Copyright: Copyright© 1996  M. N. Robinson


A Sample Outcome of Automated Betting

The plot below shows results of a session using the Pyramid System, with a basis bet of $1 and a maximum bet of $99. The outcome is not unusual, but it shouldn't be taken as a representative result. As you can see, substantial swings are common and they increase as the session goes on. This is fairly typical of this betting system whenever the maximum bet is large. The initial stake of $1000 may seem large in view of the basis bet, but in fact it was necessary to double the stake midway through the session in order to continue. Somewhat better results can be expected from the Jigsaw System, which is similar but doesn't usually have the same wild excursions as the Pyramid System.


Alternative Card Designs

Picking a Deck

While you are setting options for any type of Let It Ride session, you can choose from among eight card back designs. Normally, each session uses a unique card deck, but you can have any one you like. When you press the Change Card Deck button, the following panel overlays the options index cards:

The currently selected deck is highlighted in yellow. To give you something to compare against, each deck is surrounded by a green border similar to the green felt table layout. To choose another card back design, click on the card. You can switch to the original installation default by pressing the button labelled Show Default Deck.

When you are satisfied, press the button labelled Select Highlighted Deck. This will record your choice and return you back to the index tab in the Initial Settings window.

Animation

An interesting feature of three of these decks is that they are animated. The three decks are the robot, the beach scene, and the hand holding aces. If you select any of them, and wait a few moments, you will be able to see this animation. When one of these decks is used, only the dealer's final card is actually animated. If you like the deck design, but prefer to have no animation, you can turn it off---and back on again---during the session by clicking on the either of the dealer's cards.

Animation is suspended while auto mode is in effect.


Any Card Wild Strategy

If you have a wild card in your first three cards, let the first bet ride. However, if your fourth card doesn't give you a winner or a shot at an open-ended straight or a flush, scratch your second bet.

The surrender option might be effective here, but I am doubtful. It is more promising than in the one-eyes wild variation because the chance for a high pair is smaller. Thus, you might consider surrendering any mismatched hand with no ace. As with the other variations where surrender is candidate option, you need to find a strategy in which you surrender at least one hand in four for it to be profitable.

The opportunity to use the replacement option effectively occurs too infrequently for it to be worth its per-hand fee.

This is another case where the lightning strike option is probably irresistable but not objectively worth taking. I would ignore it.

In the unlikely event that all four of your selected wild cards are taken by the neighboring players, then always use the enhanced strategy. Otherwise, consider the following recommendations.

Let your first bet ride on any hand with an open-ended straight.

Let your first bet ride on any hand with flush possibilities.

Let your second bet ride on a low pair accompanied by an ace and another high card.


Average Wager
This is the average amount you bet per hand, not including bonus bets or side pots.


Background Information

Evolution of the Computer Game

The origins of this game arose, naturally enough, on a trip to Las Vegas some years ago. Always on the lookout for new games to play, I was pleased to find Let It Ride being played at most casinos. Fairly often, casinos experiment with new gambling attractions, and this one certainly seemed to be a success. My initial forays were not too encouraging, but I now realize that this was due to faulty strategy. Later trips were much more successful.

More recently, I came across a monograph on Let It Ride that presents a thorough analysis of the game and the best strategies for betting and play. This inspired me to generate this computer game, both as a personal amusement and as a tool for learning to play well. The beta version (Version 1.0) was distributed in February, 1996. I am particularly grateful for the constructive comments of users of this version, who contributed significantly to its subsequent development. The initial full release was distributed in late March, 1996. It was packaged as two bundled versions, one for unregistered users (Version 1.1) and one for registered users (Version 1.2). The current version for both registered and unregistered users (Version 2.0) has numerous new features and a number of bug fixes. It was released in August, 1996.

This game was developed using a set of tools that I highly recommend to anyone contemplating a comparable effort.

Acknowledgments and Credits

The book which inspired this game is Mastering the Game of Let It Ride by Stanley Ko. This is a lucid and comprehensive study of the game that includes an extensive computer analysis. For anyone interested in more details than are presented here, this book can be obtained from GBC Press, 630 South 11th Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101. Their order desk number is (800) 522-1777.

