Let It Ride is a variation of casino poker that first came on the scene in 1995. It was created by gaming equipment manufacturer Bally Technologies as a way to drum up more business for its Shuffle Master division, which makes shuffling machines used in casinos. Let It Ride was also fashioned to offer casino patrons a more relaxed gaming experience than other casino card games such as blackjack and other forms of poker, thereby looking to appeal to a more casual clientele.
What Are The Best Let It Ride Real Money Sites?
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- 3 Card Poker is a fast-paced cross between blackjack and table poker. It quickly became one of the most popular casino games for its large payouts and easy to understand rules. Depending on the online casino, you might see the same game under different titles like Tri Card Poker, 3 Card Poker, 3 Card Brag, or Poker Three.
- Full List of Casinos Where You Can Play 3 Card Poker Online for Real Money in India. Below is a list of casinos that all offer the possibility to play 3 card poker online real money in india and allow you to have your account in Indian Rupees.
More casual casino gamblers don’t tend to be as sharp as far as paying attention to looking to play with a lower house edge, as blackjack players sometimes are for instance. The house edge of Let It Ride, under optimal play, is a fair bit higher than blackjack, at 3.51% versus blackjack’s less than 1% and if optimal strategies aren’t used, the house edge for Let It Ride goes up even more of course.
Invented by Derek Webb in 1994, 3 Card Poker is the perfect game for those that love poker action, but also prefer fast-paced gaming sessions. It is believed that Webb wanted to offer an option to players that enjoy the rules and payouts of poker, which wouldn’t take as much time per dealing as other variants take.
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Casino gambling really isn’t about looking for edges though, and there aren’t any anyway, other than card counting in blackjack. The absence of player advantage or the house edge are not a big factor in the decision of players to play that Casino game. Let It Ride Poker is an attractive game for many, not because of the house edge, but because the player is in control of the action.
Just like with Blackjack, the player has to take decisions when playing Let It Ride Poker. The decision is not to take more or less cards like at Blackjack but rather whether or not to Let It Ride: leaving the wagered money on the table or getting some of it back. This gives players some control over their losses, based on how the Let It Ride hand progresses and that psychologically. The rules of Let It ride poker are explained in more details below for novice casino players.
How To Play Let It Ride
Let It Ride has 3 spots on the table for each player to place bets on prior to a hand, which are labeled 1, 2, and 3. Players must place an equal amount on each spot. Each player Is dealt three cards face down, which they are not allowed to disclose to other players.
Two community cards are also dealt face down, which players will use along with their own three cards to put together 5 card poker hands. Players need at least a pair of 10’s to win, and beyond that, the better the hand the bigger the payout.
Prior to the first community card being revealed, players have the option of taking back one of their three bets, should they feel that their hand or the potential of their hand is not strong enough to justify the larger bets that are sitting on the table.
Players also have the option of having the bet in the second slot returned to them if they choose, after the first community card is turned up. When players do not choose to have a bet returned, they are said to be “letting it ride,” which is where the game gets its name.
Playing Let It Ride Correctly
The format of this game is identical to players increasing the size of their bets based upon having better hands, doubling down and tripling down the original bet as the hand progresses, but by having them retract the bets, the thinking behind this is that players will have a tendency to retract less often than they would bet. As well, the fact that the game of Let It Ride allows the player to get some money back from his bet if he seems to be losing is an important factor in this casino game’s success. As well, the fact that the game of Let It Ride allows the player to get some money back from his bet if he seems to be losing is an important factor in this casino game’s success.
The majority of the time, it is correct for players not to let anything ride, in other words to have both bets returned to them. It takes a good hand indeed to justify doubling or tripling the bet, like for instance you wouldn’t double down with a count of 7 in blackjack, but you may with 10 or 11. Let It Ride Poker works in the opposite direction, you take back bets rather than placing them, but the logic is the same. Only Let It Ride if you are in a strong position.
The correct strategy with Let it Ride is to only let it ride with 3 cards if you have a pair of 10’s or better, any 3 suited cards in a row except A23 and 234, any 3 to a royal flush, three to a straight flush with your three cards spreading over 4 cards, with at least 1 being a 10 or higher, or three to a straight flush spreading over 5 cards with 2 of them being a 10 or higher.
With 4 cards, you need a pair of 10’s or higher, 4 cards of the same suit, a four card open straight, or a 4 card inside straight with all 4 being 10 or higher.
As you might expect, players play looser than this and often quite a bit looser, but this just makes the casino’s edge bigger than it needs to be. The same is the case with side bets, which just increase the casino’s edge as well, and therefore aren’t a good idea.
The correct strategy is not extremely difficult to memorize and you can always come back to this page for a refresher before you start playing real money Let It Ride.
