Online Let it Ride

Let it Ride isn’t the most popular casino game, but there are plenty of reasons why you might want to give it a try. For one, it offers some of the biggest prizes of any table game in existence, with a royal flush typically paying 1,000-1 odds out to the player! The downside is that players lose about 75% of the hands in Let it Ride, but the nature of the game – which allows players to have more money on the table when things look favorable, and less when it appears that they will lose – means that winning hands tend to pay out a lot of money, while losing hands cost the player only a single bet.

Online Let it Ride plays much like the standard casino version. However, because Let it Ride is a proprietary table game, many online casinos have made slight cosmetic changes for legal reasons.

Best Online Casinos for Let it Ride

We actually have two different recommendations for online Let it Ride games, depending on what kind of experience you’re looking for. Our favorite game can be found at WinPalace Casino. The pay table is among the best around, and their bonus game offers a progressive jackpot that can occasionally turn it into a good bet for the player. The game may look slightly different than the Let it Ride you’ve seen in a live casino, but the changes don’t effect the odds or strategy of the game one bit.

Online Let it Ride Rules

In Let it Ride, the goal of each player is to make the best five card poker hand possible. This is done by combining the three cards dealt to each player with two community cards.

The game begins with each player making three bets of equal size on three marked spots on the table. Each player is then dealt three cards; the dealer also deals two community cards face down in the middle of the table. Each player now looks at their cards, and has a choice to make. They may either “let it ride” by leaving all three of their bets out on the table, or remove one of their bets from play.

After each player has made their decision, the dealer will reveal one of the two community cards. Once again, each player can choose to “let it ride” or remove a bet. Finally, the dealer will reveal the final community card. At this point, player hands are revealed and evaluated.

Each player’s hand is made up of their three cards and the two community cards. If the player has less than a pair of tens, all bets remaining on the table lose. However, if they have a pair of tens or better, each bet remaining wins according to the following pay table (which can vary by casino):

Let It Ride Payouts Odds Table

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

Some Let it Ride games, like the online offering by www.WinPalace.com, also feature a side bet that can be played for $1. This bet pays out based on a chart that will be posted at the table, and differs from casino to casino. The following is the best pay table for the player:

Best Let It Ride Odds Payout

• Royal Flush: 20,000-1
• Straight Flush: 2,000-1
• Four of a Kind: 100-1
• Full House: 75-1
• Flush: 50-1
• Straight: 25-1
• Three of a Kind: 9-1
• Two Pair: 6-1

Online Let it Ride for Real Money

As we mentioned earlier, online real money Let it Ride games are often altered slightly in order to get around legal issues involved with offering the original game to players without paying for the rights to do so. For instance, many games are referred to by similar names like “Let ‘Em Ride” or “Let Them Ride” instead.

Also, you may see some minor changes in how online Let it Ride is played. In some versions, including the one offered at Bodog, players will start with one bet on the table, and will then have the option to raise (or not raise) after seeing their hand, and again after seeing the first community card. This does not change any of the strategic decisions you will make, or change the house edge; while it may feel different, starting with a single bet and having the option of adding two more is exactly the same as starting with three bets and having the option of taking two away.

Online Let it Ride Strategy

Let it Ride may seem like a simple game, and most of the time, you’ll be confident about when to let it ride and when to pull back a bet. However, there are some close spots where it’s not obvious what the correct play is. Making sure you play these situations correctly can shave a bit off of the house edge, so they’re worth remembering. For the sake of simplicity, we’re only listing the spots where you letting it ride improves your chances of winning; there are also a couple spots where there is no difference (in the long run) between letting it ride and pulling back a bet, but keeping the list smaller makes it easier to memorize.

When you only know the three cards in your hand, you should let it ride if you have any of the following:

Let It Ride Strategy Card

• Any hand that is already a winner
• Any three cards to a royal flush
• Any three card straight flush of 3-4-5 or higher
• Any three cards to a straight flush with one gap, if at least one card is a ten or higher (for instance, 8-9-J of the same suit)
• Any three cards to a straight flush with two gaps, if at least two cards are a ten or higher (for instance, 8-T-Q of the same suit)

Once the first community card is revealed, you’ll have another chance to make a decision. At this point, with four cards known, you should let it ride with the following hands:

• Any hand that is already a winner
• Any four cards to a flush
• Any four cards to an open-ended straight with at least one high card (for instance, 7-8-9-T)

If you’d like to also let it ride in the spots where there is no house edge (but no advantage for the player, either), you’ll want to leave your bets out there when you have four cards to any open-ended straight, and when you have four high cards (ten or higher) to an inside straight (such as T-J-Q-A).

It’s also important to look out for any maximum payouts listed at the table. Because of the very long odds offered on royal flushes, many tables will have a maximum total payout on any hand. For instance, if a table has a maximum payout of $90,000, you will not receive more than this even if the odds on a royal flush dictate that you should. If you see a maximum payout listed, never bet so much that you wouldn’t receive the full payout for a royal flush. In our example, three $30 bets would pay out a total of $90,000 for a royal flush that pays 1,000-1, so that should be the most you bet at that table.

Online Let it Ride Odds

Given the pay table we outlined above – which is the most common Let it Ride pay chart – the house edge is approximately 3.51%. It’s important to remember that this house edge is calculated against a single bet, not against all three bets you’ve laid down at the beginning of a hand! For instance, if you make three bets of $1, the house edge is about 3.5 cents.

The bonus bet is, quite frankly, a huge sucker bet. The payouts we listed above are about the best you can hope to find at any casino, and even that chart carries a house edge of about 13.77%. Other pay tables have house edges of 30% or more! Stay away from these bets if you value your money. One exception can be the progressive bonus bets offered in some online Let it Ride games; if the jackpot reaches extraordinary heights, this bet can sometimes be profitable for the player.