The Game of Let It Ride Poker

Let it ride began as an obscure casino game, started in 1993 by ShuffleMaster Gaming. The game has since risen from its dark and infrequently visited casino corners to become one of the more popular card games in use today.
 
It is not uncommon to find the game in progressive, multi-player and tournament style variants. While many varieties of the game exist, the same basic rules apply to all of them. To maximize your chances of winning at Let it Ride Poker, it’ll be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the betting rules, odds and house edge of the game.

Rules and Play

In the beginning players are dealt three cards face-up, then two more face-down.  The two cards facing down are referred to as community cards and are used by everyone at the table to make their poker hands.  The overall goal is to achieve a hand of 10’s or better. Once a pair of ten’s are in your hand you are automatically getting paid, after this point it is up to the player to use betting strategy to attempt in making even more money off of the hand.  As the house turns over the two remaining cards, the opportunity to achieve trips a full house, quads and more are revealed and more betting takes place.

To being players will lay down three equal bets in the table’s three circles marked “1″, “2″ and “$” right to left. After the initial deal the banker will give players the opportunity if they wish to cancel, continue or raise. A cancel option will ask the dealer to return the bet in the circle marked “1”. If let it ride is chosen as the player’s course of action, the bet remains in play until the end of the hand and the first community card is then flipped without any additional wager being placed other than the initial ante.  A raise will match your initial ante and then the community card will be flipped. Another round of betting will ensue for the circle labeled “2” before the second community card is flipped and the same rules are applied. At this point 5 cards are visible and hands are paid accordingly. If a player makes 10’s or better the dealer will pay out the circle marked “$” otherwise bets are collected by the dealer. It’s that simple to play and now you are ready to get started. Sometimes side bets are employed as an option and can in fact raise the house advantage significantly, making it a poor choice in most cases.

The house advantage will vary from table to table, but keep in mind the card hierarchy and odds never change. Payouts for tens or better are 1-1 and go up to 1000-1 for a royal flush. The house advantage will sit around 3.5% depending on the table rules, betting limits and what strategy is employed by players.