Let It Ride

About Let It Ride

Let It Ride (or Let Them Ride / Poker Pursuit in some softwares) is a table poker game played with 5 cards. The player has the option to raise his bet as more cards are turned visible.

Let It Ride Rules

Player places a bet and then the player is dealt a 3-card poker hand (like the Flop in texas hold´em for example). After seeing these first 3 cards, the player has the opportunity to raise and double his bet. After the raise, fourth card is dealt (like the Turn in texas hold´em), so 4 of the 5 cards are visible. The player then has a chance to raise again the amount of the initial bet. The final card (the River) is dealt, revealing the full 5-card poker hand. The player is paid according to the listed paytable. The lowest paying hand is a pair of 10s.

Notice that this game resembles Video poker but without the chance to discard and replace cards. That’s why the payouts for rare hands are higher than in video poker.

House Edge and Optimal Strategy

The house edge of Let It Ride is 2.85%. Strategy of Let It Ride is pretty simple. Raise in following situations and otherwise call:

3 Cards: Raise with Paying hand or 3 to straight flush with the following conditions: no gaps (eg. 5,6,7 suited), 1 gap & high card (eg. 8,9,J suited), or 2 gaps & 2 high cards (eg. 9,J,K suited). Remember that 10 counts as a high card.

4 Cards: Raise with a Paying hand, 4 to a flush or 4 to a straight, if it either has no gaps (eg. 5,6,7,8) or 4 high cards (eg. 10,J,K,A). Exception: Do not raise on A,2,3,4 unsuited.

Variance and Results Over Bonus Wagering Requirement

The game´s high house edge and high variance makes it a poor choice for bonus play when other games are available.The standard deviation per unit wagered of Let It Ride is 4.66. This value is similar to video poker but the higher house edge and rare high paying hands increase the chance of busting before completing wagering requirements. The following tables show the chance of gain and the risk of busting for different bet sizes when wagering through a bonus on Let It Ride. The bonus is assumed to be a typical 100% match, 100€ cashable bonus with 30 x Bonus wagering requirement.