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- A free online version of Let It Ride Poker with 3-card bonus bet. Play Let It Ride online, free. Test out your Let It Ride strategy here. Practice for Vegas.
- After earning points, players can bank points or “let it ride” If you let the points ride, you must make the same or better score as the previous hole Points on the next hole are worth double the previous hole (bogey worth 10, eagle worth 40, etc) If you score worse than the previous hole, you lose all accrued points that haven’t been banked.
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
- Player makes three bets of equal size.
- Dealer gives player three cards.
- Player may pull his first bet back or 'let it ride.'
- Dealer deals the first community card, to be used by all players.
- Player may pull his second back or 'let it ride.'
- Dealer deals the second community card, to be used by all players.
- Player is paid according to the poker value of his five cards, remaining bets, and the posted pay table.
- 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
| Hand | Pays |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 1000 |
| Straight Flush | 200 |
| Four of a kind | 50 |
| Full House | 11 |
| Flush | 8 |
| Straight | 5 |
| Three of a kind | 3 |
| Two pair | 2 |
| Tens or better | 1 |
| Loser | Loss |
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.
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
| Hand | Pays | Bet | Win | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 1000 | 3 | 3,000 | 80 | 0.000002 | 0.004617 |
| Royal Flush | 1000 | 2 | 2,000 | 0 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| Royal Flush | 1000 | 1 | 1,000 | 0 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| Straight Flush | 200 | 3 | 600 | 352 | 0.000007 | 0.004063 |
| Straight Flush | 200 | 2 | 400 | 368 | 0.000007 | 0.002832 |
| Straight Flush | 200 | 1 | 200 | 0 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| Four of a kind | 50 | 3 | 150 | 7,872 | 0.000151 | 0.022717 |
| Four of a kind | 50 | 2 | 100 | 4,608 | 0.000089 | 0.008865 |
| Four of a kind | 50 | 1 | 50 | 0 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| Full House | 11 | 3 | 33 | 33,408 | 0.000643 | 0.021210 |
| Full House | 11 | 2 | 22 | 41,472 | 0.000798 | 0.017553 |
| Full House | 11 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| Flush | 8 | 3 | 24 | 10,008 | 0.000193 | 0.004621 |
| Flush | 8 | 2 | 16 | 92,152 | 0.001773 | 0.028366 |
| Flush | 8 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
| Straight | 5 | 3 | 15 | 4,464 | 0.000086 | 0.001288 |
| Straight | 5 | 2 | 10 | 88,656 | 0.001706 | 0.017056 |
| Straight | 5 | 1 | 5 | 110,880 | 0.002133 | 0.010666 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 3 | 9 | 364,560 | 0.007014 | 0.063122 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 2 | 6 | 328,968 | 0.006329 | 0.037973 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 1 | 3 | 404,712 | 0.007786 | 0.023358 |
| Two pair | 2 | 3 | 6 | 574,128 | 0.011045 | 0.066272 |
| Two pair | 2 | 2 | 4 | 682,776 | 0.013136 | 0.052542 |
| Two pair | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1,214,136 | 0.023358 | 0.046716 |
| Tens or better | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2,571,636 | 0.049474 | 0.148423 |
| Tens or better | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2,647,560 | 0.050935 | 0.101870 |
| Tens or better | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3,228,804 | 0.062117 | 0.062117 |
| Loser | -1 | 3 | -3 | 53,076 | 0.001021 | -0.003063 |
| Loser | -1 | 2 | -2 | 937,824 | 0.018042 | -0.036085 |
| Loser | -1 | 1 | -1 | 38,576,700 | 0.742156 | -0.742156 |
| Total | 51,979,200 | 1.000000 | -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
| Hand | Table 1 | Table 2 | Table 3 | Table 4 | Table 5 | Table 6 | Table 7 | Table 8 | Table 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 20000 | 20000 | 20000 | 20000 | 20000 | 10000 | 20000 | 20000 | 25000 |
| Straight flush | 2000 | 1000 | 2000 | 2000 | 1000 | 2000 | 2000 | 1000 | 2500 |
| Four of a kind | 100 | 100 | 100 | 400 | 400 | 100 | 300 | 300 | 400 |
| Full house | 75 | 75 | 75 | 200 | 200 | 75 | 150 | 150 | 200 |
| Flush | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Straight | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Three of a kind | 9 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Two pair | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tens or better | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| House edge | 13.77% | 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:
