Free Casino Games / Let It Ride / How to play Let It Ride
How to play Let It Ride
To play Let It Ride, you place three equal bets and get three cards. Two community cards are turned over one at a time, and before each one you can pull one of your bets back or let it ride. At the end, every bet still on the table is paid on your five-card poker hand. There is no dealer hand to beat.
One hand, step by step
- Three bets. Put the same amount on each of the three spots, marked 1, 2 and $.
- Three cards. You get three cards. Two community cards are dealt face down in the middle.
- Bet 1. Look at your three cards. Pull bet 1 back, or let it ride. Then the first community card turns over.
- Bet 2. Look at your four cards. Pull bet 2 back, or let it ride. Then the second community card turns over.
- Payout. Your three cards and the two community cards make your hand. Every bet still up is paid at the odds for that hand.
Pull it back or let it ride
You make the same choice twice. Pulling a bet back takes it off the table: it comes back to you and plays no part in the hand. Letting it ride leaves it up, to be paid or lost with the others. The $ bet can never be pulled back, so you always have at least one bet in play.
| When | You see | Your choice |
|---|---|---|
| Bet 1 | Your 3 cards | Pull bet 1 back, or let it ride |
| Bet 2 | Your 3 cards and 1 community card | Pull bet 2 back, or let it ride |
| $ bet | Nothing to decide | Always stays |
The two choices are separate. You can pull bet 1 back and still let bet 2 ride, or the other way round. A hand ends with one, two or three bets up.
How you get paid
All your bets still up are paid at the same odds, on your final hand. A pair of 10s or better wins at least even money. Anything less loses every bet still up.
| Your hand | Pays |
|---|---|
| Royal flush | 1,000 to 1 |
| Straight flush | 200 to 1 |
| Four of a kind | 50 to 1 |
| Full house | 11 to 1 |
| Flush | 8 to 1 |
| Straight | 5 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 3 to 1 |
| Two pair | 2 to 1 |
| Pair of 10s, jacks, queens, kings or aces | 1 to 1 |
| Anything less | Lose |
An example hand
You bet $100 on each spot, $300 in all, and get K♠10♦4♣. No pair and no draw, so you pull bet 1 back. $200 stays up.
The first community card is 10♥. You now have a pair of 10s, a hand that already pays. You let bet 2 ride.
The second card is 7♣. Your hand is K♠10♦10♥7♣4♣, a pair of 10s. Bet 2 and the $ bet are up, $200 in all, and a pair of 10s pays 1 to 1, so you win $200.
Two more hands
- J♥10♥9♥ Three suited cards in a row: let bet 1 ride. The first community card is 8♣, giving you 8-9-10-J, open at both ends. Let bet 2 ride. The last card is Q♦: a straight. $300 up at 5 to 1 wins $1,500.
- 7♣3♦2♠ Nothing to work with: pull bet 1 back. The first community card is 5♥: pull bet 2 back too. The last card can't save it, and you lose only the $ bet, $100.
Why pulling back matters
Most hands don't pay. Pulling bets back on weak hands means most of your losing hands cost one bet instead of three. Letting bets ride on strong hands puts more on the hands that win. With the best play, about 85% of hands end with only the $ bet up. When to let it ride.
Is it real poker?
The hands and their ranks are regular five-card poker. But you don't play against other players or the dealer. Your hand is paid by a fixed table, a bit like video poker, so nobody else at the table changes your result. The full rules.
Try it for free
The quickest way to learn is to play some hands. Our table deals the same game with play money, grades every pull-back and let-it-ride choice, and in Practice it can show you the right play before you choose. Practice Let It Ride.
Play free Let It RideNo signup. No download.
Questions
Is Let It Ride hard to learn?
No. You place three equal bets and make the same choice twice: pull a bet back or let it ride. Most people learn the flow in a few hands.
Do you play against the dealer in Let It Ride?
No. There is no dealer hand. Your five-card hand is paid by a fixed table, so other players and the dealer don't affect your result.
How many cards do you get in Let It Ride?
Three of your own, plus two community cards that everyone at the table shares. Your hand is those five cards.
Can you take back all three bets in Let It Ride?
No. You can pull back bet 1 and bet 2, but the $ bet always stays. Every hand has at least one bet in play.
What is the lowest winning hand in Let It Ride?
A pair of 10s. A pair of 10s, jacks, queens, kings or aces pays 1 to 1. A lower pair loses.
More: 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 · The Let It Ride 3 Card Bonus · How to win at Let It Ride · Practice Let It Ride