Free Casino Games / Let It Ride / The Let It Ride 3 Card Bonus
The Let It Ride 3 Card Bonus
The 3 Card Bonus is an optional side bet many casinos add to Let It Ride. It pays when your own three cards make a pair or better, from 1 to 1 for a pair up to 50 to 1 or more for a mini royal. Our free table doesn't deal it: we deal the main game only.
How the 3 Card Bonus works
- Before the deal, you put chips on the 3 Card Bonus spot along with your three main bets.
- You get your three cards and play the hand as usual: pull back or let it ride.
- The bonus is paid on your three cards alone, as a three-card poker hand.
The community cards don't count for the bonus. Pulling bet 1 or bet 2 back doesn't affect it either: the $ bet keeps you in every hand, and the bonus only looks at your first three cards.
An example
You bet $100 on each main spot and $25 on the 3 Card Bonus. You get 8♥7♥6♥: a three-card straight flush. On a table that pays 40 to 1, the bonus wins $1,000. In the main game, three suited cards in a row let bet 1 ride, and the hand goes on as usual.
The three-card hands
Three-card hands rank a little differently from five-card hands. A straight beats a flush, because with three cards a straight is rarer.
| Hand | Example |
|---|---|
| Mini royal | A♠K♠Q♠ |
| Straight flush | 8♥7♥6♥ |
| Three of a kind | 9♣9♦9♠ |
| Straight | J♦10♣9♥ |
| Flush | K♣8♣3♣ |
| Pair | 4♥4♠Q♦ |
Any pair counts for the bonus, even 2s. In the main game, only 10s or better pay.
Pay tables
Casinos choose from a few tables. Four common ones, with the house edge from our own count of all 22,100 three-card hands:
| Hand | Table 1 | Table 2 | Table 3 | Table 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini royal | 50 | 50 | 200 | 100 |
| Straight flush | 40 | 40 | 40 | 50 |
| Three of a kind | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Straight | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Flush | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Pair | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| House edge | 7.10% | 5.39% | 4.38% | 4.20% |
All pays are "to 1". Table 1 is the most common. Always read the sign at the table.
How often each hand comes
There are 22,100 ways to deal three cards from a 52-card deck.
| Hand | Ways | Chance | One in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini royal | 4 | 0.018% | 5,525 |
| Straight flush (not mini royal) | 44 | 0.20% | 502 |
| Three of a kind | 52 | 0.24% | 425 |
| Straight | 720 | 3.26% | 31 |
| Flush | 1,096 | 4.96% | 20 |
| Pair | 3,744 | 16.94% | 5.9 |
| Less | 16,440 | 74.39% |
The bonus wins about one time in four, and most wins are a pair at 1 to 1. Bigger hands are rare, and they carry the bet.
Is there a 3 Card Bonus strategy?
No. There is nothing to decide once the bet is placed: your three cards are what they are. The bonus doesn't change how you should play the main game either. Play bet 1 and bet 2 with the usual strategy. Let It Ride strategy.
House edge compared with the main game
The main game has a house edge of 3.51% of one bet with the best play. The common 3 Card Bonus table, at 7.10%, costs about twice as much for each dollar bet. Main game odds.
Is it the same as Three Card Poker?
The hand ranks are the same as in Three Card Poker, and the bonus works like its Pair Plus bet: a bet on three cards making a pair or better.
Other side bets
Some casinos offer other side bets on the five-card hand instead, some with a jackpot. Like the 3 Card Bonus, they are separate from the main game and have their own tables.
Why our table doesn't deal it
Our free game is the main game: three bets, two pull-back choices and the standard pay table. All the decisions are there, and the bonus has none to make. The main game's rules.
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Questions
What is the 3 Card Bonus in Let It Ride?
An optional side bet many casinos offer. It pays when your own three cards make a pair or better, from 1 to 1 for a pair up to 50 to 1 or more for a mini royal.
Does pulling back affect the 3 Card Bonus?
No. The bonus is paid on your three cards alone, whatever you do with bet 1 and bet 2.
Do the community cards count for the 3 Card Bonus?
No. Only your own three cards count.
What does the Let It Ride 3 Card Bonus pay?
The most common table: mini royal 50 to 1, straight flush 40, three of a kind 30, straight 6, flush 3, pair 1 to 1. Its house edge is 7.10%. Tables vary.
Can I play the 3 Card Bonus in your free game?
No. Our free table deals the main Let It Ride game only, with the standard pay table.
More: How to play Let It Ride · Let It Ride rules · Let It Ride strategy · Let It Ride strategy chart · Let It Ride payouts · Let It Ride odds · Let It Ride hands · How to win at Let It Ride · Practice Let It Ride