The house odds for this game aren’t really that bad if you play correctly, and are significantly better than some games, like American Roulette. You do want to make sure that you play at least fairly correctly though to keep these odds in line, close to the optimal anyway, and therefore get more bang for your buck at the Let It Ride tables.
Let It Ride Normal Payouts
Of course, luck is the main factor of success in Let It Ride but granted that you play with the correct strategy, you maximize your chance to play for a while and the longer you play, of course, the better your odds of hitting a big prize.
In a normal casino, the payouts for the game go up to 1000 times your stake so Let It Ride can pay off quite well if you are very lucky.
Below you find the standard payouts for Let It Ride. An honest casino will pay these prizes at Let It Ride:
- Royal Flush: 1000 times the stake
- Straight Flush: 200 times the stake
- Four of a kind: 50 times the stake
- Full House: 11 times the stake
- Flush: 8 times the stake
- Straight: 5 times the stake
- Three of a kind: 3 times the stake
- Two pair: 2 times the stake
- Tens or better: 1 times the stake
- Any other Let It Ride Hand: loss
In addition to the normal payouts, most casinos also offer a progressive jackpot on Let It Ride games, that pays out the following:
- Royal Flush: 100% of Jackpot
- Straight Flush: 10% of Jackpot
- 4 Of A Kind: $500
- Full House: $50
To play with the progressive feature enabled, players usually need to put up an additional $1 per hand. Voucher code bovada.
Playing Let It Ride for Real Money
Large physical casinos will usually offer the game as they have a lot of space on the floor and probably attract a lot of players to their grounds. Finding Let It Ride in smaller casinos might be a bit more difficult and it is probable that your local casino would not offer the game as it might make more sense for them to add another Blackjack table or more slot machines instead.
Luckily for amateurs of the game, it is quite easy to play real money Let It Ride online.
At online casinos, there is no problem with floor space so they tend to offer as many games as they can, knowing that casino players like variety.
You would be hard pressed to find an online casino which does not offer real money Let It Ride and in any case all the casinos we have reviewed and recommend on this website offer the game.
In addition to availability, the main advantage of going online to play Let It ride for real money is that it allows you to keep an eye on the optimal strategy while you play. How to play texas hold'em card game. A physical Casino would maybe frown upon you coming in with your phone to check the strategy while you play but of course an online casino has no way to prevent you from keeping the Let It Ride optimal strategy information open while you play!
Online Bonuses for Let It Ride Games
Obviously, another major advantage of online casinos when it comes to real money Let It Ride is that most will offer a bonus to go along with your deposit.
You can usually get started in an online casino with at least a 100% match bonus od the real money you deposit. This lets you play twice as much as without the bonus and with more chips to play with, you can play longer and maybe get lucky with one of the massive Let It Ride payouts.
Of course the online casinos are not stupid, they don’t give you free money without some strings attached.
First of all you have to know that the casino bonus will be tied to a wagering requirement. This means that you will not be able to ask for a withdrawal of your casino winnings before you have played a big enough volume of money. This is a way for the casino to make sure that you play long enough for them to have an advantage over the player despite the bonus money.
Second of all, most online casinos will have different rules for table games like Let It Ride than for slots. A Slot machines player might have to wager less than a Let It Ride player before he can withdraw. This all has to do with the house edge of the games. Slot machines have higher house edge than table games and therefore the rules are different.
This might make it sound like playing Let It Ride with a bonus is not as good as playing the game only with real money. At the end of the day it is a question of preference but we would tend to say that using a bonus to play Let It Ride is quite useful.
The reason is that if you use a bonus, you will be able to play more Let It Ride poker than with just your real money. You might be able to play twice as many hands of Let It Ride and that gives you twice as many chances to hit a big prize. If you do hit a Royal Flush playing Let It Ride, you get 1000 times your stake and needless to say, that’s quite enough to meet the wagering requirement and cash out a nice sum.
Note however that before you decide to use a casino bonus rather than play Let It Ride with real money only, you should make sure to read the rules of the online casino to check that there is no negative fine print like special rules relating to Let It Ride play with a bonus.
The online casinos we recommend on this page all have very fair payouts and rules and are therefore solid choices to play real money Let It Ride, with or without a casino bonus.
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Of all the casino table games based on poker hand rankings, 3 Card Poker is the most popular. This game combines simple strategy with a shot at some big pay outs for the best poker hands.
If you live in a state with regulated online casinos, you’ll be able to play Three Card Poker via desktops and mobile casino apps. Live dealer online casinos let you play a dealt game online. Software-based games are also available where you can play 3 Card Poker for free or with real money.
The key to the popularity of 3 Card Poker is the ‘Pair Plus’ side bet. Most players bet on the main hand (a requirement) and one or more optional side bets. In live casinos, you might find a side bet includes a big progressive jackpot for players lucky enough to hit a 6 card ‘Super’ Royal Flush.
