Let It Ride Poker Guide
Let It Ride is a casino poker variant where you place three equal bets upfront, then have two opportunities to withdraw bets as cards are revealed. You play your five-card hand against a pay table — not against the dealer. The strategic decisions are purely about when to 'let it ride' and when to pull back.
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How to Play Let It Ride Poker
Setup: Place three equal bets in the three betting circles labeled 1, 2, and $ (dollar).
Deal: You receive three cards face down. The dealer places two community cards face down.
First decision (after seeing your 3 cards): You may:
- Let it ride: Leave bet 1 in place
- Pull back: Remove bet 1 from the table (you keep the money)
First community card revealed: The dealer turns over one community card (4th card of your 5-card hand).
Second decision: You may:
- Let it ride: Leave bet 2 in place
- Pull back: Remove bet 2 from the table
The $ bet in the third circle cannot be removed — it always rides.
Showdown: The second community card is revealed. Your final 5-card hand (3 pocket + 2 community) is compared to the pay table.
Let It Ride Pay Table
Winning hands pay on all bets that remain:
| Hand | Payout |
|------|--------|
| Royal Flush | 1000:1 |
| Straight Flush | 200:1 |
| Four of a Kind | 50:1 |
| Full House | 11:1 |
| Flush | 8:1 |
| Straight | 5:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 3:1 |
| Two Pair | 2:1 |
| Tens or Better (Pair of 10s+) | 1:1 |
| Less than Pair of 10s | Loss |
The minimum paying hand is a pair of tens or better.
Optimal Strategy
First decision (pull back or let bet 1 ride):
Let bet 1 ride if your 3-card hand contains:
- A pair of tens or better
- Three of a kind
- Three cards to a Royal Flush
- Three consecutive same-suit cards for a Straight Flush (no gaps)
- Three to a Straight Flush with one gap if you have at least one high card (10+)
Otherwise: always pull back bet 1.
Second decision (pull back or let bet 2 ride):
Let bet 2 ride if your 4-card hand contains:
- A pair of tens or better
- Two pair or better
- Four of a kind
- Four cards to a Royal Flush
- Four to a Flush
- Four to a Straight (open-ended)
Otherwise: pull back bet 2.
This strategy yields a house edge of approximately 3.51%.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the house edge in Let It Ride Poker?
3.51% with optimal strategy (knowing when to pull back bets). This is higher than blackjack and baccarat but lower than Caribbean Stud (5.22%). Let It Ride is a relatively slow game with significant pull-back decisions — actual expected loss per hour is modest due to low bet frequency.
Can I always pull back both bets?
You can pull back bet 1 and bet 2 independently. The $ (dollar) bet cannot be pulled back at any point. So in the worst case, you play one bet to showdown even with poor hole cards.
What is the minimum paying hand?
A pair of tens or better. Pairs of 2s through 9s do not pay — they are losers. This is why the game is sometimes called 'Tens or Better.'
Is Let It Ride available online?
Yes. Let It Ride is available as an RNG casino game at MGA-licensed online casinos. It's less common than blackjack or Caribbean Stud but available at major software providers including Microgaming and Scientific Games.
Let It Ride is available as a table game at our recommended casino — ideal for playing at your own pace since there's no dealer hand to beat.
Claim Your Welcome Bonus →18+ · Play responsibly · T&Cs apply