Let It Ride Strategy
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. “Ride wit Me” is one of the earliest Nelly songs to get popular attention. The hook is a paraphrase of Bill Clinton’s campaign strategy: “Hey, must be the Economy, Stupid!”.
- How To Play Let It Ride
- Best Let It Ride Strategy
- Let It Ride 3 Card Bonus Strategy
- Free Online Let It Ride No Download
Let It Ride is a poker-based game where the value of the hand is the important thing – you don’t need to beat other players or the house in this game.
How to Play Let It Ride Poker
How To Play Let It Ride
It is based mostly on a five-card stud which includes three player cards and two community cards (these are cards used by all players). The most important aspect of Let It Ride is that you are given two opportunities to remove exactly one-third of your bet.
You have one chance to do this after you look at your three cards. but before the first community card is revealed, and you receive another opportunity after the first community card is revealed, but before the second is revealed. You can reduce your bet at either of these times, on both, or neither. If you decide not to withdraw any of your bet, you effectively “let it ride.”
In order to understand this game, you need to know the different poker hands, which one’s are the best and what they contain. Details of the hands you can make can be found at our Poker Hands section.
We have also listed them below in the order of the best to worst with the average payout next to them. Please note that the hand winnings vary from casino to casino and aren’t therefore set in stone. Although some casinos may pay higher than the odds listed, some may also pay less so it is worth checking before you start to play to ensure you get the best possible returns.
As in all poker, your hand is made up of 5 cards. Unlike Texas Hold’em and other forms of poker, you only get 5 cards to choose from. In Let It Ride, not the 7 you are able to use in some types (For example, in Texas Hold ’em, you can use 5 cards from your own 2 hole cards and the 5 community cards).
Let it Ride Rules
Let it Ride Rules are fairly easy to remember.
- You pay 3 bets of equal size to start the hand.
- The Dealer deals each player in the hand 3 cards face down, so only the Player can see their cards.
- You then have the choice of retrieving your first bet, leaving just two-thirds of your initial bet or Let It Ride – leave the bet down and stay in the hand with the full amount as opposed to a reduced amount.
- The Dealer adds another card to the table, a Community card that can be used by all Players. Remember though, you are not betting against the others, just trying to make the best possible hand for yourself.
- You now have the choice of retrieving your second bet or Let It Ride again and stay in with that bet still in play.
- The Dealer now deals the second Community card which gives you the 5 cards that make up your final hand. You then receive payouts according to the table below:
Let It Ride Payouts & Odds
(Remember, the Let It Ride Payouts listed below can vary from casino to casino, so ensure you check a few different casinos first if this is the game you wish to play):
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 1,000 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 200 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind | 50 to 1 |
| Full House | 11 to 1 |
| Flush | 8 to 1 |
| Straight | 5 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 3 to 1 |
| Two pair | 2 to 1 |
| Pair of Tens or better | 1 to 1 |
| Anything else | Lose |
For more information on Poker Hands see our Poker Hand rankings guide
Let it Ride Poker Strategy
the best Let It Ride Strategy is the following: After your first 3 cards have been dealt, you should only Let It Ride (stay in the hand) if you have:
- Any paying hand, so a Pair of 10’s or better
- Any 3 cards that make up a Royal Flush
- Three suited cards in a row except for 2-3-4 or A-2-3
- Three cards that can make up a Straight Flush where the cards are only spread over 4 numbers* and at least 1 high card of 10 or higher
- Three cards that can make up a Straight Flush where the cards are spread over 5 numbers** and at least 2 are high cards of 10 or higher
After the first 4 cards have been dealt, you should only Let It Ride (stay in the hand) if you have:
- Any paying hand, so a Pair of 10’s or better, 3 of a kind or 2 pairs
- Any 4 cards of the same suit
- Any 4 cards to an Outside Straight*** with at least 1 high card of 10 or higher
- Any 4 cards to an Inside Straight****
* Spread over 4 numbers means the cards in question spread out over no more than 4 numbers, so 6, 7 and 9 for example.
** Spread over 5 numbers means the cards in question spread out over no more than 5 numbers, so 6, 7 and 10 for example.
*** Outside Straight is one where the number needed is on the outside of the hand (so you have 4, 5, 6 and 7 for example – you need either a 3 or an 8 to complete a straight in this instance).
**** Inside Straight is one where the number needed is on the inside of the hand (so you have 4, 5, 7 and 8 for example, this is not as good as an Outside Straight as the only number which will complete the hand in this instance is a 6)
Side Games
Some casinos will offer side games for Let It Ride based on the hand value after your own 3 cards have been dealt or after all 5 are known.
We strongly suggest you avoid these kinds of games as they are heavily favoured towards the casino and do not offer value for money.
They can add an extra fun element to the game, however, so if your primary goal is to relax and get maximum enjoyment out of playing, feel free to play any side games available. Just remember that the odds are more heavily stacked in favour of the casino as opposed to you.
Related Poker Articles:
Pai Gow Strategy
Chinese Poker Tips
How To Play Crazy Pineapple
Play Poker Online for Real
Featured Gambling Guides
Let It Ride is one of my favorite “house-banked” casino games based on poker. When I say it’s “house-banked,” I mean that you’re playing against the casino, who pays off your bets if you win. In normal poker games, the other players pay you off when you win. In a house-banked game, it’s you versus the dealer.
