Game Rules

Let it Ride

The goal of the game is to get a good poker hand–a pair of tens or better. If the cards

are unfavorable, you have two chances to take back part of your initial bet–or let it

ride.

Forget about bluffing or competing against the dealer and other players. It’s you

against the cards, and no more. And the odds are no better or worse than many other

games in Hoyle Casino. If table games have you intimidated, try Let It Ride.

How the Game Is Played

Let It Ride is played on a customized Blackjack table, using a single deck of cards. In

front of each player are three betting circles marked “1,” “2,” and “$.” Before cards are

dealt, each player puts three bets of equal value in the circles. If the table minimum is

$5, for example, you must put at least $5 in each circle, for $15 total. Once the bets

are in, the dealer deals each player three cards face down and sets aside two other

cards, also face down. These two cards are called “community cards” because you

and the other players will share them to complete your five-card poker hands.

Look at your three cards and weigh your chance of getting any of these combinations:

• Straight flush

• Four of a kind

• Full house

• Flush

• Straight

• Three of a kind

• Two pair

• Pair of 10s or better

If your three cards show enough promise to keep all three bets in play for now, put

your cards behind or under your bet in circle “1.” Otherwise, signal the dealer to

remove the bet in circle “1” by clicking “Take It Back” in the Actions window.

Now the dealer reveals the first of the two community cards. Considering this card as

the fourth card of your hand, decide the fate of bet “2.” Make your decision to keep or

remove the bet as before. Don’t feel you are bound to handle this bet exactly as you

did the first one; act accordingly given the new information.

When all bets are decided, the dealer reveals the second community card (the fifth

card of your hand), and play is over. There’s nothing you can do about the bet in the

“$” circle, no matter how bad your cards may have turned out.

The dealer makes payoffs on remaining bets according to this schedule:

Hand Payoff on

Remaining Bets

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 or better . . . . . . . . . . . Even money

Some casinos offer Let It Ride® Bonus, a variation of Let It Ride in which you have

the option of independently placing a $1 side bet on each hand. The lure is a hefty

payoff. The bonus version of Let It Ride is not included in Hoyle Casino.

Strategies for Winning at Let It Ride

Blind luck aside, knowing whether to keep or recall bets is the key to success in Let It

Ride. In this otherwise uncomplicated game, in fact, it’s the only area in which strategy

can make a difference.

Let your bets ride whenever you are dealt at least a pair of 10s. Beyond that, Let It

Ride strategy gets complicated. What to do with a hand that’s just one or two cards

short of a flush or a straight, for example? In his book Mastering the Game of Let It

Ride, Stanley Ko sets forth a strategy for such occasions. By following Ko’s strategy,

you bring the house edge down to 3.5%. Ko’s strategy appears below.

Let your first bet ride if your cards include:

 Winning hand (pair of 10s or better)

Potential straight flush: three cards of the

same suit in a row (except A-2-3 or 2-3-4)

Potential straight flush: three cards of the

same suit, at least one high card

(10 or higher), and a single card

missing within the sequence

Potential straight flush: three cards of the

same suit, at least two high cards, and two

cards missing within the sequence

Let your second bet ride if your hand includes:

Winning hand (pair of 10s or better)

Potential straight flush: four cards of the

same suit in a row

Potential flush: any four cards of the same suit

Potential straight: four cards of mixed

suits in a row and one high card (10 or higher)

It’s up to you whether you let your second

bet ride if your hand includes:

Potential straight: four cards of mixed suits

in a row and no high cards (10 or higher)

Potential straight: four high cards and a card

missing within the sequence

Let It Ride Strategy Highlights

• Let your bets ride when you have a pair of tens or better. Take your bet back

otherwise, unless you have one of the potential straights or flushes described in

the tables above.