Let It Ride Strategy Card

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  1. Let It Ride Poker Free
  1. I enjoy this strategy game even with only secondhand knowledge of Minecraft. The age 10+ is a good recommendation, though. My advanced 9-year-old is fine and puts up a good strategy but my 6-year-old needs to play it cooperatively with an adult and even then wanders out during scoring.
  2. Let It Ride Basic Strategy When a gambler has seen their cards (but neither of the community cards), players should withdraw their bets unless one of the following is happening. If the player already has a three of a kind or a pair of 10’s or better, then they should (obviously) maintain their wager.
  3. Let It Ride Poker Strategy, Tips and House Advantage The strategy below lists the correct play for bets '1' and '2' with a 3 and 4 card hand respectively. Everything should be self-explanatory with the exception of the 3 cards to an inside straight flush and the double inside straight flush.

INTRODUCTION TO LET IT RIDE. Let It Ride is part of the new wave of casino games created in the 1990s.The game is like most traditional poker games which rely on ranking five card hands. This poker variant on Five Card Stud has a twist though, if a player dislikes their cards they may choose to reduce their bet. The strategy of this game is based on knowing when to withdraw a bet and when to. The card activity will typically appear on the authorized user’s credit reports (though some card issuers may not report authorized users to the credit bureaus). The issuer may begin reporting card activity from the point at which the AU account is opened, or it may report the entire account history for that card — going back to the date it.

Introduction

Let it Ride is among the first of the wave of new casino games, starting in the late nineties. It is a simple poker-based game where the player is paid based on his five card hand only. No dealer hand to worry about. The twist is that as the cards are revealed the player has the opportunity to decrease his bet if he doesn't like his cards. As of 2013 Let it Ride is still out there, but its numbers are decreasing.

Rules

  1. Player makes three bets of equal size.
  2. Dealer gives player three cards.
  3. Player may pull his first bet back or 'let it ride.'
  4. Dealer deals the first community card, to be used by all players.
  5. Player may pull his second back or 'let it ride.'
  6. Dealer deals the second community card, to be used by all players.
  7. Player is paid according to the poker value of his five cards, remaining bets, and the posted pay table.
  8. Side bets are usually available, which are explained below.

The following is the standard pay table most casinos follow. All wins are on a 'to one' basis.

Let it Ride — Standard Pay Table

HandPays
Royal Flush1000
Straight Flush200
Four of a kind50
Full House11
Flush8
Straight5
Three of a kind3
Two pair2
Tens or better1
LoserLoss

The pay table for this and 15 other known Let it Ride pay tables can be found in my Let it Ride appendix 3.

Strategy

The following strategy is for the standard pay table.

Ride

With three cards you should only 'let it ride' if you have:

  • Any paying hand (tens or better, three of a kind)
  • Any three to a royal flush
  • Three suited cards in a row except 2-3-4, and ace-2-3
  • Three to a straight flush, spread 4, with at least one high card (ten or greater)
  • Three to a straight flush, spread 5, with at least two high cards

With four cards you should only 'let it ride' if you have:

  • Any paying hand (tens or better, two pair, three of a kind)
  • Any four cards of the same suit
  • Any four to an outside straight with at least one high card
  • Any four to an outside straight with no high cards (zero house edge)
  • Any four to an inside straight with 4 high cards (zero house edge)

A lot of people have asked me what I mean by 'inside straight', 'outside straight', 'spread 4', and 'spread 5.'An inside straight is one in which an 'inside' card is missing, such as (4,5,7,8). An outside straight is one in which an outside card is missing, such as (4,5,6,7). Outside straights are much better because there are 8 cards that can complete them as opposed to 4 for an inside straight. Spread4 means that the cards in question span 4 ranks in a row,for example a (5,6,8). Spread 5 means the cards in question span 5 ranks, for example a (5,7,9).

Play Let It Ride for free while learning the strategy.

Aggregate Payout Warning:

The table will probably have a maximum payout. At Casino Niagara in Niagara Falls the maximum aggregate payout is $75,000 per round. As a result the player should not bet more than the maximum payout divided by 3000. Any bet above this quotient will not pay the full odds on a royal flush, thus increasing the house edge.

Analysis

The following table shows the number of combinations, probability, and contribution to the return of all possible outcomes under optimal strategy. The lower right cell shows an expected loss of 3.51% of the minimum bet size. By the end of the hand, the player will have pulled back 1.768 bets, leaving 1.232 on the table. This makes the element of risk, defined as the ratio of expected loss to total amount bet 3.51%/1.232 = 2.85%.

The standard deviation, relative to a single bet, is 5.17.

