Let it Ride

Let it Ride is an abbreviation of Let it Ride Poker but don’t let the fact that it is a poker game put you off as it is in fact a great way to learn the game of poker without it costing you an arm and a leg. Let it Ride gambling is a version of five card stud poker supposedly invented by two gentlemen named Elder and Parisi although it is not clear when the game started being played. If you know nothing about poker or the value of the hands, don’t worry as we shall explain everything you need to know to play let it ride on this page. Probably the biggest difference between let it ride poker and other forms of poker is that you are playing against the house rather than against other players which in some games can be considered a disadvantage but in poker can be an advantage. The biggest drawback of playing poker games such as Texas Hold’em or Omaha is that you never know at the beginning of a hand what it might end up costing as there are several rounds of betting and you might be forced into putting all your money onto one hand. Another drawback is that a more experienced player may well try to bluff you out of the game so even if you have the best hand you still might not win. All of that is removed in the game of let it ride gambling; you know at the outset what each deal might cost you and if you have the best hand you will win.

Let it Ride Table

Tables are slightly different in the different online casinos but there will always be 4 spaces on which to place your bets. The first space will be called the “ante” or it may be marked with a “$” sign and then there will be two spaces marked “1” and “2” or similar and then often but not always a space called a “bonus” bet or “side” bet or similar. There should also be displayed on the table the odds at which certain hands will be paid out but more of that later. The game is played with a single deck of 52 cards which will be shuffled after each deal.

Gambling on Let it Ride

Your first task is to decide how much to stake on the deal; you can vary this from deal to deal but there will be casino game table limits; this is usually done by clicking onto the displayed chip values at the bottom of the screen. It is important to note that when you select your ante bet size and place your bet you will in fact be placing three bets of the same size as your ante; this will be done automatically in the online casino but it will take from your balance three times what you thought you were betting. This is very unusual in card games but don’t worry about it because you will have the chance to withdraw the two additional bets later in proceedings; you are not committed to playing with more than your original ante stake. At this point before any cards are dealt you also have the opportunity to place the “bonus” bet but we shall cover that later.

Once the bets have been placed, the dealer will deal three cards to you face up and two cards into the centre of the table which are face down. These cards are called community cards and in a land based casino where more players are at the table simultaneously they can be used by all players. It is important to note that although we stated that this is a game against the house, the dealer does not actually have any cards, you win by simply having a good enough hand which is generally one pair of tens or better. The value of the hands and their relative order is explained below.

Your next step is to decide based on the three cards that you can see whether your five card hand (the three you have plus the two community cards) will be one pair of tens or better. This is the point at which you have the chance to withdraw one of your bets from the table. If you do not think that your hand will be a pair of tens or better you simply withdraw one of your three initial bets leaving your ante and the other bet on the table and the game continues. If on the other hand you like the three cards that you have been dealt and think that you can do better than a pair of tens you simply let your bet ride which of course is where the name of the game comes from.

Once you have made that decision, one of the community cards is turned over so that you now have 4 cards visible and you go through the same decision process again. If you like what you see you let your second bet ride and if not you withdraw your second bet. Note that the decisions made at each stage are totally independent of each other; just because you withdrew the first bet has no bearing on what you do with the second bet and vice versa. You will now either have just your original ante on the table or you will have your ante plus one bet or all three bets remaining and this what you are playing for.

After the decision the last remaining community card will be turned over and all five cards will be visible and you can see whether you have a five card poker hand of one pair of tens or better; if you have you win and if not you lose, it is that simple.

Another feature of Let it Ride gambling is that you can get paid at greater odds than your original stake if your hand is good enough. Not all odds are the same at every online casino but typical odds are :-

One Pair (Tens or Better) 1:1
Two Pairs 2:1
Three of a Kind 3:1
Straight 5:1
Flush 8:1
Full House 11:1
Four of a Kind 50:1
Straight Flush 200:1
Royal Flush 1000:1

Let it Ride Bonus bet

This is somewhat similar to a jackpot side bet in other games; to win you will normally need a straight or better although once again win requirements and payouts do differ from one online casino to another so check out the detail before placing the bet. This is very much a high risk high reward type of bet which you either enjoy or not.

Poker Hands

If you are not familiar with poker hands this guide will list the possible hands in order of importance from low to high.
ONE PAIR: This is two cards of the same value; for example: two 4s or 2 Kings. A pair of tens is the minimum hand for winning at Let it ride. Aces are the highest pair.
2 PAIRS: This is simply four cards that combine to produce two separate pairs of cards. The payout for two pairs in let it ride does not depend upon the value of the pairs.
3 OF A KIND: This is three cards of the same value, for example three 6s or three Jacks. Once again any three of a kind pays the same odds in let it ride.
A STRAIGHT: A straight is five cards, not all the same suit, that are in sequence; for example six, seven, eight, nine, ten. In a straight an Ace can count high or low so Ace, two, three, four, five is a winning hand.
A FLUSH: A flush is five cards of the same suit of any value.
A FULL HOUSE: A full house is a hand made up of a Pair (see above) and a Three of a kind (see above).
4 OF A KIND: Four of a king is four cards of equal value; for example: four Queens.
A STRAIGHT FLUSH: A straight flush is a straight (see above) but all cards are the same suit.
A ROYAL FLUSH: A Royal Flush is also a Straight Flush but the cards are ten, Jack, Queen, King, Ace which makes it the highest possible hand.