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Finding the best Let it Ride Poker online
The first two paragraphs of this article will give you a brief history
of land-based Let it Ride, covering Let it Ride - The Tournament,
and Let it Ride Bonus. The remainder of this article focuses on online
Let it Ride. After reviewing the variants that are offered by the
major online casino providers, you will be presented with a final
paragraph where all online variants are compared, and the best Let
it Ride Poker available online is picked.
If you are not familiar with the game of Let it Ride you are advised
to first read our Let
it Ride Rules guide before reading any further. More info on
Let it Ride is also found in our Let
it Ride strategy guide.
Let it Ride - The Tournament
In August 1993, Let it Ride Poker was first introduced in Las Vegas
by Shuffle
Master Gaming. The original Let it Ride game featured a $1 tournament
(side) bet. This bet made you eligible for an instant bonus payout,
ranging from $20 for a Straight, to $20,000 for a Royal Flush. Furthermore,
if you were lucky enough to also hit a Straight Flush or a Royal Flush,
you received a ticket into Shuffle Master's Let It Ride tournament.
An entry into this tournament guaranteed you a $1,000 bonus just for
playing, and the first prize was $1,000,000.
Let it Ride Bonus
In October 1997, a new version of Let it Ride was introduced: Let
it Ride Bonus. This game replaced Let it Ride - The Tournament, though
for a period of a year, both games coexisted. In Let it Ride bonus
you can't win an entry into the $1 million dollar Let it Ride Tournament,
but the instant bonus payout table is more favorable to the player,
giving bonus payouts to hands as low as Tens or Better.
Online Let it Ride
Let it Ride Poker can also be played in online casinos, though the
game may have a different name. For example, Microgaming calls it's
version of Let it Ride, Poker Pursuit, and Real Time Gaming
uses the name Let 'Em Ride. Some online casinos offer a very
basic version of Let it Ride Poker, with no additional side bet. Other
online casinos offer versions much like land-based Let it Ride Bonus,
where a $1 side bet makes you eligible for a bonus payout. A feature
that's unique to some online casinos, is that the bonus payouts are
linked to a progressive jackpot, where a Royal Flush wins the progressive
jackpot.
We have reviewed the Let it Ride games that are offered by Microgaming,
Cryptologic, Playtech
and Real Time Gaming. After
discussing each of these variants, we will compare them in a concluding
paragraph, and tell you which online casino brand offers the best
Let it Ride Poker online (imho).
Microgaming: Poker Pursuit
 |
| Regular Paytable |
3.57% HA |
| Royal Flush |
999 |
| Straight Flush |
199 |
| Four of a Kind |
49 |
| Full House |
11 |
| Flush |
8 |
| Straight |
5 |
| Three of a Kind |
3 |
| Two Pair |
2 |
| Tens or Better |
1 |
|
|
Microgaming offers a Let
it Ride version called Poker Pursuit. It looks just like Video Poker,
but it's really a very basic variant of Let it Ride Poker, with
no additional bonus side bet. In addition to that, Poker Pursuit's
paytable is a little below average. A regular Let it Ride paytable
pays 1000 for a Royal Flush, 200 for a Straight Flush, and 50 for
a Four of a Kind, whereas Microgaming pays 999, 199 and 49 respectively.
If you take a look at the Poker Pursuit paytable in a Microgaming
casino, you might get the impression that the paytable is actually
better than a regular paytable, but this is not so, because your
original bet is *not* returned. The house edge for Poker Pursuit
is 3.57%, which is 0.06% higher than standard.
Cryptologic: Let it Ride Poker
 |
| Regular Paytable |
3.51% HA |
| Royal Flush |
1000 |
| Straight Flush |
200 |
| Four of a Kind |
50 |
| Full House |
11 |
| Flush |
8 |
| Straight |
5 |
| Three of a Kind |
3 |
| Two Pair |
2 |
| Tens or Better |
1 |
|
| Bonus Paytable |
22.60655% HA |
| Royal Flush |
30,000 |
| Straight Flush |
3,000 |
| Four of a Kind |
400 |
| Full House |
200 |
| Flush |
50 |
| Straight |
25 |
| Three of a Kind |
5 |
| Two Pair |
- |
| Tens or Better |
- |
|
Cryptologic's version of
Let it Ride Poker uses a standard paytable for the ante bet, with
an house edge of 3.51%. Cryptologic also offers an additional bonus
side bet, with a fixed payout schedule. The house edge for this
bet is 22.60655%, which is pretty high, but still good when compared
to the majority of side bet pay tables found in land-based casinos.