Several features of the current game were suggested by users of the beta version. Major contributors included:

Geoffrey Downing -- auto play mode of operation

James Laureano -- capability to obtain explanation of hints

Karen  Marcotte - many improvements to session history graphics

Steven Shapiro - the simulation snapshot feature

Michael Wang - the Strategy Reminder program

Your comments and suggestions are appreciated. If any are incorporated in future upgrades, I would be pleased to acknowledge them, with your permission of course.


Basic 3-Card Strategy

The first decision you must make is whether to scratch your bet or let it ride when you can only see your three cards. Both dealer cards are face down. The basic 3-card strategy is to scratch this bet unless one of the following is true:

You have three of a kind.

You have a high pair.

You have a possible straight flush and:

It's a three-way straight starting at 3 or higher.

It's a two-way straight with at least 1 high card.

It's a one-way straight with at least 2 high cards.

In these rules, a high card is either a 10, J, Q, K, or Ace. A three-way straight is an open-ended straight that can be filled three ways. For example, 5-6-7 can be filled with 3-4, 4-8, or 8-9. A two-way straight is an inside straight that can be filled two ways. For example, 5-7-8 can be filled with either 4-6 or 6-9. Finally, a one-way straight is any straight that can only be filled one way. For example, 5-8-9 can only be filled with 6-7, and Q-K-A can only be filled with 10-J.

Notice that you don't bet that you can fill a straight unless it is also a flush. The key to good play on the first betting decision is to only let sure winners or extremely promising hands ride.


Basic 4-Card Strategy

You make your second betting decision after the dealer has turned one of his cards face up. The basic 4-card strategy is to scratch this bet unless one of the following is true:

You have four of a kind.

You have three of a kind.

You have two pairs.

You have a high pair.

You have a draw to a flush.

You have a draw to an open-ended straight with at least one high card.

A high card is either a 10, J, Q, K, or Ace. An open-ended straight has no holes and can be filled in two ways. For example, 8-9-10-J can be filled with either a 7 or a Q. The lowest straight you should let ride is 7-8-9-10.


Beginning a New Round

If you complete one of the three preliminary rounds with the highest bankroll at your table, you qualify to enter the next round. When this occurs, you will see a message in the Tournament Status Window that identifies you as the winner and confirms the prize you have received.

Winning a round does not finish a tournament session. The session continues until you either win the grand prize or are eliminated.

When each round is complete, the normal buttons in front of your cards are replaced with a Next Round button. When you press this button, a new round begins. Your two new opponents are identified and all three of you receive the $1000 stake for the coming round. The information in the Tournament Status Window is updated and you will see how large a prize will be awarded for this round.

It isn't necessary for you to continue playing immediately. If you wish, you can either pause or exit. If you pause play, you can resume at any time by pressing the Tournament button on the opening screen. If you exit the game, you will automatically resume play the next time you start Let It Ride.


Beginning a Session of Play

There are four kinds of session you can start from the opening screen: a regular session of play, a simulation, a tournament, and fantasy session. To begin a new session, press one of the buttons depicted below:

Press this button to begin a regular session of play.

Press this button to begin a simulation session.

Press this button to begin competing in a tournament.

Press this button to begin a session playing under the special fantasy rules.


Bets Per Hand
This is the average number of regular bets you made in a hand, i.e. not including bonus bets. The possible range is 1 to 3, with about 1.25 most likely if you are playing well and are not extraordinarily lucky.


Bets per Winner
This is the average number of bets you made for those hands that were winners.


Betting Analysis Table
This is the overall summary of your regular bets.


Betting Controls
These three buttons control play of the hand. You press Bet & Deal to place your bets and deal the cards. The other two buttons are used to make your betting decisions as described in the play of the hand.


Betting System Rules

General Features

There are currently seven betting systems automated in Let It Ride. Each system employs a sequence of bets called a cycle. The bet amount for each hand in the cycle is determined by the results of prior hands and a set of rules. The number of hands comprising a cycle is usually not known in advance.Typically, the cycle continues until it shows a profit or until a betting limit is reached. In either case, it automatically repeats itself until you decide to terminate it.

The basis bet is the initial bet in a cycle. It is also used in calculating subsequent bets. Think of it as sort of the fundamental chip value. A large basis bet can lead to some very large bet amounts, so be cautious in choosing it. There is a maximum bet size that you can specify in advance. Whenever that limit is reached, the cycle terminates with a loss.