Let it Ride — Standard Pay Table

HandPaysBetWinCombinationsProbabilityReturn
Royal Flush100033,000800.0000020.004617
Royal Flush100022,00000.0000000.000000
Royal Flush100011,00000.0000000.000000
Straight Flush20036003520.0000070.004063
Straight Flush20024003680.0000070.002832
Straight Flush200120000.0000000.000000
Four of a kind5031507,8720.0001510.022717
Four of a kind5021004,6080.0000890.008865
Four of a kind5015000.0000000.000000
Full House1133333,4080.0006430.021210
Full House1122241,4720.0007980.017553
Full House1111100.0000000.000000
Flush832410,0080.0001930.004621
Flush821692,1520.0017730.028366
Flush81800.0000000.000000
Straight53154,4640.0000860.001288
Straight521088,6560.0017060.017056
Straight515110,8800.0021330.010666
Three of a kind339364,5600.0070140.063122
Three of a kind326328,9680.0063290.037973
Three of a kind313404,7120.0077860.023358
Two pair236574,1280.0110450.066272
Two pair224682,7760.0131360.052542
Two pair2121,214,1360.0233580.046716
Tens or better1332,571,6360.0494740.148423
Tens or better1222,647,5600.0509350.101870
Tens or better1113,228,8040.0621170.062117
Loser-13-353,0760.001021-0.003063
Loser-12-2937,8240.018042-0.036085
Loser-11-138,576,7000.742156-0.742156
Total51,979,2001.000000-0.035057

5-Card Bonus Bet

I don't know if this bet even has a name, so I am titling it the '5-Card Bonus Bet.' It is a $1 side bet, which pays based on the poker value of the final five-card hand. This is a sucker bet, that should be avoided. Based on a small sampling of casinos in Las Vegas and Laughlin, the house edge varies from 13.77% (Lady Luck) to 36.52% (New York, New York). Below are some casinos, their payoff table, and their house edge, in order from best to worst. Wins are on a 'for one' basis, meaning the player does not get his original bet back, even on a win.

Let it Ride Side Bet Pay Tables

HandTable 1Table 2Table 3Table 4Table 5Table 6Table 7Table 8Table 9
Royal flush200002000020000200002000010000200002000025000
Straight flush200010002000200010002000200010002500
Four of a kind100100100400400100300300400
Full house75757520020075150150200
Flush505050505050505050
Straight252525252525252525
Three of a kind948558555
Two pair634004000
Tens or better010000000
House edge13.77%23.73%25.39%25.53%26.92%26.93%35.14%36.52%24.07%

The following is a list of which casinos have which pay tables based on my small sampling. Unless otherwise stated all casinos are in Las Vegas:

Card
  • Table 1: Lady Luck
  • Table 2: Las Vegas Club, Freemont, Californian,Plaza, Main Street Station, Ballys, Circus Circus,Hilton, Grand (Biloxi), Beau Rivage (Biloxi), Horseshoe(Tunica), Grand (Tunica)
  • Table 3: Golden Gate
  • Table 4: Bellagio, Excalibur, Mandalay Bay, Harrah's,Imperial Palace, Paris, Venetian
  • Table 5: MGM Grand, Golden Nugget
  • Table 6: Colorado Belle (Laughlin), Sky City (New Mexico)
  • Table 7: Four Queens, Flamingo Hilton
  • Table 8: New York New York
  • Table 9: Rivers casino in Pittsburgh, PA

The next table shows the probability and return for every hand under pay table 2 above. The return of 76.27% reflects a house edge of 100.00% - 76.27% = 23.73%. Again, all pays are on a 'for one' basis.

5-Card Bonus

HandPaysCombinationsProbabilityReturn
Royal flush20,00040.0000020.030782
Straight flush1,000360.0000140.013852
Four of a kind1006240.0002400.024010
Full house753,7440.0014410.108043
Flush505,1080.0019650.098270
Straight2510,2000.0039250.098116
Three of a kind454,9120.0211280.084514
Two pair3123,5520.0475390.142617
Tens or better1422,4000.1625270.162527
Loser01,978,3800.7612200.000000
Total2,598,9601.0000000.762730

3-Card Bonus Bet

Some casinos offer a side bet based on the value of the player's three cards, similar to the Pair plus bet in Three Card Poker. The main difference is in Let It Ride the bet has a separate win for a 'Mini Royal', defined as a suited ace, king, and queen. The following table table shows the most common pay table for this bet.

3-Card Bonus

HandPaysCombinationsProbabilityReturn
Mini Royal5040.0001810.00905
Straight flush40440.0019910.079638
Three of a kind30520.0023530.070588
Straight67200.0325790.195475
Flush310960.0495930.148778
Pair137440.1694120.169412
Nothing-1164400.743891-0.743891
House Edge221001-0.070950

The next pay table shows other possible variants of the Three Card Bonus bet.

