Let It Ride is a variation of poker that became quite popular in the 1990’s. The game is straightforward and quick-each player makes three bets of equal amounts and receives three cards. Once the players look over their cards, they have the option to pull out on one of their three bets or leave them on the table (thus the phrase “let it ride”). After examining the cards, the dealer puts down one community card (a card whose value is shared by the players), where the players again have the option of withdrawing another bet or letting it ride. After the moves are determined, the dealer puts one final community card down, the players fold their cards and the dealer flips them all over, determining payouts as low as 1 to 1 (given to a pair of 10’s) or 1,000 to 1 (given to a Royal Flush) to the players.

There are many strategies when it comes to playing Let It Ride, but unfortunately, some people get the words “strategy” and “superstition” mixed up. Below are some examples of actual Let It Ride Player advice, and the final determination if you should keep these pieces of player wisdom in the back of your head during your next game or let it ride right on by you:

Secure The First Seat At The Let It Ride Table

Many Let It Ride players believe that being player number one (or being seated at “first base”) ensures them better hands dealt by the dealer. A few players will even sit out numerous games, just to wait for the precious coveted seat. This superstition is far-fetched for a few reasons, one mainly being that the dealer shuffles the deck quite thoroughly, and cannot possibly keep track of what cards are where at the start of each game. Accepting that the way the deck is shuffled is random and not a controlled factor by the table’s dealer will ensure that a player has a better time playing the game rather than stressing that the person next to them is being dealt better cards on purpose.

Secure The Last Seat At The Let It Ride Table

This one is worth mentioning mainly because it helps debunk the previous superstition and itself. If there is only one lucky seat, and the players involved in the game cannot even determine amongst themselves which seat it actually is, then this further proves just how silly seating placement at the table really is.

Playing One For The Dealer Gets A Player A Better Hand

There are many players out there that insist on making bets on the dealer’s behalf, and if they are winning bets then the dealer will continuously ensure them good hands. There is no way a player’s dealer can control what cards he gets in Let It Ride. Moreover, it is also borderline insulting to the dealer to gamble away his tip. Tipping is a generally good thing to do, and should be encouraged (especially if the dealers are switching shifts or the player won on a great hand), but players should not tip only to increase their luck and should not put the dealer in a position where their tip also depends on the outcome of a random hand during the game. If a player were to be truly superstitious, then one might think this course of action would encourage bad luck rather than good luck.

Playing The Table at a Certain Time of Day/Night

Some players swear that to get the best hands you have to start playing as early as possible, and then there are other players who insist that the Let It Ride Table is not worth their time unless it is after midnight. These players need a gentle reminder that while the dealer for the table might be different at 12PM than at 2AM, the game does not change depending on the time of day.

Playing Let It Ride Electronically Will Result In Better Hands

There are plenty of players that insist on only playing Let It Ride via the Internet or by electronic machine in a casino. Players believe that on a computer they will have a better chance at winning bigger bets. The truth is that the cards being “shuffled” on the machine or online all go through a Random Number Generator program, very similar to the ones in slot machines and other electronic gambling machines, so the odds of winning are similar to a live table, if not exactly the same. Just like with the seating rules mentioned above, there is definitely a group of player who insist that playing at a table results in better hands and that the electronic versions of Let It Ride result in more losses, so there is a conflict between players about the validity of this superstition as well, making the average player assume that it is a belief that should not be taken too seriously.

Wearing Red To The Let It Ride Table

This superstition has been heard before in casinos, but there are still those old-timer players who no matter what will not place abet unless they are wearing red. Red has been the symbol of good luck, especially in Asian cultures, and can be seen plenty no matter what table you are at or what casino you happen to be visiting. Do not be surprised if you happen to come across these same people carrying around a rabbit’s foot or other “lucky” charm as well.

Conclusion

For the more serious Let It Ride player, it is best to avoid taking these superstitions to heart, and instead become familiar with the strategies that are lined out for when it is best to pull your bets or “let it ride” during the game. Those strategies actually take into account mathematical probability and fact, which is always a good thing to base your gaming decisions off of.

While this list can be insightful and even at times amusing, rest assured that there are those players out there who live by these beliefs as if they are set-in-stone rules to live by. Should everyone play by these rules? Not likely, but it is important to be courteous and respectful the other players that might implicate one or two of these beliefs-after all they are pretty harmless and the point of playing the game is to relax and have a good time!

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