Guide to Let ’em Ride for Real Money
So you want to play Let ‘Em Ride. Cool. I don’t blame you. Online Let ‘Em Ride is fast, fun, and lucrative.
And its background story is a bit of a laugh, too.
So there was this American company called the Shuffle Master (which deserves its own dance, presuming no-one yet has). They made these automatic shuffling machines back in 1993. In order to get their fancy new machines on casino floors, they had to invent a game to be played on them. So… they did. And Let ‘Em Ride was officially born in Reno, Nevada, to Mr & Mrs Master: a healthy baby girl. And isn’t she thriving!
In 2003, the internet got a hold of it. Now real money Let ‘Em Ride is cruising through the tunnels of the interwebs 24/7. No fancy machines necessary. Except for your laptop or mobile, I guess. I can see that they’re pretty sweet.
Anyway, now that real money Let ‘Em Ride is online and all, I’m sure you’re wondering how to play, and when I’m going to stop chin-wagging and getting all nostalgic. You are? Perfect. I happen to be something of an expert in this field. What a coincidence! Joe’s in the knows. Stick around for a Bunnings sausage and I’ll explain everything there is to know, at least in my thick head, and to deposit and play now. Part 1: How to Play Let ‘Em Ride.
1. How Let Em Ride Works
Let ‘Em Ride is a poker variation. I would argue that it’s probably more fun than traditional or Hold Ém – if you like fun. But arguing isn’t my forte, so I’ll agree with your verdict. Take two! It’s played with 5 cards total: 3 in your hand, and 2 community cards. Sounds pretty normal right? Sure. But there are two more things that make online Let ‘Em Ride unique.
Firstly, the point is to win based on the combination of winning cards between your hand and the community cards. There are no other players, or even a Dealer to beat. Lonely for some; less stress for others.
Then the big kicker is that you have two opportunities to increase your bet. In each opportunity, you can either raise for an amount equal to your original ante, or continue on to the next round without raising. That offers you a big chunk of control you can’t get with most other casino games.
In other words, smooth AF.
Here’s a breakdown of how to play Let ‘Em Ride:
- Place your Ante bet. This initial bet is the amount you’ll raise for each round.
- Opt-in for the progressive in the red circle (optional, but who the hell wouldn’t), and hit Deal.
- You get 3 cards face up, and 2 community cards that are dealt face-down.
- Based on your three cards, decide whether you’d like to raise and continue, or simply continue to the next round without a raise.
- One community card is revealed.
- Now you have four cards (three in your hand and one community card). You decide yet again: Raise, or Continue as-is?
- The second community card is revealed.
- You see the value of your hand based on your own 3 cards and the 2 up-turned community cards. The amount of money you make is based on the strength of your poker hand. If you get a pair of 10s or higher within all 5 cards, you’re on a winner.
While 10s or higher is the minimum for a win, the final payout is based on the final value of your hand (all 5 cards) and your remaining bet amount (the final number of times you raised + your original bet) by the end of the game.
Payoutsare pretty shit-hot, too, I must say. Look at these beautiful numbers:
Hand Rank Payout
Royal Flush 1000:1
Straight Flush 200:1
Four of a Kind 50:1
Full House 11:1
Flush 8:1
Straight 5:1
Three of a Kind 3:1
Two Pair 2:1
Pair of 10s or better 1:1
2. How to Win the Let ‘Em Ride Progressive
And then, like most other legendary games, at least at Joe’s, real money Let ‘Em Ride comes with a real money progressive, too. Jackpot, that is. As we chat, the progressive sits at $25K. And considering that loads of punters are lining up for online Let ‘Em Ride, you can expect that jackpot to rise with the roosters.
In order to win the progressive when you play Let ‘Em Ride, it’s absolutely crucial that you click on the red circle option before hitting “Deal”. You’ll see it. A shiny gold chip will fall into place, and you’ll be eligible.
Once you’ve done that and the game is complete, whether or not you got the progressive is based on the strength of your hand. Arm wrestle time!
The online Let ‘Em Ride payouts for the progressive are as follows:
Hand Rank Payout
Royal Flush 100% of the progressive
Straight Flush 10%
Four of a Kind $500
Full House $100
Flush $75
3. Let Em Ride Strategy
So that’s how to play Let ‘Em Ride, and how much money you can get. All that’s left now is to run through how to play Let ‘Em Ride with an optimal strategy.
Let’s first go over when you should raise based on your original three cards:
- The first three cards you’re dealt show a winning hand (tens or better)
- You’re three cards short of a straight flush, and:
- those cards are higher than 2-3-4
- there’s a gap, and one of those cards is 10 or higher
- there are two gaps, and two of the cards are ten or higher
- You have three cards in a row with the same suit, except for: 2-3-4 and A-2-3
For anything else, play on without raising.
This is when you should raise for when you have 4 cards (3 in your hand plus 1 community):
- Any hand that pays (tens or better)
- Four cards with the same suit
- When only a 4, 5, 6 or 7 is missing from a straight, and you have one high card (10, J, Q, K, A)
- When only a 4, 5, 6 or 7 is missing from a straight and you have no high cards
- When only 4, 5, 7 or 8 is missing from a straight and you have four high cards (10, J, Q, K, A)
(She said) Let’s ride. Rev it up, rev it up little boy and ride. Music hits from yesterday, anyone? Anyone else of my vintage? Come on, don’t pretend like you weren’t thinking it, too. Just remember that whenever you play Let ‘Em Ride, your pal Joe taught you how to play Let ‘Em Ride the right way. Hold your applause, please. I’m still singing. Just go out and play, Champ.