Most of these systems were originally created for 50/50 proposition bets in fair games, i.e. those paying approximately even odds. They work acceptably well when the odds are not even, as in Let It Ride, but the cycles tend to be longer and, consquently, you need a larger bankroll to play them. A bigger problem is the maximum allowed bet. It is reached more frequently when the odds are not even, so you must tolerate more losing cycles. In compensation, your profits from winning cycles will be larger.

The Pyramid System

The Pyramid System is also called D'Alembert's System, after the Frenchman who invented it. Each cycle starts with the basis bet and all bet changes are in this amount. If you win the first bet, the cycle is ended and you start a new one. If you lose the first bet, the bet amount is increased. Thereafter, whenever you lose, the bet goes up, and whenever you win, it goes down. The cycle completes when the bet amount returns to the original basis bet.

The Jigsaw System

The Jigsaw System is a variation on the Pyramid System especially tailored for Let It Ride. The difference is that bet reductions are much larger than bet increases. This better accounts for the expected ratio of wins to losses. A cycle starts with the basis bet. On any loss, the bet is increased by one basis bet. On any win, the bet is decreased by five times the basis bet. The cycle is done if the bet returns to the original basis bet.

The Cancellation System

The Cancellation System bases its bets upon an arbitrary sequence of bet multipliers. Any sequence will do and the one employed here is simply 1, 2, 3, 4. The bet size is calculated by multiplying your basis bet by a value computed from the sequence. The cycle starts by setting the bet multiplier to the sum of the first and last entries in the sequence, i.e. 1 + 4 = 5. The first bet is thus 5 times the basis bet. If this bet is lost, the sum is appended to the sequence. If this bet is won, both of the entries that comprise the sum are crossed off. In either case, the cycle continues, using the new first and last entries in the sequence. The cycle can terminate in three ways: (1) all entries in the sequence are crossed off; (2) there are fifteen consecutive losses; or (3) the maximum bet limit is reached.

The Thirty One System

The Thirty One System is based upon the sequence 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 4, 4, 8, 8, which adds up to 31. The bet size is generated by multiplying your basis bet by an entry in this sequence. The cycle starts using the first multiplier in the sequence. Thus the first bet is equal to your basis bet. This is repeated until a bet is lost. On any subsequent win, the following bet is double the previous one. This is called the Bet Back. If the Bet Back wins, the cycle is complete. On any losing bet, the next multiplier in the sequence is chosen. The cycle ends when the sequence is exhausted.

The One Up System

In the One Up System, each cycle targets a net profit of one basis bet. A cycle starts with the basis bet and all bet changes are in this amount. If a bet is lost, the next bet remains the same. If a bet is won, the next bet is increased unless winning this bet gives a net profit that exceeds the basis bet. In this case, the bet size is adjusted downward as needed. The cycle ends when the target profit is achieved. Because Let It Ride involves multiple bets and payoff amounts, the net profit test necessarily uses statistical expectations and may not be exact.

The Sequence System

The Sequence System is the simplest of so-called Martingale (progression) systems. A cycle begins with the basis bet. After each losing bet, the bet size is increased by one basis bet. The cycle terminates on the first win.

The Double Up System

The Double Up System is probably the most popular Martingale system. A cycle begins with the basis bet. After each losing bet, the bet size is doubled. The cycle terminates on the first win. This is probably the worst system for use in Let It Ride. This is because the bet amount rises so quickly, even with a small basis bet, that hitting the maximum allowed bet occurs too frequently.


Betting Systems

A Disclaimer

For as long as there have been gamblers, they have tried various betting systems in an attempt to increase their chances of winning. All such systems involve varying the size of your bets according to a set of rules. Assuming we're not talking about cheating, there are two kinds of rules that hold promise of success. One kind arises in games where the odds of winning change from hand to hand. The best example of this is blackjack. If the deck is not shuffled between every hand, the odds change perceptively as the the deck is depleted. A knowledgable player can certainly take advantage of this. There is some element of this circumstance in Let It Ride because of the progressive uncovering of the dealer's cards and the capability to withdraw bets in play as the odds change. However, you have to commit to the basic bet amount in advance.