- 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
| Hand | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 20,000 | 4 | 0.000002 | 0.030782 |
| Straight flush | 1,000 | 36 | 0.000014 | 0.013852 |
| Four of a kind | 100 | 624 | 0.000240 | 0.024010 |
| Full house | 75 | 3,744 | 0.001441 | 0.108043 |
| Flush | 50 | 5,108 | 0.001965 | 0.098270 |
| Straight | 25 | 10,200 | 0.003925 | 0.098116 |
| Three of a kind | 4 | 54,912 | 0.021128 | 0.084514 |
| Two pair | 3 | 123,552 | 0.047539 | 0.142617 |
| Tens or better | 1 | 422,400 | 0.162527 | 0.162527 |
| Loser | 0 | 1,978,380 | 0.761220 | 0.000000 |
| Total | 2,598,960 | 1.000000 | 0.762730 |
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
| Hand | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini Royal | 50 | 4 | 0.000181 | 0.00905 |
| Straight flush | 40 | 44 | 0.001991 | 0.079638 |
| Three of a kind | 30 | 52 | 0.002353 | 0.070588 |
| Straight | 6 | 720 | 0.032579 | 0.195475 |
| Flush | 3 | 1096 | 0.049593 | 0.148778 |
| Pair | 1 | 3744 | 0.169412 | 0.169412 |
| Nothing | -1 | 16440 | 0.743891 | -0.743891 |
| House Edge | 22100 | 1 | -0.070950 |
The next pay table shows other possible variants of the Three Card Bonus bet.
3-Card Bonus
| Hand | Table 1 | Table 2 | Table 3 | Table 4 | Table 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini Royal | 50 | 50 | 200 | 100 | 50 |
| Straight flush | 40 | 40 | 40 | 50 | 40 |
| Three of a kind | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Straight | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Flush | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Pair | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Nothing | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| House edge | 7.10% | 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).
Free Online Let It Ride No Download
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 ShacklefordPlay Let It Ride
As the name suggests let it ride, is a game that need you to approach in a free spirit. It has its rules and regulations. However these can be changed according to the way that you wish to play. This is a gambling game that is both easy to learn and fun to play. You can improve your skills on an incremental basis or you might decide to cram everything into one learning session. The game has a certain thrill which cannot be found in other gambling structures. At the same time it is intellectually stimulating due to the strategic overtones that are required of it. The huge bonus that it offers can be achieved quickly. At the same time you might also run the risk of losing everything if you are not strategic in the way that you play the game.
The tips that let you play let it ride
Let It Ride For Fun
You need to be aiming for a pair of 10s or an even better score when playing let it ride. There are three cards that are dealt and you should use them as the springboard to determine the next level of participation that you are going to have in the game. The community cards are controlled by the dealer and they might throw them in the mix in order to change the direction of the game. Players have to be ready for this eventuality and they need to work very hard in order to ensure that they are on the winning side when the jackpots are announced. When you play let it ride, the opponent is always the casino and therefore there is no point in wasting your energies on imaginary opponents on the opposite side of the table. The ability to make choices is at the heart of the popularity of the game. There are few restrictions on your options.
When the game begins, each player will make three bets that have equal amounts. The dealer then offers three cards to the players. The two community cards are secured but they lie face down. The players then have the option to take one of their three bets or leave it into the box and let it ride. The community cards are then released and they apply to all the hands that have been dealt up to that point.The players can then opt to take another bet or to let it ride as the case may be. The players are given the option to leave their first bet regardless of the decisions that have been taken. The payout is based on the hands that are better than a pair of 10s. The odds are quite complex because they change according to the decisions that are made. In general terms, this game is successful because it increases the options for the players. At each stage they are required to communicate the best scenario that they envisage. It is possible to improve your play on the game according to the terms that you have agreed.