3-Card Bonus

HandTable 1Table 2Table 3Table 4Table 5
Mini Royal505020010050
Straight flush4040405040
Three of a kind3030303030
Straight65666
Flush34334
Pair11111
Nothing-1-1-1-1-1
House edge7.10%5.39%4.38%4.20%2.14%

The only casino I am aware of that offers pay table 5 is the Borgata in Atlantic City (source).

6-Card Bonus

Some casinos add on a side bet known as the 6-Card Bonus. This side bet is found on multiple poker-derivative games, so I created a special page for it. For more information, please see my page on the 6-Card Bonus.

Millionaire Progressive

This is a $5 'red light' progressive side bet that pays $1,000,000 for a royal flush in spades, using the player's five-card hand. For all the rules and analysis, please see my page on the Millionaire Progressive.

Seeing Extra Cards

Although players are not supposed to share information, you can often accidentally see other player cards, or this rule is ignored and players voluntarily show each other their cards. Seeing other cards can make the difference in borderline plays, namely the zero house edge straights listed under the 4-card strategy above. In his book Mastering the Game of Let It Ride, author Stanley Ko offers a strategy for these situations. He doesn't state how much it lowers the house edge, but James Grosjean does in his book Beyond Counting (Exhibit CAA). According to Grosjean, if you can see every player card in a 7-player game, and made perfect use of the information, it would lower the house advantage from 3.51% to 2.34% only.

Inside Links

  • Appendix 1: Details on how the strategy and expected return were determined.
  • Appendix 2: Details on the Isle of Capri (Black Hawk, Colorado) rules.
  • Appendix 3: Analysis of 16 different Let it Ride pay tables.

Outside Links

German translation of this page.


Written by:Michael Shackleford

Let It Ride has become popular partly because it’s easy to understand and start playing quickly. In some ways, the game is even simpler than blackjack. You’ve likely witnessed blackjack players staring at their strategy grid, trying to keep the combinations straight, knowing when to hit and when to stand, when to double and when to split.

Let It Ride poker strategy is far easier to remember.

If you can commit a few card combinations to memory, you’ll be able to enjoy playing the game knowing that you’re making the right decisions. Below, we’ll explain basic Let Em Ride poker strategy and reveal one of our favorite online casinos at which to play the game.

Basic Let It Ride Poker Optimal Strategy

We’ll break down the proper let it ride strategy based on each betting round. Each hand is comprised of two bets after the ante. Your decision to move forward with Bet #1 will depend on whether you have 1 of 3 different hands. Because a pair of tens pays 1:1, you should definitely bet if you have tens or higher, this is the minimum that gets you paid and is a ‘no brainer’. You should also bet if you’re holding a 3-card Royal Flush or a 3-card Straight Flush.

On the first round you should bet (raise) with the following.

  • 10’s or better pays 1:1 so always raise when you have this
  • Raise if you get 3 cards of the royal flush
  • Raise if you have 3 cards of a straight flush

For Bet #2, you’ll need to remember six card combinations.

Aside from a pair of tens or better, you should bet on a 4-card flush (Royal, Straight, or otherwise), 4 high cards, or a 4-card open straight. By “open,” we mean the 4 cards are in sequence (for example, 6, 7, 8, and 9).

  • Bet 10’s or better
  • Bet 4-card flushes (including straight flushes obviously)
  • Bet 4 high cards 10 or better
  • Bet 4 card open ended straights

If you play according to this basic Let it Ride strategy, you’ll lower the house edge to 3.5%. That said, a lot of players are seduced into making the side bet offered on your first three cards, aka the let it ride 3 card bonus bet. Not all casinos offer it, which is strange because the edge is astronomical. It can spiral up to 36.52%!

Our advice? Never take the side bet on your first three cards. (this bet is different than the $1 jackpot bonus bet offered, the side bet is for your first three cards only and is not player friendly, the jackpot can be depending on it’s size.) Part of the thrill of playing let it ride is the possibility of hitting the jackpot, and the house edge on the jackpot depends on how big of a jackpot is offered.

Putting Let It Ride Strategy To The Test

We’ve played at a number of online casinos, including many of the most popular. Our favorite place to play Let It Ride is Bovada Casino.

The Bovada Let it ride game offers clear, crisp graphics, which have a huge influence on the playing experience. They offer attractive odds and their payout tables are tops online. We suggest that you visit Bovada Casino, register your account, and claim your free 10% deposit bonus. Take a few minutes to put Let It Ride strategy to the test.

Let it Ride Poker Strategy Articles

We’ve gone more in depth with our Let em ride strategy with a handful of different articles including a look at the official rules of let it ride, a list of the most common payout tables, a look at the let it ride poker odds, how the bets work in let it ride and a few more let it ride tips.

Let It Ride Poker Free

Additionally, you can practice let it ride for free at one of our many no download flash let it ride games or get signed up with the Bovada casino and you have the option of downloading a let it ride game or just playing through their flash, instant play casino that you can play in your browser, from a Macintosh or PC without downloading a casino software to your system.