Let It Ride is a casino variation of poker, played against the casino. The game is based on five card stud poker and has a relatively slow pace and the chance to pull back two of the three bets has made it popular with old players and table game rookies. The game can be found at most land-based casinos and many online casinos under various names including Let Them Ride, Let’Em Ride and Poker Grand Prix.
Let It Ride Rules
Let It Ride games use a standard set of rules, which are fairly simple, making the game easy to learn. It uses standard poker hand rankings and the player has only two decisions to make. Players’ hands consist of three cards facing down and two community cards. The game is played with one 52 card deck and players initially make three identical bets. Afterwards they receive three facedown cards and based on these cards, they may take back one of their initial bets or “let it ride” (hence the name of the game). Then the first community card is revealed. Here comes the second players’ decision – they may let it ride or take one bet back, followed by the revealing of the second community card. At that point players’ hands are compared with the payout chart and any winning hands are paid.
Some Let It Ride games have an optional side bet for a jackpot or a specific set of bonus pays. The side bet is usually $1 and is placed before the cards are dealt. Usually the bonus pays start at a 3 of a kind or better.
Let It Ride Strategy
Since Let It Ride is a fairly simple game and there are only two player decisions, a correct strategy is easy to suggest. Here is what we would recommend:
After the three facedown cards are dealt, you “let it ride” only with:
- A made hand – tens or better
- Three cards to a royal flush
- Three consecutive suited cards
- Three cards to a straight flush with at least 1 high card
Once the first community card is revealed, you “let it ride” with:
- A made hand – tens or better
- Four cards to a royal or straight flush
- Four cards to a flush or an outside straight (4 consecutive cards)
- Four cards to an inside straight with 4 high cards – tens or higher (inside straight draw would be four cards to a straight with a gap in-between, i.e. T J Q A)
History of Let It Ride
The game is relatively new as it was developed and introduced in casinos in 1993. It was initially meant to introduce the Shuffle Master Company’s automatic shuffling machines in casinos. In 1992 Shuffle Master created an improved automated shuffler and while it presented a vast improvement on human shuffling, land-based casinos didn’t accept the new method. Then the company took on to invent a game that was tied to their new technology. At first Let It Ride appeared in Reno, Nevada, and increased the application of the new shuffling machines throughout the casinos. It took almost five years for the automated shufflers to spread to Las Vegas as well. Today Let It Ride poker tables are found in almost all land-based casinos. It was in 2003 when InterCasino launched the first online version of the game. Now all the big software providers (Microgaming, Playtech, etc.) feature at least one variation of Let It Ride.