win a prize.

You can also place optional side bets in Let It Ride. If you place one of these wagers, then you have a chance to win an extra payout based on your three- or five-card hand.

Let It Ride pay table

Standard Let It Ride payouts include the following:

• Royal flush: 1,000:1 payout
• Straight flush: 200:1
• Four-of-a-kind: 50:1
• Full house: 11:1
• Flush: 8:1
• Straight: 5:1
• Three-of-a-kind: 3:1
• Two pair: 2:1
• Pair of 10s or better: 1:1

As can be seen, you must hold a pair of 10s or higher to get paid. Anything below this cutoff point results in the loss of your bet.

This game offers intriguing prizes at the top of the pay table. You don’t even need to place a bonus bet to win large payouts for a royal flush (1,000:1), straight flush (200:1), and four-of-a-kind (50:1).

Let It Ride odds on 5 card hands

Let It Ride features a 52-card deck. Therefore, you can accurately determine the odds of being dealt any five-card hand.

Chances are, though, you don’t want to work out all of these calculations for yourself.

You can refer to the Let It Ride odds presented below:

• Royal flush: 1 in 649,704 odds of being dealt
• Straight flush: 1 in 72,193 odds
• Four-of-a-kind: 1 in 4,165 odds
• Full house: 1 in 694 odds
• Flush: 1 in 509 odds
• Straight: 1 in 255 odds
• Three-of-a-kind: 1 in 47 odds
• Two pair: 1 in 21 odds
• Pair of 10s or better: 1 in 4 odds
• Any pair (doesn’t pay): 1 in 2 odds

Most casinos offer the pay table featured above. Nevertheless, you should always check the pay table whenever you sit down to make sure.

Let It Ride odds on 3 card hands

One of the side bets in this game revolves around your three hold cards. This three-card bet deals with different odds.

Here are the chances of being dealt various three-card hands:

• Mini royal flush: 1 in 5,200 odds of being dealt
• Straight flush: 1 in 460 odds
• Three-of-a-kind: 1 in 425 odds
• Straight: 1 in 31 odds
• Flush: 1 in 20 odds
• Pair: 1 in 6 odds
• High card (doesn’t pay): 1 in 2 odds

This pay table represents another common pay schedule found at casinos. Again, though, you should check first before assuming that you’re dealing with standard three-card bonus payouts.

Side bets

You can place a side bet in Let It Ride by wagering $1. The side bet makes you eligible for bonus payouts.

Let It Ride offers two types of side wagers — not necessarily in the same game, including a three-card and five-card bonus bet. Below, you can see more information on both types of wagers.

Three card bonus payouts

The three-card bonus bet is similar to the “pair plus” wager in three-card poker. It delivers prizes based on your three hole cards.

Winnings are paid according to the following pay table:

• Mini royal flush: 50:1 payout
• Straight flush: 40:1
• Three-of-a-kind: 30:1
• Straight: 6:1
• Flush: 4:1
• Pair: 1:1

The top prizes for the three-card bonus aren’t as high as what you’ll see for the standard pay table or, especially, the five-card bet. However, you also carry stronger odds of earning a bonus with the three-card wager.

Five card bonus payouts

The five-card bonus bet is based on traditional five-card poker rankings. Here are the payouts for this wager:

• Royal flush: 20,000:1 payout
• Straight flush: 2,000:1
• 4 of a kind: 400:1
• Full house: 200:1
• Flush: 50:1
• Straight: 25:1
• 3 of a kind: 5:1

The 20,000:1 prize is especially impressive. This payout is similar to what many slots jackpots offer. You can also look forward to other big payouts for a straight flush (2,000:1), four-of-a-kind (400:1) and full house (200:1).

Let It Ride house edge

The Let It Ride house edge depends upon your skill level and strategy. Assuming you do use optimal strategy, then you can lower the house advantage to 3.51%.

This house edge ranks average when compared to other casino games. It doesn’t give you as strong of a chance to win as baccarat or blackjack, but this house advantage does rank better than most slots and certain table games.

Let It Ride strategy

Let It Ride strategy isn’t overly complicated. However, it does require you to make the right decisions based on your three hole cards and the first community card.

According to the optimal strategy, you should only “let it ride” when you hold:

Three cards

• Any paying hand (10s or better)
• Any three cards to a royal flush
• Three consecutive suited cards (except for 2-3-4 and A-2-3)
• Three cards to a straight flush, one gap, with one or more high cards
• Three cards to a straight flush, two gaps, with two or more high cards

Four cards – counts first community card

• Any paying hand
• Any four suited cards
• Any four cards to an outside straight, with at least one high card
• Any four cards to an outside straight, with no high card
• Any four cards to an inside straight, with four high cards

Definitions

• Inside straight: Straight draw where one card is missing in the middle (e.g., 5-6-8-9)
• Outside straight: Straight draw with four consecutive cards (e.g., 5-6-7-8)
• One gap: Three-card draw with one gap in between (e.g., 8-9-J)
• Two gaps: Three-card draw with two total gaps (e.g., 8-10-Q)
• High card: 10 or better

Land-based vs. online Let It Ride

The actual process of playing Let It Ride remains the same between brick-and-mortar and internet casinos. However, you will notice some nuances between the two versions.