The second kind of rules varies the bets over an independent series of hands so that there is an assured winning result, assuming that the player doesn't run into extraordinarily bad luck. Some of these systems are quite clever and can be successful even when the cards are running moderately against you. Unfortunately, all such systems suffer from the same fatal flaw, that you don't have an infinite bankroll. Even if you had such a large bankroll that it was essentially "infinite", the house always imposes some kind of betting limits. These limits can truncate the series before it reaches the desired result.

So, is it really hopeless? Surprisingly the answer is no, but you need to understand exactly what the system is doing for you. No system can guarantee success. However, some can inhance your prospects of winning modest amounts on a regular basis, but with a somewhat greater risk of a catastrophic loss. Assuming that you have a large enough bankroll that you can afford to lose and that you don't play too long, a good system might actually be worth considering.

Automated Betting

Let It Ride can automate several popular betting systems.  For an explanation of these betting systems and how you can use them, browse through the following list of topics.

Betting System Rules

Starting and Stopping Automated Betting

A Sample Outcome of Automated Betting


Betting and Playing in Turn

Selecting and Placing Bets

You select your bet amount and place bets in the same manner as you do during a normal Let It Ride session. However, each tournament competitor might plausibly want to respond to what the others are doing. For example, particularly in a tight race, you may need to match or exceed your opponent's bet. Therefore, to keep the competition fair, bet selection takes place in an orderly manner, with a different player going first for each hand. On the first hand of a round, a random choice is made for who goes first. Thereafter, this rotates between the players in a clockwise (right-to-left) fashion around the table.

After the chosen player makes his bet, the player to his left goes next, and so on around the table. Actually, since the computer is playing for both of your opponents, only your choice causes a halt in play. You will be able to see what bet selections have been made by referring to the Tournament Status Window. (Your neighbors don't actually place bets on the table layout for you to see. This would, of course, have been possible, but I thought it would make the table layout very "busy".)

Marking Who Goes First

The dealer places a marker above and to the right of the player's cards to denote who bets first. He moves this marker, called the bug, at the end of each hand. This looks as shown below:

The Play of the Hand

In theory, the players make "let it ride" or "scratch" decisions in sequence around the table, with the player having the bug going first. However, your decision shouldn't be affected by how your opponents are playing their hands and following this rule strictly would just slow down the game. Thus, you may begin play of the hand as soon as you have selected your bet. You do this, as usual, by pressing the Bet & Deal button. Since the other player's bets are not shown on the layout, you will have no direct indication of what they are doing, although you will be able to surmise their actions by watching their bankroll changes in the Tournament Status Window.


Betting in the Blind

Option Features

This option is not for the faint at heart. When you choose it, your first betting decision is an automatic "let it ride." In other words, you are committing to at least two bets on every hand. In return for this risk, you get increased payoff odds.

As is probably obvious, you cannot choose both this option and the surrender option. Betting in the blind bypasses the first bet decision, which is the only time that surrender is allowed.

How It Works

Once you have selected this option, the play on each hand automatically advances to the second bet decision when you press the Bet & Deal button. The dealer's first card is turned face up and your second betting circle is highlighted. After you make your one remaining decision the hand is complete.


Bonus Awards
These are your total awards from bonus bets.


Bonus Fees
This is the total number of bonus bets at $1 per bet.


Bonus Net Return
This is the net amount you won or lost from bonus bets, including the $1 per hand fee.


Bonus Results Table
This table shows how many winning hands of each type you had during the session. It also indicates how many of those winners also had bonus bets active and the total bonus payoffs you received.


Bonus Schedule

The bonus schedule is printed on the left side of the table layout, below the standard payoff schedule. This shows the amounts paid for specific types of winning hands when you have made a bonus bet:


Buying Chips

Your Stake and Bankroll

This box, on the right side of the table layout, has the controls for buying chips and setting your bet amount. Your stake is the total amount of chips you have bought so far during this session; it is your investment in the game. Your bankroll is the current amount you have on the table, accounting for your stake plus your wins and losses. When your bankroll exceeds your stake, you are a winner. To purchase chips, press the Buy Chips button. Each time you do this, your stake will increase by $100. If you click using the right-button on your mouse, you will buy $1000 instead. Whenever your stake or your bankroll changes, it will flash briefly to let you know.

