Let It Ride

Let it Ride is based on the hierarchy of poker hands, but it is a casino table game, not a poker game. Unlike many table games, there is something of an element of skill in playing Let it Ride, as the amount bet can vary according to how some of the cards are dealt. The payoffs are somewhat like video poker, in that each casino will have its own “Payoff Table” that specifies how much is won for what hands. The house edge in Let it Ride depends on how generous the payoff table is.

To play Let it Ride, each player starts with three equal bets, say $1 each, placed out in front on the table layout. Corresponding to each bet, the dealer will deal three cards face down to each player.

The rules say that players should not share with other players at the table any information about the cards they were dealt. This would give all the players more information on how to take the next decisions of the game. With more information in hand, the players may be able to win more often, thus prejudicing the house edge. Remember, the players are not playing against each other in a casino table game, but against the house. In some casinos this rule is not enforced as rigidly as in others, especially when the players are new to the game and the dealer is also in the role of instructor or consultant.

Two cards are then dealt face down in the middle of the table. Those are community cards.

First, players are permitted at this point to look at their cards and decide whether to take back one of the three bets. If they decide to let the bet stand, then they have chosen to “Let it Ride.”

Then the dealer turns over one of the board cards. Players are then permitted once more to take back one bet or to “Let it Ride.” This decision is independent of the decision taken on the first board card.

Then the second board card is revealed, and the players show their hands. The dealer pays each player in accordance with the hand he or she has, in accordance with the payoff table.

Note: Unlike blackjack or some other table games played with cards, the dealer does not have a hand. The player is essentially betting that he or she will accumulate a hand worth a payoff, and that is all. The following is the pay table most often encountered in Las Vegas casinos. The numbers are multiples of the player’s bet, that is, “X” to 1.