This page gives you all you need to get started with 3 Card Poker whether you play online or in a brick and mortar casino. The rules and order of events in a hand of the game are covered directly below. After this, you’ll find detailed information on the side bets, house edge, strategy and the options for online play.
How to play 3 Card Poker
Each hand starts with the players placing bets. The only mandatory bet is the Ante. The minimum and maximum bet will vary. Online this can be as little as 50c, in live casinos a $5 minimum is more common. Players often combine their ante bet with one or more side-bets – these are covered in the section below.
After all the players have bet, each player and the dealer are dealt 3 cards face down.
Players examine their cards individually (without sharing what they have with the other players). You then decide whether to fold, which forfeits the ante bet, or raise. To continue with the hand (raise), you place an additional bet equal to the ante on the table in the square marked ‘Play’. Strategy for which option to choose is covered below.
After all the players have either folded or raised, the dealer will reveal his/her cards.
This game includes a dealer qualification rule. If the dealer does not have at least Queen high, his/her has not qualified. When this happens, the ante is paid at 1-to-1 and the Play bet is a push (the stake is returned).
If the dealer has a qualifying hand, then the value of that hand is compared to the value of the players hand to determine the winner. Standard poker hand rankings are used, with bonus payouts paid for a straight or better. Note that with 3 cards, a flush is easier to get than a straight, and so considered below this in the poker rankings. In the rare event of a tie, both the Ante and Play bets are returned.
Payout on Ante Bets
Here are the additional Ante bet pay outs:
- Straight: 1-to-1
- 3 of a Kind: 5-to-1
- Straight Flush: 5-to-1
Simple 3 Card Poker strategy and casino house edge
The math shows that the optimal strategy in 3-Card Poker is to play when you have Queen/6/4 or better, and to fold anything below this. You might notice that this strategy is very close to the dealer’s play – qualifying with Queen high. Some players choose to further simplify their strategy by mimicking the dealer and raising with any Queen regardless of the side cards.
While close, this does give the house a slightly bigger advantage in the long run.
- House Edge for Q/6/4: 3.24%
- House Edge for any Queen: 3.37%
As the side bets are completely independent from the main game, the pay tables for these bets will never influence your strategy.
Popular side bets in Three Card Poker games
For many players, a hand of Three Card Poker would not be complete without a bet on the ‘Pair Plus’ side bet. This bet is optional. It is also independent of the main game.
Pair Plus works by looking at your own three cards. If you have less than 1 pair, the bet is lost.
Pairs Plus Payouts
With hands of 1 pair or better, you’ll be paid according to the table below:
- Mini Royal (Ace / King / Queen of the same suit): 80-to-1
- Straight Flush: 40-to-1
- 3 of a Kind: 25-to-1
- Straight: 6-to-1
- Flush: 3-to-1
- Pair: 1-to-1
Note that you can find casinos with minor variations of this pay table. Some casinos do not offer a boosted prize for a mini-royal, instead increasing the prize for the flush.
The other popular side bet involves all 6 cards in your hand and the dealer’s hand. The best possible 5-card poker hand using a combination of these cards will qualify for the bonus. There are several variations under the generic title of 6-card bonus.
Some of these may include progressive jackpots. For example, Caesars Entertainment casinos have a linked progressive which pays on a 6-card ‘Super Royal’ in diamonds only.
Payouts for 6-card bonus
Typical payouts for 6-card bonuses are as follows:
- Royal Flush: 1000-to-1
- Straight Flush: 200-to-1
- 4 of a Kind: 5-to-1
- Full House: 25-to-1
- Flush: 15-to-1
- Straight: 10-to-1
- 3 of a Kind: 5-to-1
Any hand below 3 of a kind results in a loss. There are many side-bet variations. Some casinos add a (smaller) progressive element to the 3 card hands of individual players. Note that the side bets have a much bigger house edge than the main game. This can be as high as 15.28% in some 6-card bonus variations.
How to Play 3 Card Poker online
Regulation for online casinos is happening at the state level. The online casinos in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and West Virginia will only work within state lines in each instance.
Big casino brands have partnered with local brick and mortar venues to create mobile apps as well as desktop casinos. Brands include 888 Casino, Golden Nugget and Sugarhouse.
You’ll be able to enjoy slots, video poker and table games via these casino apps. This includes 3-Card Poker, alongside blackjack, roulette, Ultimate Texas Hold’em and more.
There are two ways to enjoy 3 Card Poker online. First, you can play against casinos on software-based games. These are fast, include side-bets and can be enjoyed for micro-stakes starting at around 50c per hand.
You can also bet on the result of games streamed from a casino. Live dealer 3-Card Poker uses an overlay to bet, with a real dealer handling the cards in real time. Everyone bets on the same hand, with the hand being continued to its conclusion each time (for those people who did not fold).
