An Expert Strategy for Let’em Ride Poker

Let’em Ride Poker Rules

As mentioned, Let’em Ride is very easy to learn. The player must use their cards combined with the community cards to make poker hand that is a pair of 10s or better. To start the round, the player must place an Ante bet. Once this has been placed, the round starts.

A round in Let’em Ride Poker begins when the dealer dealing five cards, three of which go to the player. In online games, these three cards will be face-up, however, in land-casinos, you should keep these face-down to hide your hand from other players. The two cards that are dealt face-down are called community cards.

Once the round is underway, the player will have a few decisions to take. They can either raise their bet or simply continue, which means not betting further on their hand. The cost of a raise bet is the same as the Ante bet.

Once the player has decided to raise or continue, the first face-down card is revealed. Yet again, the player will have the choice to raise – costing another bet equal to the Ante – or to continue without any additional bet.

When the final card is revealed, the round is over, paying out according to the strength of the player’s hand. As noted, the minimum requirement here is to have a pair of 10s.

Payouts

In most Let’em Ride Poker games, 10s or Better will pay out at 1:1. In addition, the player will receive 2:1 for Two Pair, 3:1 for Three of a Kind, 5:1 for a Straight, 8:1 for a Flush, 11:1 for a Full House, 50:1 for a Four of a Kind, 200:1 for a Straight Flush and 1000:1 for a Royal Flush. These may vary depending on which variant of Let’em Ride Poker you play.

There is a payout awarded for each bet placed rather than one payout for the total amount bet in a round. For example, if in the course of a round a player makes three bets, then they will win three payouts.

Let’em Ride Poker Hands

As is clear, Let’em Ride Poker has very simple rules. However, to be successful, a player will need to be able to spot the potential poker hands very quickly. The game uses the standard poker hands, and it is worth quickly recapping them: They are listed from strongest to weakest.

• Royal Flush– This hand is the strongest in the game and is made up of 10, J, Q, K and A all from the same suit.
• Straight Flush – This hand is similar to a Royal Flush, as it has five suited cards in numerical order but not 10-A but instead any other combination. For instance, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of Diamonds.
• Four of a Kind – This hand is made up of four cards with the same value. An example of this is the 7 of Clubs, 7 of Spades, 7 of Diamonds and 7 of Hearts.
• Full House – This hand consists of a three of a kind and a pair, combining to give a Full House. An example of this is three 9s and two 10s, regardless of their suit.
• Flush – This hand is made up of five cards from the same suit, regardless of which numbers they are. An example of this is the 5, 8, 10, J, Q of Hearts.
• Straight – This hand is made up of five cards that sit next to each other in numerical order, regardless of their suit. For instance, the 4 of Hearts, 5 of Clubs, 6 of Hearts, 7 of Diamonds and 8 of Diamonds.
• Three of a Kind – This hand consists of three cards with the same value. An example of this is the 6 of Hearts, 6 of Clubs and 6 of Spades. The other two cards are irrelevant.
• Two Pair – This hand consists of two sets of pairs with the same value. An example of this is the 10 of Clubs and the 10 of Diamonds, along with the A of Spades and A of Diamonds. The final card is irrelevant.
• One Pair – This hand consists of two matching cards and three unrelated ones. For instance, the 3 of Diamonds, 3 of Clubs, 7 of Hearts, 10 of Diamonds and K of Spades.
• High Card – This is a hand that does not have any of the following combinations above. If you come across a hand like this, it boils down to the strength of your strongest card.

Side Bets

Very often Let’em Ride offers and optional progressive jackpot side bet. In most casinos, the side bet costs €1 and a percentage of that will be contributed to the ever-growing jackpot pool. Usually the side bet gives players the chance to win smaller prizes for weaker hands as well.  The progressive jackpot is usually won with a Royal Flush. In the lower tier prizes, the player may receive 10% of the jackpot for a Straight Flush, 500:1 for a Four of a Kind, 100:1 for a Full House and 75:1 for a Flush.

Let’em Ride Poker Strategy

One of the main attractions in Let’em Ride Poker is by following basic strategy, it is possible to reduce the house edge. The strategy is very easy to follow, it simply tells you in what situations you should continue placing bets.

After the first three cards have been dealt, you should follow these rules:

• Raise your bet if you have a winning hand (10s or Better)
• Raise your bet if you have three cards needed for a Royal Flush
• Raise your bet if you have three cards needed for a Straight Flush with no gaps, that are 3-4-5 or higher
• Raise your bet if you have three cards needed for a Straight Flush with one gap and one card that is Ten or higher
• Raise your bet if you have three of the cards needed to form a Straight Flush with two gaps and at least two cards that are Ten or higher

It is fundamental to look out for gaps. A gap means that the cards are not adjoining. For instance, having the cards 3, 4 and 6. In this instance, there is a single gap between the cards. If a hand has two gaps, that is considered as 3, 4 and 7, the two gaps being 5 and 6.

There are also instances when you should raise after the fourth card is revealed. In these situations, you should raise on the fourth card:

• Raise on the fourth card if you have a winning hand
• Raise on the fourth card if you are one card short of a Flush
• Raise on the fourth card if you have four consecutive cards to an Outside Straight with one card that is Ten or higher

An Outside Straight is a hand that requires just one card to complete a straight. The card which is required can be one of two options. An example of this is having the cards 4, 5, 6, 7. Then, to complete the straight, you will need either 3 or 8.

This contrasts an Inside Bet, where you need a specific card to complete a straight. If we look at the example 5, 6, 7, 9 the player will need 8 to complete the Straight. It is worth raising if you have an Outside Straight with at least one 10 as this boosts your chances of forming the minimum Tens or Better hand.

By sticking to the above rules, you will reduce the house edge to just 3.51%. It will take a bit of practice, but you will find that you get used to it very quickly and hopefully you will soon be celebrating many winning hands.