Let it Ride Poker
Ready for a ride? This simple poker variation pits the player against a pay table—no bluffing or poker face required. All that counts is the strength of a five-card poker hand and the skill to know when to decrease bets (that’s right, decrease) or let it ride.
Object of the Game
Win bets by making the best possible five-card hand from three personal cards and two community cards. Where it gets interesting is in the betting rounds: players have an opportunity to decrease their opening bets each round if they feel their cards aren’t strong.
How to Play
1. The player places an equal amount of chips inside each of three marked betting areas on the table, marked as follows: 1, 2 and $.
2. Once bets are placed, the dealer will give each player three cards, face down. Players can look at their cards and decide if they want to remove their bet from betting area number one, or let it ride.
3. Next, the dealer reveals the first of two community cards players can use as part of their five-card hands.
4. Again, players can decide whether to take back their bet from betting area number two, or let it ride.
5. Once the player’s decision has been made, the dealer reveals the second community card. Remaining bets can no longer be removed.
6. Player’s hands are revealed, and any winnings paid out according to the pay table.
Pay table
HAND
- Royal flush
- Straight flush
- Four of a kind
- Full house
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a kind
- Two pair
- Tens or better
- Anything else
PAYS
- 1,000 to 1
- 200 to 1
- 50 to 1
- 11 to 1
- 8 to 1
- 5 to 1
- 3 to 1
- 2 to 1
- 1 to 1
- Loss
Side bets
Let it Ride also has a couple of optional side bets players can make during each round. These are:
Three Card Bonus
An optional bet placed on the outcome of the player’s cards only. This bet also has a separate win option for a unique “mini royal” hand—A-K-Q of the same suit. Here’s how it breaks down.
HAND
- Mini royal
- Straight flush
- Three of a kind
- Straight
- Flush
- Pairs
- Nothing
PAYS
- 50 to 1
- 40 to 1
- 30 to 1
- 6 to 1
- 3 to 1
- 1 to 1
- Loss
Five Card Bonus
This bet pays based on the poker value of the player’s final five-card hand. It pays out accordingly:
HAND
- Royal flush
- Straight flush
- Four of a kind
- Full house
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a kind
- Two pair
- Tens or better
- Loser
PAYS
- 20,000 to 1
- 1,000 to 1
- 100 to 1
- 75 to 1
- 50 to 1
- 25 to 1
- 4 to 1
- 3 to 1
- 1 to 1
- 0
TIP
Optional side bets come with big payout potential, but lower odds of winning. It’s up to players to decide if it’s worth the gamble, at the risk of burning through their play budget faster.
Odds
The only certainty in Let it Ride is the random order in which cards appear in the draw. Not even the dealer can predict which will come next.
Want to know how poker odds work?
Strategies
While you can’t control the randomness of the cards, here are some hands that are better suited to “letting it ride” and leaving bets in place:
Three-card hands
- Any hand on the pay table that fits in three cards
- Any three cards that form part of a royal flush
- Any three cards of the same suit in a row (except 2-3-4 or Ace-2-3)
Four-card hands (including one community card)
- Any hand on the pay table that fits in four cards
- Any four cards that form part of a flush
