What Is Let It Ride?
So what exactly is Let It Ride, and why has it become such a familiar sight on casino floors?
Even if you have never actually played the game, there is a good chance you have stood near a table and watched a few hands. If so, the action probably looked something like this.
Every player begins by placing three equal bets on the table. The dealer then gives each player three cards. Two additional cards, known as community cards, are dealt face down in front of the dealer.
Once the cards are out, the player immediately to the dealer's left makes the first decision. The player may pull back the first bet, usually by drawing the chips or cards slightly towards himself, or decide to let the bet ride.
The dealer continues around the table until everyone has made a decision about that first wager.
The First Community Card
The next stage begins when the dealer turns over one of the two community cards.
That card is available to every player at the table. Each person can now combine his original three cards with the exposed community card, effectively giving him a four-card hand to consider.
The dealer once again moves around the table. This time, every player has another decision to make. He may take back his second bet or leave it in action and let it ride.
After everyone has decided, the dealer reveals the second community card. Now each player has the five cards needed to complete a poker hand.
A pair of tens or better normally produces a winning hand. Higher-ranking hands receive larger payouts according to the table's pay schedule.
That is the basic idea behind Let It Ride.
You are not trying to beat the dealer or another player at the table. You are simply trying to finish with the strongest five-card poker hand possible.
The detailed rules come later. For the moment, it is more important to understand what makes the game different.
Why Players Like Let It Ride
There are several reasons the game has remained popular.
Players can take money back
One of the unusual parts of Let It Ride is that you do not necessarily have to leave all three original bets in action. If the cards do not look promising, the first or second wager may be pulled back when the rules allow it.
The top payouts can be large
A very strong poker hand can produce a considerable return. On some traditional pay tables, a royal flush can pay as much as 1,000 to 1 on each of the three main bets, producing a total return sometimes described as 3,000 times one betting unit when all three remain in play.
A strong hand can change a session quickly
A player may go through several losing hands and then suddenly hit a hand that pays considerably more than an ordinary win.
That possibility is one of the reasons people remain interested even when the table has been quiet for a while.
The table has a social feel
Let It Ride is not a direct competition between the people sitting around the table.
Players are making their own decisions and waiting on the same community cards. That often creates a different atmosphere from games where one person's result comes directly at another player's expense.
Many players enjoy the bonus wager
The optional bonus bet has always attracted attention because of the possibility of a much larger payoff.
It also carries a much larger casino advantage on many pay tables, which is one reason casinos are happy to offer it.
The basic game is easy to understand
There are not dozens of actions to remember. Place the three wagers, receive three cards, decide whether to remove the first wager, see another card, decide on the second wager, and then complete the five-card hand.
The rules can be picked up fairly quickly. Knowing how to play them properly is another matter.
Simple Rules, More Difficult Decisions
There is considerably more to Let It Ride than first appears.
Learning how the hand is dealt only takes a few minutes. Learning when a bet should be pulled back and when it should remain on the table takes more work.
That is where basic strategy becomes important.
Basic strategy is the generally accepted mathematical approach to the game. It tells the player which three-card and four-card combinations are strong enough to justify leaving another wager in action.
But knowing the standard strategy is only the beginning.
There are also payout tables to understand, optional wagers to evaluate, casino rules to check and practical decisions that can change the value of sitting at one table rather than another.
Understanding the House Edge
Let It Ride has never had a reputation for offering the very best odds in the casino.
That part is fair.
It does not normally compete with the strongest blackjack rules or the better bets available in games such as baccarat.
However, its position is not quite as poor as some older descriptions of the game suggested.
For a long time, figures around a 96 percent player return were commonly repeated, which would mean a house edge of approximately 4 percent.
Closer analysis of the correct playing strategy produced a different figure.
Using the commonly studied standard pay table and proper strategy, the house advantage on the main Let It Ride wagers is generally calculated at roughly 3.5 percent of the amount actually wagered. Older strategy discussions sometimes presented lower figures by measuring the edge against the player's initial three-unit betting commitment rather than the average amount that remains in action.
That distinction matters.
A percentage means very little unless you also know exactly what the percentage is being measured against.
| Example | Approximate house edge |
|---|---|
| Let It Ride main game | About 3.5% of average action |
| Older commonly quoted figure | About 4% |
| Optional bonus bet | Depends on pay table |
House-edge figures differ depending on the pay table in use and on how the wager is measured — against the initial three-unit stake or against the average amount that stays in action.
Strategy Makes a Difference
Computer analysis of Let It Ride shows that correct decisions matter.
The player cannot change the cards that appear, but he can control whether certain bets remain on the table.
Leaving too many weak hands in action increases the amount of money exposed to the casino advantage. Pulling bets back from hands that should be played can also reduce the value of stronger situations.
The purpose of strategy is therefore not to predict the next card.
It is to make the correct decision with the cards already visible.
That is what the rest of a proper Let It Ride guide should concentrate on.
First come the complete rules.
Then the correct three-card decisions.
After that come the four-card decisions, pay tables, probabilities, bonus bets and the other parts of the game that are worth understanding before sitting down at a real table.
The game itself is simple.
Playing it properly is where things become more interesting.