Let It Ride trainer
Pair of 10s or better pays
Deal a hand to see the exact chance it pays, counted over every way it can finish.
Paytables
Let It Ride each bet riding
Main game house edge: 3.51% per base bet, exact with the book's strategy.
3-Card Bonus your three cards
House edge on this 3-Card Bonus table: 7.10%.
5-Card Bonus $1, final five
Pays "for 1": the payout includes your $1. House edge: 13.77%.
Independently calculated odds. Every figure here is counted exactly from all possible deals for the rules and payouts shown; your casino's may differ. Payouts vary by table: each bonus bet's house edge covers only that bet and the paytable shown. How our odds are calculated
Two decisions: pull it back or let it ride
Let It Ride has no dealer hand to beat. You bet three equal bets, and you get two chances to take one back. Most of the time the right move is to pull it back.
When to let it ride
Let a bet ride only when the cards you hold are worth more than nothing on average. We counted every way each hand can finish: these short rules make the exactly right call on all 22,100 three-card hands and all 270,725 four-card hands.
Bet 1: your three cards
Bet 2: plus the first community card
The two decisions are separate. Pulling back bet 1 doesn't change bet 2. Decide bet 2 on the four cards in front of you, whatever you did with bet 1.
Some draws are a coin flip to the penny. Low open-ended draws like 5-6-7-8, J-Q-K-A, and inside draws like 10-J-Q-A are worth exactly zero on bet 2: riding and pulling come out the same. The book rides them, and the trainer counts either choice as right.
Small pairs don't pay. A pair of 9s or lower is a losing hand unless it improves. Pull back both bets with it.
Decision drill
Flash hands with something to think about: suited cards, straight draws and high cards, on bet 1 and bet 2. Get ten in a row and you are ready.
How a hand plays
- Make three equal betsOne in each circle: 1, 2 and $. The 3-Card Bonus and the $1 5-Card Bonus are optional extras.
- Three cards for you, two face down in the middleThe two community cards belong to every player at the table.
- Bet 1: pull it back or let it rideLooking at your three cards. A pulled bet comes back to you.
- The first community card turnsThen the same choice for bet 2, on four cards.
- The second card turnsBet 3 always plays. Every bet still riding is paid by the paytable, or loses if the five cards don't pay.
Hand ranks and odds
Your three cards plus the two community cards make your hand. You need a pair of 10s or better to get paid.
| Hand | Chance | About 1 in | Pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 0.0002% | 649,740 | 1000 to 1 |
| Straight flush | 0.0014% | 72,193 | 200 to 1 |
| Four of a kind | 0.024% | 4,165 | 50 to 1 |
| Full house | 0.14% | 694 | 11 to 1 |
| Flush | 0.20% | 509 | 8 to 1 |
| Straight | 0.39% | 255 | 5 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | 2.11% | 47 | 3 to 1 |
| Two pair | 4.75% | 21 | 2 to 1 |
| Pair of 10s or better | 16.25% | 6.2 | 1 to 1 |
| Anything else | 76.12% | 1.3 | loses |
The bonus bets
Both bonus bets carry a higher house edge than the main game. The trainer deals the 3-Card Bonus on the 50-40-30-6-3-1 table; switch tables under Paytables to match your casino.
| Bet | Wins when | Top payout | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Card Bonus 50-40-30-6-3-1 (this table) | Your three cards are a pair or better; flushes pay 3 | 50 to 1 | 7.10% |
| 3-Card Bonus 50-40-30-5-4-1 | Same, straights pay 5, flushes 4 | 50 to 1 | 5.39% |
| 3-Card Bonus 50-40-30-6-4-1 | Same, flushes pay 4 | 50 to 1 | 2.14% |
| 5-Card Bonus ($1) | Your final five cards are two pair or better | 20,000 for 1 | 13.77% |
"For 1" is not "to 1". The 5-Card Bonus payout includes your dollar, so two pair at 6 for 1 nets $5. Paid "to 1", the same table would cost only 6.14%.
The bonus bets stay up when you pull back. They are separate bets on the cards, so pulling back bets 1 and 2 never touches them.
Read the felt. Some tables run a progressive instead of the $1 bonus, with its own paytable. We don't model those; check the posted payouts before you bet.
At the table
- Signal with your cardsAt most tables you scratch your cards on the felt to take a bet back, and set them down in front of the bet to let it ride. The dealer pushes back a pulled bet for you.
- Keep your cards to yourselfThe house rule at most tables: don't show your hand to other players before the cards turn.
- All three bets go out firstYou can't pull back bet 3, and you can't add to a bet once the cards are dealt.
- Small swings, rare big handsYou'll lose most hands for one bet. The paytable makes it back on the occasional flush or full house.
- Budget for three betsAll three go out before the deal, but with the book's strategy only about 1.2 stay in action on an average hand.
- Check the table versionSome tables change the bonus pays; the paytable on the felt is what counts.
Mistakes that cost real money
- Riding on hopeTwo high cards or a small pair on bet 1 look promising but lose money. Pull them back.
- Pulling back a paying handA pair of 10s or better already wins. Let every bet ride.
- Chasing inside straights with low cardsOnly four cards make them. Pull back bet 2.
- Making the 5-Card Bonus a habit13.77% is almost four times the main game's edge.