1. Online casinos offer lower minimum bets: Online casinos let you play Let It Ride for as little as $1 per hand. Contrast this to land-based casinos, which require you to bet at least $5 or $10 to play.
2. The atmosphere in a brick-and-mortar casino: The problem with playing Let It Ride at online casinos is that you don’t get to enjoy as much social interaction. Brick-and-mortar casinos, on the other hand, allow you to chat with the dealers and other players.
3. You control the game speed online: You determine when hands are dealt in online Let It Ride. By comparison, the dealer, for the most part, controls the game speed in the land-based version.
4. Different comps: Internet casinos are limited in the comps that they can offer you through Let It Ride. Generally, you can only look forward to cashback, free slots spins and higher deposit/withdrawal limits at gaming sites. Brick-and-mortar casinos offer a wealth of rewards. For example, you can earn free drinks, hotel stays, limousine transportation, meals and more when playing Let It Ride live.

Can I cheat in Let It Ride?

You can’t cheat in Let It Ride online. Online casinos program their games to eliminate any potential cheating possibilities.

However, there have been people in the past who managed to cheat Let It Ride games in land-based casinos. In almost all cases, the cheaters were caught, arrested and jailed.

Colluding with the dealer

One of the simplest ways people have cheated involves colluding with a dealer. The dealer would stack the deck, and in return, they’d receive a cut of the profits.

Casinos have a tougher time catching cheaters who work with dealers. When they do, though, casinos will prosecute everybody involved—including their croupier.

Colluding with other players

A less-attractive way to cheat Let It Ride involves working with other gamblers. With this method, players would most likely swap cards with one another.

For example, you could slip another gambler an ace to help stack one hand for your team. The problem, though, is that the casino would have an easier time catching you in the act.

Marking cards

Marking cards with invisible ink is a popular cheating technique. It works in a number of card-based games, including Let It Ride.

To pull this method off, the player would mark the cards and wear special contact lenses or glasses. The latter lets you see the invisible ink.

Meanwhile, the dealer and other players can’t see the ink with their naked eyes. Casinos do, however, run cards under a special scanner to check for such invisible markings.

Play Let It Ride Online For Free

FAQ

How big of a bankroll do I need for $1 tables?

Technically, you only need $1 to play real-money Let It Ride online in Pennsylvania. After all, gaming sites in the Keystone State let you play for just $1 per hand.

However, you should budget more money toward the game if you wish to last longer. Ideally, you’ll want to have at least $20 per session.

This amount gives you enough money to provide 20 units. Here’s the theoretical math on how long you can expect to last at this rate:

• You have a $20 bankroll.
• You wager $1 per hand.
• You play 100 hands per hour.
• 100 x 1 = $100 wagered per hour
• 100 x 0.0351 = $3.51 in hourly losses
• 20 / 3.51 = 5.7

You could expect to last for 5.7 hours, or five hours and 42 minutes, on average with your bankroll.

How do I win in Let It Ride?

You must use the proper strategy to reduce the house edge to its lowest point. Let It Ride features a 3.51% house advantage if you use a perfect strategy.

You can refer to the strategy section on this page to learn the optimal way to play. Our strategy covers what to do when you’re holding three- and four-card (counting first community card) hands.

Which game has better odds: Let It Ride or blackjack?

Blackjack gives you a stronger chance to win, especially at PA and NJ casinos. Some online casinos with blackjack return to player (RTP) that’s worth over 99.5%.

The catch, though, is that you must use a perfect strategy to achieve this lofty RTP. Blackjack strategy is more complex than Let It Ride’s because it covers far more situations.

Let It Ride doesn’t give you as strong of a chance to win with its 96.49% RTP. However, it’s an easier game with regard to strategy.

Can I count cards in Let It Ride?

Technically, you can count cards in Let It Ride. However, you won’t gain an advantage over the house with Let It Ride card counting.

Blackjack is the only game that gives you a true advantage when counting cards. Assuming you’re interested in advantage play, then you should try land-based blackjack.

Let It Ride is a strategic game. Therefore, you must use proper strategy to boost your odds of winning.

You still won’t have as good of a chance to win with Let It Ride as you will with baccarat, blackjack or French roulette — the highest-paying table games. However, the 96.49% RTP that you achieve with perfect strategy ranks well in comparison to many other casino games.