This way of enjoying 3-Card Poker has social element. You can chat with the dealer and share messages with other players. Stakes are higher compared to the software-based games. You’ll have to stay focused on the game. If you time out (or disconnect) before making your decision, then your hand will be folded.
How to clear your bonus using 3 Card Poker
Most mobile casinos in the regulated states offer new players generous bonuses to sign up. These include no-deposit (free play) style bonuses, matched welcome bonus offers based on your first deposit – and many other promotions.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to play through your bonus a set number of times before any winnings can be withdrawn.
If you are playing slot machines, then all of your play counts towards ‘clearing’ your bonus. With table games including 3-Card Poker, the contribution towards bonus clearing is weighted. Some casinos will allow for 25% of your play to count, while others will offer 10% or under. Before you choose a casino bonus, checking the terms of each bonus for excluded games and weightings is always a sound strategy.
With free-play casino bonuses, you might find that only slots are permitted.
Other casino table games
Ultimate Texas Hold'em | 3 Card Poker | Let It Ride |
Baccarat | Blackjack |
Pros and cons: Live vs Online 3-Card Texas Hold’em
While both online and live casino table games have their place, there are distinct advantages to each. If you are lucky enough to live in a state with legal online casinos, the pros and cons are outlined below:
The pros and cons of playing 3-Card Poker online are as follows:
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Pros
- No need to travel to a casino to enjoy the game
- Stakes are lower
- Live dealer games include a social element
Cons
- Only available in a handful of regulated states
- Disconnections or time outs (live dealer) mean your hand will be folded
- Game is not fully weighted for clearing casino bonuses
Live 3-Card Poker Casinos
The pros and cons of playing Live 3-Card Poker online are as follows:
Pros
- Enjoyable social settings
- Casinos often have progressive jackpot side bets
- Loyalty schemes with free-play/resort benefits
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Cons
Free Online Three Card Poker
- Stakes are generally higher than online ($5 minimum is typical)
- You’ll need to travel to a casino
- Naturally slower pace of play
FAQ
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Can you cheat at Three Card Poker?
While some forms of collusion are possible, these would be fraudulent and require marked cards or a casino dealer getting involved. Collusion among players would not result in a positive expectation for the game. If players developed a system to share their hands, several cards could be accounted for. This would increase or decrease the chances of the dealer having a good hand slightly – although not enough to win any money over time.
Marked cards or fraudulent collusion would be picked up by casino security as soon as losses from the table were significant. With the base strategy very simple, diversions from this would be very easy to spot.
How big a bankroll do I need for 3-Card Poker?
Compared to many casino table games (UTH, Mississippi Stud and Casino Hold’em for example) the natural variance of 3-Card poker is low. On most hands, you’ll be winning or losing single bets. There is also a low house edge, at least in the main game, of 3.27%.
20 times your ante bet is a common starting point for this game. This is enough to enjoy a session, with the possibility of upping your bets if you go on a hot streak.
Your total bankroll depends on how much you can afford to lose and how easily your gambling money can be topped up.
How does the house edge of 3 Card Poker compare?
Compared to other casino table games based on poker hand rankings, 3 Card Poker has a slightly higher house edge. This game has an easy strategy, which means new players can quickly realize the house edge. Compare this with blackjack, where small mistakes made by newer players can have large effect on the casino’s edge.
You should keep in mind that 3-Card Poker side bets have a big edge in favor of the house compared to the main game.
Three Card Poker House Edge vs. Other Table Games
Here is how 3-Card Poker’s house edge compares:
- 3 Card Poker: 3.27%
- Blackjack: 0.5% to 3% (depends on the rules)
- Baccarat: 1.06% (if you play the ‘Player’ bet)
- Ultimate Texas Hold’em: 2.2% + 0.5% of any play bets
- Roulette: 2.7% / 5.26% (European / US wheel)
- Casino Hold’em: 2.16%
Is it legal to play 3-Card Poker online?
States determine their own laws for online casinos. In each state where these are legal, the casinos will only work within their borders. So far, PA, NJ, MI and WV have legal online casinos. There are many more states in various stages of introducing gambling online.
Outside of these states, you can enjoy limited casino table games and slots at ‘Sweepstakes Casinos’. 3-Card poker has not yet made it to any of these brands.
Final thoughts on 3 Card poker
Of all the casino games based on poker hand ranks, 3-Card Poker is the most popular. This game combines a straightforward strategy (play Q-6-4+/fold otherwise), with the chance of boosted payouts for big poker hands. The house edge, at just 3.27%, is reasonably low. It is harder to make mistakes in this game which could boost this edge in favor of the casino. Optional side bets are available, many of them with big progressive jackpots.
If you live in one of the regulated states, you can now enjoy free and real money 3 Card online. This can be played against software, or at live dealer online casinos – where you’ll bet on a dealt game streamed from a studio.