Let It Ride is a curious card game in that if you don’t like the look of your cards you get to pull some of your wager back. Together with its relaxed pace the game is a favorite with old and newbie gamblers alike.

Each round in Let It Ride starts with players placing three bets of equal size. Players are then dealt three cards each and an additional two community cards that are dealt face down. Having checked their cards players are now given the option of either withdrawing one of their initial bets or “letting it ride”. The dealer then turns over one of the two community cards and again players can choose to withdraw one the initial bets or let it ride. The choice to withdraw a bet at this stage is independent of what the player did in the previous round. The dealer then reveals the last community card and each player’s hand is compared to a pay-out table.

Pay-out tables vary from region to region but most US casinos follow the same basic table. However, be warned many tables have a maximum pay-out. You should always check this and not place bets that total more than the maximum pay-out divided by about 3000. Betting above this limit will not pay out the maximum if you hit a royal flush and that means you are effectively increasing the house odds.

The following is a basic strategy guide to Let It Ride based on the standard pay-out table found in most US casinos. After receiving your initial three cards you should only let it ride if you have:

Any paying hand (tens or better, three of a kind). Any three cards required to make up a royal flush. Three straight cards of the same suit with the exception of 2-3-4 and ace-2-3. Three cards of a straight flush, including a ten or higher, and spread out over a group of four consecutive numbers. For instance 7-8-10, or 9-J-Q. Three of a straight flush, including at least two high cards, and spread out over a group of five consecutive numbers. For instance, 8-9-J-Q, or 9-10-Q-K.

After the first of the community cards is turned you should only “let it ride” if you have:

Any hand that is on the pay-out table (pair of tens or better, two pair, three of a kind). Any four cards towards a royal flush. Any four cards towards a straight flush. Any four cards towards a flush. Any four consecutive cards of straight and at least one high card. Any four consecutive cards of a straight with no high cards. Four out of the five cards required for a straight when all four are high cards.

Some casinos also offer a side a bet of $1 that gives you an additional pay-out for some bets. This bet usually offers some of the worst odds out there and should not be taken.

One of the most misunderstood aspects of playing Blackjack is that of splitting a pair of cards. Understanding when to split, and when to stay with what you have is crucial to your play. As ever, a lot depends on what cards you have and what the dealer’s upcard is showing. A key aspect is to remember there are more cards with a value of ten in the pack than any other value.

For a start, never split a pair of face cards or a pair of tens! With these cards you have a very strong hand of 20 and there is no point in ruining it by splitting. By contrast, always split a pair of aces. A single ace with another card is a much stronger hand than two aces and by splitting your chances of finishing with a high hand or even 21 are very good.

A pair of 9s are best split if the dealer is showing a weak card of 2 to 6. If the dealer is showing an 8 you should also. Likewise, if the dealer is showing a 9 you should split because if the dealer has gets 19 it will beat your current hand of 18. If the dealer is showing a 7 then you should stand. Always split 8s even if the dealer is showing an ace. Your hand now stands at 16, which is very likely loser. You are better off taking a chance and splitting.

A pair of 7s should be split if the dealer’s upcard is 7 or less. A hand of 14 is a weak hand but by splitting there is a good chance you will convert that into a pair of 17s. If the dealer is showing an 8 there is a good stay with what you’ve got and be prepared to lose the hand. You are better off just losing the one hand against an 18 than losing two hands of 17 against a dealer’s 18. Split a pair of 6s if the dealer is showing a 6 or less. It is risky to split 6s because you might end up with two hands of 16 so only do it if the dealer is showing a weak hand of below 6 that may lead to the dealer busting.

Never ever split a pair of fives. Your hand is now a very strong ten. Keep the fives and take a hit. Do not split fours either unless the dealer is showing a 5 or 6. If you split a pair of 4s you are likely to hit a difficult 14. 5 or 6 for the dealer however is likely to give the dealer a difficult 15 or 16 so it is worth your while splitting.

You should split 2s or 3s if the dealer is showing a weak upcard of below 7.
By knowing when to split and when to take a hit with what you’ve got you can add decisive strategy to your Blackjack play.

If ever there was a game that conjures up visions of rich players in rich evening attire gambling for rich bets it is baccarat. There are three common variants of the game but Punto Banco is the most popular variation found in North American casinos. A regular baccarat table is about the size of a craps table, is staffed by three casino dealers and can host about a dozen players.

Play revolves around to hands dealt for the ‘Banker’ and the ‘Player’. These names are titles for the dealt hands only and there is no real banker or specific player. Players place their bets on which hand they think will win. Hand scores are calculated by taking the face value for all cards worth less than ten, one for an ace and zero for tens and face cards. The value of hand is the total of the cards value but if it comes to more than ten you drop the first digit. For example, 8-ace-jack is worth 8 plus 1 plus zero = 9. But 9-5-5 is also worth 9 (9+5+5 = 19, drop the first digit = 9). The card suit makes no difference to value of the cards.

Players take it in turn to act as ‘dealer’ although this only involves turning over the cards. A player usually continues to act as dealer as long as the ‘banker’ keeps winning. The dealer starts by dealing two cards face down for the ‘banker’ and another two cards for the ‘player’. Depending on the totals the casino dealers may instruct the ‘dealer’ to deal another card. With all cards dealt winning wagers are paid out or losses collected.

A third card may be dealt to either the ‘player’ or the ‘banker’ depending on the following rules.

If either the Player or the Banker has 8 or 9 no further cards are drawn. If the Player has a total of 0-5, the Player hits a single card but stands on 6-7.If the Player did not hit, the Banker hits if he has 0-5, and stands on 6-7.If the Player drew a 2 or 3, the Banker hits if he has 0-4, and stands on 5-7.If the Player drew a 4 or 5, the Banker hits if he has 0-5, and stands on 6-7.If the Player drew a 6 or 7, the Banker hits if he has 0-6, and stands on 7.If the Player drew an 8, the Banker hits if he has 0-2, and stands on 3-7.If the Player drew an ace, 9, 10, or face-card, the Banker hits if he has 0-3, and stands on 4-7.

Essentially a game of chance, what it lacks in skill it makes up for in the size of the bets involved. In many casinos the minimum bet can start at $25 and dedicated players often wager hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a single game that gives baccarat its exotic atmosphere.