Like many poker games, Let It Ride uses a 5-card hand. You form this hand with 3 cards of your own and 2 community cards. It’s similar to Texas holdem in the use of community cards, although the number of cards and the game-play couldn’t be much more different.
Like pai gow poker, Let It Ride is a slower table game, which limits the amount of money you’ll lose on average per hour. When I started gambling a couple of decades, Let It Ride was all the rage, but other, newer poker variants have now surpassed Let It Ride in popularity.
I was, at one time, an investor in Shuffle Master, the company which invented the game. Let It Ride was an obvious attempt to sell more card shuffling machines. I admired this kind of clever marketing. I didn’t regret my investment, either.
The purpose of this post is to provide a quick introduction to the game and how it’s played. More importantly, I offer some insights into the strategy and odds for the game. Let It Ride’s house edge is relatively high, but it’s still a cool game.
And there’s no reason you shouldn’t learn to keep the house edge as low as possible by using the correct Let It Ride strategy.
You start a game of Let It Ride by placing a 3-unit wager. You get 2 chances to pull one of those units off the table. If you leave those wagers in play, you’re “letting them ride.” (That’s where the game gets its name.)
After you’ve bet, you get a card. Then the dealer deals the 1st community card (face-down). Then you get another card, then another community card, then you get a 3rd card. That’s a total of 3 cards for you and 2 community cards for the table.
You don’t get to look at the cards until the dealing’s done.
The game is divided into rounds. The first round is when you look at your hole cards. Based on whether you like them or not, you can withdraw one of your 3 bets.
After that action is resolved, the 1st community card gets flipped over. This is your 2nd chance to withdraw one of your 3 bets.
When the final community card is flipped over, you show your hand. You get paid off based on a pay table, just like you would if you were playing video poker. This pay table can vary, but it typically looks like this:
| Hand | Payoff |
|---|---|
| Royal flush | 1000 |
| Straight flush | 200 |
| 4 of a kind | 50 |
| Full house | 11 |
| Flush | 8 |
| Straight | 5 |
| 3 of a kind | 3 |
| 2 pair | 2 |
| Pair of 10s + | 1 |
If you don’t have a hand of at least a pair of 10s or better, you lose whatever wager you have on the table.
The only decisions you have to make are whether to pull back your bets or not. You’ll decide this based on what kind of hand you have.
On the 1st round, where you only know what your 3 hole cards are, you should draw back one bet UNLESS:
- You have any hand that’s a winner.
- You have a draw to a royal flush.
- You have a draw to a straight flush. (Unless those cards are 4 or lower.)
On the 2nd round, where you know what your 3 hole cards are AND what one of the hole cards is, you should draw back one bet UNLESS:
Best Let It Ride Strategy
- You have any hand that’s a winner.
- A draw to a flush.
- An outside draw to a straight that includes a 10+.
- An inside draw to a straight where all 4 cards are 10+.
An outside straight draw is one where you can make the straight by getting one of 8 cards. For example, if you have a 5678, any 4 or any 9 will give you a straight, and there are 4 of each of them. The rank of the cards that fill the straight fall outside the rankings of the straight draw.
An inside straight draw is one where you can make the straight by getting one of 4 cards. For example, if you have a 5689, the only card that will make your straight is a 7, and there are only 4 of them. The rank of the card that fills the straight falls inside the rankings of the straight draw.
The house edge for a standard Let It Ride pay table is 3.5%. Compared to other card games, this isn’t the best deal in the casino—far from it, in fact. You’d be better off playing blackjack with perfect basic strategy, although that’s more memorization than you’d have with memorizing the proper Let It Ride strategy.
Also, Let It Ride is a slower-paced game. Even though the house edge is higher, your hourly expected loss isn’t necessarily going to increase that much, because you’re not putting as much money into action per hour.
And of course, if you can find a casino with a more generous pay table than the one I listed above, the house edge would go down, too.
Most Let It Ride games offer optional side bets. One common side bet is just a bet on the final hand. It has its own pay table, but the house edge for this bet is usually higher than the house edge for the regular game by a multiple of 4 or more. In other words, the house edge on this bet is in the double digits. Avoid it.
A lot of casinos also have a side bet on the ranking of your 3-card hand, disregarding the community cards. This bet also has a pay table, and it’s a better deal than the side bet on your 5-card final hand. Still, the house edge on this bet is twice as high as the other bets—at least 7%. It’s another bet you should skip.
Let It Ride is a lot of fun, but sadly, the game looks like it’s on its way. This is happening for 2 reasons:
- Let It Ride odds aren’t that great.
- Other games are becoming more popular.
Let It Ride 3 Card Bonus Strategy
Still, I like casino card games with a skill element, even if your level of skill only reduces the house edge to 3.5%.
You should definitely avoid the side bets at Let It Ride. The odds on those are almost always lousy.
Finally, make the effort to learn the correct strategy. Playing without the correct strategy can add another 3% or so to the house edge, making this one of the worst bets in the casino.