Free Let It Ride Online

Let It Ride is one of many ‘Carnival’ casino table games that use poker hand rankings to pay out big prizes. You will find this in live casinos across Canada, alongside games like 3 Card Poker and Mississippi Stud. There is a strategy element and an unusual way of betting. Instead of adding bets as the hand progresses, in Let It Ride you take away bets. Your choice is to remove part of your stake from the table – or to ‘Let It Ride’ into the next part of the hand.

You will find casino poker games at Canadian online casinos. This page has everything you need to enjoy this popular variation. Below is a hand walk-through, which shows you how to bet and how the rounds work. Strategy, side bets, and how to get comps and bonuses for Let It Ride poker games at live and online casinos are also covered.

How to play Let It Ride poker

Let It Ride has elements of poker – though you do not play against others at your table. Each player gets 3 cards and aims to make the best poker hand using their cards and the community cards. The dealer does not have a hand of her own in this game. This means there are no complex rules for ‘qualifying’.

The game starts by you placing three bets of the same size, one on each of the betting circles in front of each seat. Minimums in Canadian live casinos typically start at $5. This increases the amount needed to play on a per hand basis. You will remove bets on many hands, which balances this.

Hands then begin with each player getting three cards face-down. Disclosure is not permitted in Let It Ride poker. Two community cards are initially dealt face down. Having looked at your cards, the first decision point is reached. Players can choose to remove one of the three bets – or to leave it in place. To remove a bet, players make a sweeping motion with their hand, the dealer will then push back the bet.

At this point, the first community card is revealed. Players now have a second chance to remove one of their bets. If you removed both, you will only have $5 left going to the final card. If you have all three bets on the table at the end of the hand, you are said to ‘Let It Ride’.

The final community card is then revealed and your five-card hand (made up of your initial three cards and the two community cards) is compared to the paytable.

The Payouts for Let It Ride

After the final card is revealed, you will know whether you have won or lost the hand. If you have a pair of 9s or under, you lose the bets you have on the table. The minimum winning hand is 10s+.

Let It Ride pay table

• Royal Flush: 1,000:1
• Straight Flush: 200:1
• 4 of a Kind: 50:1
• Full House: 11:1
• Flush: 8:1
• Straight: 5:1
• 3 of a Kind: 3:1
• 2 Pairs: 2:1
• A Pair of 10’s or better: 1:1

Note that this is a typical example of a paytable, the exact odds — along with maximum wins per hand — will vary across different venues.

Side bets: Let It Ride 3-card bonus bet

As well as the main bets, you can also opt to play a side bet which is based on the strength of your initial 3 cards. Here is the paytable for your side bet:

• 3 Card Royal Flush: 50:1
• 3 Card Straight Flush: 40:1
• 3 of a Kind: 30:1.
• 3 Card Straight: 6:1
• 3 Card Flush: 3:1
• Pair: 1:1

Some casinos also have an additional ‘Let It Ride’ bonus. This is based on the best poker hand using all 5 cards (your own 3 and the 2 community cards). This bonus will pay a big jackpot for a Royal Flush, with progressive jackpot bets available at the bigger casinos. Jackpots are linked to other casino poker variants at the biggest casinos.

Strategy for Let it Ride poker

With perfect play, you can reduce the casino house edge in Let It Ride to as little as 3.6%. The strategy is complex compared to other casino poker games. Note that the side bets have a bigger edge in favour of the casino. Your decisions are focused on when to leave the bets on the table — the default is to remove the first 2 wagers.

Let your first bet ride with your initial 3 cards when:

• You already hold a winning hand of a pair of 10s or higher
• If you have three consecutive cards to a straight flush (for example 4, 5, and 6 of spades)
• If you have three cards to a straight flush with one gap, and at least one of the cards is 10 or higher (an example being 7, 9, and 10)
• If you have three cards to a straight flush with two gaps and two of the cards are ten and higher (an example being 10, Q, and A)
• With any other combination of cards, you should pull back your first bet. This will be the case in most hands

After the reveal of the first community card, let your second bet ride when:

• You have a winning hand of a pair of 10s or higher
• If you have four cards to a straight flush (an example being 4, 5, 6 and 7)
• If you have four cards to a flush (four cards of the same suit)
• If you have four cards to an outside straight and at least one of the cards has the value of 10 or higher (an example being 9 , 10, J, and Q)
• With any other combination of cards, pull back your bet

The ideal situation in this game is that you are dealt a pair of 10s or better in your own 3 cards. You can let the bets ride — and hope to improve as the community cards are revealed.

Bonuses and casino comps for Let It Ride poker

With the potential for big wins with strong poker hands, plus the low house edge – Let It Ride is a popular game. The downside is that you need $15 (+ side bet wagers) for every hand, which is on the bigger side for some player’s bankrolls.

Taking advantage of bonuses at both live and online casinos will help balance this. With a good strategy and good rewards, you will be playing for longer – giving you extra shots at Royal Flush or straight flush hands.

All live casinos in Canada have card-based loyalty schemes. Many of them come with free play for new members (on slots). Your table gameplay will be tracked, with the points earned triggering extra bonuses. Your loyalty rewards card will get you discounts in restaurants, and access to a wide range of player promotions.

Online casinos in Canada have a bigger list of bonuses to choose from. They include no deposit offers, matched welcome bonuses, loyalty schemes, and ever-changing promotions. The low house edge of Let It Ride means more play-through is needed for this game, compared to slots. Playing Let It Ride online gives you the perfect opportunity to perfect your game strategy before you head to a live casino.

Wrapping up: Let It Ride poker at Canadian Casinos

Let It Ride is an exciting game, where the focus is on getting one of the strongest poker hands – which will trigger a big payout. This game keeps you involved until the end – with a chance of making at least a pair to the 3rd bet. Side bets based on both 3 cards and 6 give you additional ways to hit a jackpot-sized prize.