Intro to Let It Ride

Let It Ride Poker is a casino variation of poker that's played against the house rather than against other players. This game is popular because it allows players to take back up to two of the three bets they place in the game.

The house edge in Let It Ride Poker hovers right at about 3.5% if players use the correct strategy. Any deviation from the correct strategy results in a higher house edge. There is also an optional side bet players may make but it has a house edge of 13%, making it a bad bet.

Let It Ride Poker Rules

Before the hand, each player a the table places three bets (all equal) in the spaces marked on the table
Next the dealer deals three cards face down to each player and two community cards face down in the middle of the table
After the cards are dealt, you may look at your cards. If you don't like what you see, you may take your first bet back. If you like your cards, you can "let it ride"
The dealer now turns over a community card. This card is shared by all the players and it is the fourth card in each player's hand
Now you have the option of taking back your 2nd bet or letting it ride
The dealer now turns over the 2nd and last community card. This card is the fifth card in each player's hand
Your five card poker hand is then compared to the Let It Ride payout schedule. If your hand is strong enough, you'll be paid out according to that schedule
The 3rd bet on the table stays no matter what. This is the one bet that you cannot take back

Let It Ride Payout Schedule

In Let It Ride, you're not paid to beat any other hand - the only thing that counts is your hand and where it resides on the payout schedule. The stronger your hand, the more you get paid. The payout schedule (or pay table) can vary across different casinos but it's usually something like this:

In this payout schedule you can see that any pairs lower than 10 are treated as losing hands. This is a standard rule in Let It Ride.

Optional Side Bet

The Let It Ride Tournament side bet costs an extra $1 to play and it offers extra rewards for players who hit straights or better. If you hit a straight flush or royal flush while playing the optional side bet at certain casinos, you'll be awarded free entry to a tournament at a resort in Nevada. The top finishers in that tournament will win up to $1,000,000.

In addition to that, the optional side bet offers the following immediate payouts for hitting these hands:

Let It Ride Strategy

If you use the following strategy while playing Let It Ride, you'll decrease the house edge to 3.5% and make your money last a lot longer. You'll also increase your chances of walking away a winner, however odds are still in the casinos' favor.

There's certain strategies you should use to help your money last longer at the tables. Using improper let it ride poker strategy can really increase the house edge, making your money disappear rather quickly. Keep reading to see a few strategies you may want to use at the tables.

There's not a whole lot of strategy you can use like there is in regular poker but if you know when to pull your bets back and when to let them ride, you'll have a major step up over the average player.

First Bet

Only let your first bet ride if you have:

A single pair of 10s or better
Three cards that could give your a royal flush
Any combination of three suited connectors, as long as the lowest card in your hand is a 3 or higher
Any three cards in making a straight flush where at least two of the cards are ranked 10 or higher
Any three cards in making a straight flush with 1 gap and at least one of the cards are ranked 10 or higher (for example: 8-9-J of the same suit)

Second Bet

Only let your second bet ride if you have:

A single pair of 10s or better
Four cards to an inside straight if all four cards are ranked 10 or higher
Four cards to an open ended straight
Four cards that could give you a flush
Four cards that could give you a straight flush
Four cards that could give you a royal flush

For more detail strategy, take a look at our Let it Ride Strategy article. You may also want to look at our best Let it Ride Poker sites before playing online.