Let It Ride Poker – Play Online for Free

Let It Ride poker game first appeared in 1993 at land-based casinos, and since then has become available at a number of online casinos. The game is owned by a private company, so many real-money card games have been a little altered. The concept of this online poker game is pretty simple, and it has proved to be quite popular among more casual gamblers and newcomers to the gaming world.

There are a few sites available where you can play Let it Ride poker for free in a demo version or for real money. Make your bets, and if you’ve got a good hand – just Let It Ride!

How to Play Let It Ride Poker

To start the game, each player places three equal bets in the spaces indicated: (1), (2), ($) on the table layout. The dealer then deals three cards to each player face down, and two cards are placed face down in front of the dealer (to be used as community cards). After the player looks at their first three cards, the player may ask for his or her first bet back (also called ‘reining it in’ or ‘pulling it back’), or choose to “Let It Ride”.

Then the dealer reveals the value of one of the face down community cards, and after that the player may ask for their second bet back or “Let It Ride”. The player then places the cards down under their remaining bet(s). At this point, cards cannot be touched again. Bet number three, which is denoted on the layout by a dollar sign, is the only bet that cannot be pulled back by the player regardless of the decision made concerning the first or second bet.

The dealer will then expose the final community card (to complete the player’s five-card hand). At this point, the players lay their cards down. At this point, the player is paid with regards to his current bet(s), the paytable, and his poker hand. Players are not allowed at any point in the game to see the cards of others until the end.

Some online casinos may have changes in Let it Ride poker rules: for example, instead of placing three bets, a player might place just one and then will be prompted to either raise or not raise their bet upon first viewing their hand, and then again will be presented the same option after viewing the first community card. It might feel different at first but the capability of adding a bet rather than taking one away presents exactly the same odds and gameplay as the usual Let it Ride.

Basic Payouts of the Let It Ride Poker Game 

When playing Let it Ride poker, you should know about fixed odds, which sum up to:

• Royal Flush (the rarest hand to make; it is 10 J Q K A all in the same suit): 1,000-1
• Straight Flush (any sequence of five cards in the same suit, for example, A 2 3 4 5, or 6 7 8 9 10, or 9 10 J Q K): 200-1
• Four of a Kind (it can be four Aces or four 5s or four 2s or four Kings): 50-1
• Full House (one pair and three of a kind – pair of threes and three 6s, or pair of Jacks and three 2s): 11-1
• Flush (a combination of any five cards, but they are all in the same suit): 8-1
• Straight (a sequence of five cards like 2 3 4 5 6, or 8 9 10 J Q; they do not have to be in the same suit): 5-1
• Three of a Kind (it could be three aces, three 5s, three 2s, or three kings): 3-1
• Two Pairs (two of the same cards like two aces, two 5s, etc.): 2-1
• 10s or Better (a pair of two 10s or higher get the player on the board to be paid): 1-1

Remember that you are not playing against the dealer or the other players. The object is to get as good a poker hand as possible by using your three cards and the dealer’s two face-down cards. The winners are paid according to the odds (pair of 10’s or better, two pairs, etc.)

Conclusion

Let it Ride is known as a hybrid game, a kind of mix of blackjack and poker, and while it’s possible that around 75% of all hands are losing hands, the game rewards strategic players with great jackpots. The game allows the players to withdraw parts of their bets when the odds are not looking favorable.

There is a wide variety of options of Let It Ride poker online (and many online casinos offer bonuses for newcomers), so it gives you a great opportunity to research several options before signing up for one. For anyone who enjoys card games, playing Let It Ride can definitely be quite thrilling – even just for a round or two!