LET IT RIDE:  

Let It Ride is a casino card game that was designed to attract slot players to the casino tables.  While it is played at a modified Blackjack table, it is really a variation of 5-card Stud. It is a very simple game that is easy to learn and has a modest house edge of about 3.5% which is better than most slot machines!

How to Play 

• The game is played with a standard 52 card deck.

• Table layout is similar to a Blackjack table except each player has three betting circles; marked 1,2, and $. (many games offer a bonus bet - ignore it!)

Don't bother with the Bonus Bet - This is a $1.00 bet which requires
 you to get at least 3 of a Kind. The odds make it one of the worst bets in the casino. The only place I have found with a good bonus is at 
Lady Luck (Down Town Las Vegas) which pays on 2 pair.

• Players are not allowed to show or discuss their cards with others at the table.
• Players must place three bets, one in each circle, of equal amounts ( A $5 Table therefore requires at least $15 to play each hand) 
• Each player is dealt 3 cards.
• Players unhappy with their 3 cards may elect to take back the bet in circle number 1(leaving only 2 bets at risk). 
• The dealer draws one card for his "community hand" which all players use in combination with their own 3 card hand.
• Players unhappy with their 3 cards plus the dealer's first card may take back the bet in circle 2 (leaving only 1 bet at risk). (when to take back bet 2)
• The dealer draws his second "community card".
• Any players that can make a poker hand consisting of a pair of tens or better win an amount set by the payout table:

  Let it Ride
  Hand	Payoff
  Royal flush Straight flush Four of a kind Full house Flush Straight Three of a kind Two pair Winning pair	1,000:1 200:1 50:1 11:1 8:1 5:1 3:1 2:1 1:1

Basic Strategy

The basic play in Let It Ride is a matter of deciding if you are going to "stay" at the two decision points in the hand. Let's break down the decisions, keeping in mind that 10-J-Q-K-A are "high" cards and a "skip" is a card missing from a Straight:

Three cards up:
"Let It Ride" on the first bet if you have:

• a paying hand: High-Card Pair or Three-of-a-Kind
• three consecutive, same-suit cards valued 3-4-5 or better
• three of a Straight Flush with one skip and at least one high card (eg. 8-9-J but not 7-8-J)
• three of a Straight Flush with two skips and at least two high cards (eg. 8-J-Q but not 7-9-J)

Four cards up:
"Let It Ride" on the second bet if you have:

• a paying hand: High-Card Pair, Three-of-a-Kind or Two Pair
• four of any Flush (yes this includes straight flushes with a skip)
• four of a Straight, no skips
• four high cards