Playtech: Let Them Ride
 |
| Regular Paytable |
3.51% HA |
| Royal Flush |
1000 |
| Straight Flush |
200 |
| Four of a Kind |
50 |
| Full House |
11 |
| Flush |
8 |
| Straight |
5 |
| Three of a Kind |
3 |
| Two Pair |
2 |
| Tens or Better |
1 |
|
| Bonus Paytable |
13.767008% HA |
| Royal Flush |
20,000 |
| Straight Flush |
2,000 |
| Four of a Kind |
100 |
| Full House |
75 |
| Flush |
50 |
| Straight |
25 |
| Three of a Kind |
9 |
| Two Pair |
6 |
| Tens or Better |
- |
|
Playtech also offers a regular
paytable for the ante bet, with an house edge of 3.51%. It's side
bet paytable is very good, with an house edge of "just"
13.767008%. You won't find such a good side bet paytable anytime
soon in an online or land-based casino, though the house edge judged
by itself only, is still rather high.
Real Time Gaming: Let 'Em Ride
 |
| Regular Paytable |
3.51% HA |
| Royal Flush |
1000 |
| Straight Flush |
200 |
| Four of a Kind |
50 |
| Full House |
11 |
| Flush |
8 |
| Straight |
5 |
| Three of a Kind |
3 |
| Two Pair |
2 |
| Tens or Better |
1 |
|
| Bonus Paytable |
|
| Royal Flush |
100% of Jackpot |
| Straight Flush |
10% of Jackpot |
| Four of a Kind |
500 |
| Full House |
100 |
| Flush |
50 |
| Straight |
- |
| Three of a Kind |
- |
| Two Pair |
- |
| Tens or Better |
- |
|
Real Time Gaming casinos
offer a standard paytable on the ante bet, with an house edge of
3.51%. RTG also offers an additional bonus side bet. RTG's Let '
Em Ride bonus paytable is the only Let it Ride variant discussed
in this article, that is linked to a progressive jackpot. A Royal
Flush pays 100% of the Jackpot, and a Straight Flush pays 10% of
the Jackpot.
It's difficult to make a general comparison between RTG's Let
' Em Ride and the Let it Ride versions of the other software providers
discussed above, because RTG licensees can customize their Let '
Em Ride paytables. The following parameters of Let ' Em Ride can
vary between RTG casinos:
 |
There are two versions available of the regular
paytable for the ante bet. The most commonly used is listed
above. The other paytable is 500,100,25,15,10,5,3,2,1. Both
paytables offer similar odds. |
|
Some RTG casinos offer the additional bonus side
bet, others don't. |
|
If a RTG casino offers the additional bonus side
bet, a Royal Flush pays 100% of the Jackpot, and a Straight
Flush pays 10% of the Jackpot. The progressive jackpot is shared
between all RTG casinos that offer the side bet. However, the
payouts for the Four of a Kind, the Full House and the Flush
can vary between RTG casinos. |
The paytables listed above were found at iNetBet
casino. The progressive jackpot meter needs to reach $217,990
in order for the house edge on the side bet to become zero. On March
14, 2004 the progressive jackpot meter was $50,275, resulting in a
side bet house edge of 49.1%. The Phoenician
casino also offers the side bet, but with a slightly better payout
on the Flush ($75 instead of $50). If the progressive jackpot meter
reaches $201,192, Let 'Em Ride at the Phoenician can be played at
a zero house edge.
Conclusion: the best Let it Ride Poker online is offered by......
If you never place the side bet wager, the best Let it Ride variants
are offered by Cryptologic and
Playtech. Microgaming has a slightly
higher house edge, and doesn't offer a true land-based Let it Ride
gaming experience, because their game plays like Video Poker. Real
Time Gaming offers the same house edge as Cryptologic and Playtech,
but their game uses a raise system not found in true Let it Ride,
where you place three times your ante bet initially, and decide to
let your bet ride or take it down after each card is dealt.
If you also plan to make an occasional side bet (which we don't recommend),
the best overall Let it Ride game is offered by Playtech,
because their house edge on the side bet is only 13.77%. An house
edge this low on the side bet is rarely offered not by online nor
land-based casinos.
| |
Microgaming |
Cryptologic |
Playtech |
RTG |
| Ante Bet House Edge |
3.57% |
3.51% |
3.51% |
3.51% |
| Side Bet House Edge |
N.A. |
22.60655% |
13.767008% |
Jackpot & casino dependent |
| Progressive Jackpot |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
| True gaming experience |
Low |
High |
High |
Medium |
A detailed explanation of all bonus house edge
calculations can be found here
(PDF).
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