Setting the Bet Amount

To set your bet amount, press the up or down arrows on the bet amount control. The amount will change in increments of the minimum bet size and is constrained to stay within the prescribed betting limits. You must set this amount before you deal the cards, using the Bet & Deal button. Obviously, you must have enough money in your bankroll to sustain three bets in order to play the next hand. But don't forget that any winning bets from the previous hand may still be on the table, so you don't have to place them again. You will need an additional $1 if you are intending to place a bonus bet.

Pressing the small button labelled S allows you to begin or end automatic betting using a defined betting system. When a betting system is operating, the label Bet amount is changed to read System bet.  Also, the bet amount control will not respond to your changes, although it will always show the correct bet amount, according to the betting system being used.


Cancel Button
If you wish, you can press this button to cancel registration. You would need to do this if you had merely brought up the Registration Window to see what it was, before actually sending for your registration ID.


Chart of Dollar Winnings

This is a fairly representative example of how your winnings will be spread over the various types of winning hands for a normal session of play. As in this case, hands involving a high pair or two pairs usually dominate the total amounts won. They occur much more frequently than the other hands. Nevertheless, flushes and full houses, for example, can be big winners because they almost invariably occur when you have all three bets in play. The distribution will likely be different during a fantasy session, with a higher bias toward the better hands.


Competing in Tournaments

Tournament Features

Tournament play follows the basic Let It Ride rules but presents an entirely new set of challenges. You compete in a four-round, multi-table knockout tournament. Only the player at each table with the highest bankroll at the end of the round proceeds to the next round. Each table has three players, including yourself, and all of your opponents are played by the computer. By the way, in case you become suspicious, some of your computer opponents play very well indeed, but I can assure you that they don't make any use of information not available to you.

At the start of the tournament, there are 27 tables and a total of 81 competitors. Each round reduces the field by a factor of three, since two of the three players at each table will drop out. Thus, the second round involves 27 players; the third has 9 players; and the final round is a single table with the surviving 3 players.

In most significant respects, this tournament feature is similar to tournaments now offered in many casinos. In the casino tournaments, however, you must qualify to play by getting a (very) high hand while you have a bonus bet active. In this computer version, it is much easier.  You "qualify" whenever you wish by simply starting a new tournament from the opening screen.

Like the casino version, these tournaments are very lucrative. All of the first round losers receive a consolation prize of $3000, so no one goes home empty handed. The winners of the first round receive $12,500 each; the second round winners get $50,000; the third round winners get $200,000; and the final winner receives a cool $1,000,000! Since these prizes are cumulative, the grand prize winner actual takes home a total of $1,262,500.

Each tournament comprises a session of play and the session is not complete until you are either knocked out or win the grand prize. Thus, when reviewing your tournament history, you will see the results of all of the rounds combined. Also, if you are lucky, a tournament might involve a very lengthy session. Thus, there is a feature that allows you to pause tournament play. You can then play other kinds of Let It Ride sessions and return to the tournament whenever you choose.

Learning How to Play

You can quickly learn how to play in a tournament by browsing through the following topics. This discussion assumes that you have already mastered the basic game of Let It Ride and doesn't repeat information provided elsewhere by the Information Desk. If you have any doubts, please refer first to The Computer Version of Let It Ride.

Tournament Rules

Starting a Tournament

Your Tournament Opponents

Betting and Playing in Turn

The Tournament Status Window

Beginning a New Round

Reviewing Your Tournament History

Pausing or Quitting Tournament Play

Tournament Strategy

When you have completed this review, you should examine the configuration options for tournament sessions. They allow you to set up many conditions in advance so that you spend less time configuring each session of play. They also provide some unique controls that you cannot exercise in any other way. Any option changes you make are not applied until the current tournament round, if any, is finished.


Contents
Table of Contents

See also:   New in Version 2 and Using the Information Desk

Let It Ride: the Casino Game  --  A brief description of the game as played in Las Vegas

The Computer Version of Let It Ride  --  The basics of playing this game on your computer

Special Play Features  --  Unique capabilities of the computer game

Strategies for Betting and Play  --  Tested strategies for winning at Let It Ride

Reviewing Your Session History  --  A graphical and statistical analysis of your play

Performing Simulations  --  A tool for the serious player

Competing in Tournaments  --  Test your skill in high-stakes knockout competition

Fantasy Play  -- Try your hand with some of these variations on Let It Ride

Betting Systems -- Popular gambling schemes automated for your amusement

Setting Program Default Options  --  Configure the game to suit your preferences

Getting Help While You Play  --  On-line, interactive help

Session Summary  --  A record of your most recent sessions

The Role of Lady Fortune  --  Luck, and what you can do about it

Registration  --  How and why you should register this program

Installation  --  How to install Let It Ride and system requirements

Background Information  --  Evolution of this game plus acknowledgments and credits


Creating Your Personal Strategy

The Personal Strategy Window

The Strategy Reminder program has a special feature allowing you to define your own strategy for playing Let It Ride. You can then have this available on-line as a memory aid. You could even use this to keep on-line notes about anything at all.

