Introduction
Let It Ride Poker is a meld-making table game, based on the hierarchy of melds from the Stud Poker family of comparing card games.
However, as a table game, Let It Ride is not actually a comparing game. There is no comparison between players or against the dealer. Instead, players will receive a set payout based on the meld that they form, with a table provided in the below section for players to reference.
How to Play Let It Ride Poker?
The Let It Ride card game is played using the standard Anglo-American 52-card deck. As the game is most commonly found in casinos, a professional dealer will handle all of the shuffling, handling of the payouts, and the flow of the game.
Placing Bets
The game begins with the Players sitting at the table and placing three equal wagers. In front of each Player will be three betting slots, small zones demarcated from the rest of the table. These zones are labeled ($), (1), and (2). Players must put an equal amount of chips into each zone, such that they are the same value.
The total amount of chips represents the whole wager, divided by three equally and, with each fraction placed into the betting zones.
As the game progresses, Players will be given the option to withdraw the bets in the (1) and (2) zones. The third bet, in the ($) zone, cannot be withdrawn and remains in play until the hand is settled.
Once each player has paid in their total wager, the deal will begin.
The Deal
The Dealer will deal out three cards, in a single packet, to each player that paid in their Ante. These cards will be dealt face-down, and cannot be exposed to other Players or the Dealer before the final reveal.
Once each Player has three face-down cards, the Dealer will deal themselves two face-down cards. These will be the community cards, or cards that all players at the table can use to form the best 5-card poker hand that they can.
Withdrawal Phase
Once they have had a chance to read their cards, players are given the opportunity to withdraw their (1) Bet, and only the bet in their (1) zone.
Players will take turns, moving clockwise from the Dealer, withdrawing their bets or leaving them on their zone.
The Dealer will then reveal one of their community cards, in effect allowing players to see the 4th card in their 5-card meld. Once this card has been revealed, the process of withdrawing the (2) Bet begins.
If a Player does not withdraw either of their withdrawable bets, they are known to “let it ride”, the namesake of the game.
Final Reveal and Showdown
After the final withdrawal phase, The Dealer will reveal the final community card as all other players also reveal their three personal cards. Players must form the best possible 5-card meld from their 3 personal cards, and the Dealer’s 2 community cards.
Unlike other poker games, players do not compare their hand against another hand. Instead, players are paid out based on a pre-determined odds table that pays out a particular multiplier based on the Player’s remaining wager.
Keep in mind that most casinos do not consider High Card or low-quality pairs for payout. This means that a player must have at least a pair of 10s or better in order to win any amount of money. Otherwise, their hand is forfeited, and they lose all of their remaining wagers.
Practice: play Let It Ride online for free here at Cool Old Games.
Let It Ride Rules
The essential rules can be summarized as follows:
- Players are given two chances to withdraw part of their large initial wager. However, the final third of their wager cannot be withdrawn and remains in play until the hand is settled.
- Players do not face each other and are instead paid out based on a table of payouts.
- The Dealer’s cards are community cards, forming the last two cards of all Player’s hands. These cards are revealed one at a time.
- Players are not permitted to show their cards to other players, or to ask for help from other players. While in some table games, such things are permitted, as Let It Ride is mostly a game of luck anyway, this is not permitted. Players are expected to know when to withdraw their bets, and when to maintain them.
Hand Rankings and Payout Table
The payouts for Let It Ride are based on the traditional poker hands that many are familiar with. These payouts are tied to the hierarchy of poker, and as such, both will be explained in the table below in order of highest to lowest:
| Hand | Example | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | ♦(10, J, Q, K, A) | 1000x |
| Straight Flush | ♦(6, 7, 8, 9, 10) | 200x |
| Four of a Kind | 4♦ 4♣ 4♠ 4♥ | 50x |
| Full House | 10♦ 10♣ 10♠ 3♠ 3♣ | 11x |
| Flush | ♠(5, 7, 6, 10, K) | 8x |
| Straight | 5♦ 6♥ 7♣ 8♦ 9♥ | 5x |
| Three of a Kind | 3♥ 3♦ 3♣ | 3x |
| Two Pair | 2♥ 2♦ 3♣ 3♠ | 2x |
| Pair (10 or better) | 10♦ 10♣ | 1x |
Side Bets (Bonus Wager)
Side bets, if applicable, are additional bets that are separate from the main wager and can be used to achieve a higher payout. The 3 Card Bonus shown below is based only on the Player’s first three personal cards and does not use the two Community Cards.
You can find the payouts for the 3 Card Side Bet below:
| Meld | Bonus Payout |
|---|---|
| Mini Royal | 50x |
| Straight Flush | 40x |
| Three of a Kind | 30x |
| Straight | 6x |
| Flush | 3x |
| Pair | 1x |
Example Play
Imagine the following scenario in a game of Let It Ride Poker:
You are dealt the following cards: 5♦, K♣, K♠
This is a very strong initial hand, as a Pair of Kings already guarantees a payout. As such, during both withdrawal stages, the Player may “Let It Ride”, with each remaining wager paying at least 1:1.
For this reason, the Withdrawal portions of the game are irrelevant. Now assume the Dealer reveals the following cards:
5♥, K♦
This means a Full House for the Player, with a payout of 11:1. As no withdrawal took place, the 11:1 payout applies to each of the three wagers left in play.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Let It Ride have good odds?
Let It Ride has a House Edge of about 3.5% with the standard pay table and optimal strategy. This is reasonable for a casino table game, although it is higher than lower-edge games such as Blackjack or Baccarat.
The House Edge represents the casino’s expected mathematical advantage over time, rather than the percentage of hands the casino will win.
What are the 3-Card odds in Let It Ride?
The odds of winning some kind of payout on the Three Card Bonus are about 25.6%. The highest payout on the table above is the 50:1 Mini Royal, which has about a 0.018% chance of being dealt. Three-of-a-Kind has about a 0.24% chance and pays 30:1.
What does “Let It Ride” signify?
When a Player “lets it ride”, it means that they are not going to withdraw either of the bets made at the beginning of the game. They are instead choosing to leave all of their bets on their table, letting that bed “ride” to victory with full confidence.
How do you deal in “Let It Ride” Poker?
The Deal in Let It Ride is quite different from other poker games.
- Each Player will be dealt three cards, face-down.
- These three cards will be each Player’s personal cards.
- The Dealer will then deal themselves two cards face-down.
- After viewing their three cards, each Player is given their first opportunity to withdraw one of their bets.
- The Dealer turns over the first Community Card, and each Player is given their second and final opportunity to withdraw a bet.
- The Dealer then reveals the second Community Card. No further bets can be withdrawn, and the five-card hands are settled according to the pay table.
Is Let It Ride similar to Mississippi Stud?
Mississippi Stud Poker is almost the inverse of Let It Ride Stud Poker. In Mississippi Stud, players are able to increase their Ante during each betting period, rather than withdrawing it. In Let It Ride, players make a large initial bet, and then reduce it as they lose confidence. In Mississippi Stud, players all make the same initial bet, but then multiply it as they gain confidence.