 When you select the Strategy | Personal Strategy menu item, a mini-wordprocessor window opens and the Strategy Reminder toolbar becomes active. Using this toolbar, you can type and edit just like you would in any word-processor.

You enter text the same way you do in any of the familiar word-processors or text editors, like Notepad. One thing you may find peculiar is that the usual text selection shortcuts, like double-clicking on a word, don't work in this window. Instead, you must drag the cursor over whatever text you want to select. Also, the usual clipboard shortcuts, such as Ctrl-C to copy selected text to the clipboard, are inoperable. You must use buttons on the toolbar instead.

The Strategy Reminder Toolbar

Pressing this button will print the currently displayed strategy. If more than one is displayed, it prints the "active" one, i.e. the one with the active title bar.

These are the usual cut, copy, and paste operations.

This is an undo button. Pressing it will undo the last text modification. You can press it repeatedly to back up even further in your editing.

These buttons control character formatting. To input or change text to bold or italics, press one of the first two buttons. If the text is already in that format, pressing the button returns it to normal text. The black F button brings up the usual Windows font selection dialog. You can use that to pick a font and to set its size and other attributes. The colored F button allows you to change the font color.

These buttons control paragraph formatting. To left-justify or center the current paragraph, press one of the first two buttons. To create a hanging indent, e.g. for a numbered list, use the third button. To convert the current paragraph into a bulleted list item, press the fourth button. To indent or remove indents, press one of the last two buttons.

This button provides the customary access to this Let It Ride Information Desk. In this case, it immediately transfers to the Strategy Reminder topic. However, you are free to read any information you choose.


Custom Installation

Manual Installation of Let It Ride

If you are unable to use the normal automated installation procedure, you can fairly easily do it yourself. The principal disadvantage, other than a few minutes of extra work, is that no automated uninstallation will be available. Thus, it is essential that you keep notes as you perform the installation so that you can undo these steps later if you must.

First, create a new, empty directory on your disk to be used as the Let It Ride installation directory. The disk volume containing this directory must have about 5MB of available space. The Let It Ride installation files are supplied in a ZIP file. The second step is to extract all of these files into the installation directory. Then make this your current directory.

Processing the Installation Files

Examine a file called FILELIST.TXT using Notepad or something equivalent. You may want to print this file for reference purposes as you proceed. It lists all of the installation files in six groups. You will be moving some of these files into your Windows and Windows\System directories. The simplest way to do this is to drag and drop the files using File Manager. Alternatively, you can use the File|Move menu item in File Manager. Make sure that you move, not copy, the indicated files.

As you move each file, you may get a message saying that the file already exists. Look at the file information supplied in this message and only move the file if the installation version has a later date than the one already installed on your system. If you don't move it, then simply delete the installation version. You might also get a message saying that File Manager couldn't perform the operation because the file is in use. If so, you will need to terminate some of your currently running programs so that you can continue.

Process the groups of files listed in FILELIST.TXT as follows:

Leave the files in Group 1 alone. They are now properly installed.

Move the files in Group 2 to your Windows directory.

Move the files in Group 3 to your Windows\System subdirectory.

Delete the files in Groups 4 and 5. They are not needed for a custom installation. One of these files, VBRUN300.DLL, is listed in both Group 3 and Group 5. It will no longer be present in your installation directory, since you will have moved it in the preceding step.

The files in Group 6 will not yet exist. They are created during execution of Let It Ride.

Creating Program Manager Icons

It isn't essential, but you would be well-advised to spend a few minutes creating Program Manager icons for the following six items. You may place them in a group by themselves or in any existing group. The examples below assume that the full path to your installation directory is c:\letride. When you create the icons, use the actual path instead.

Icon Name: Let It Ride

Command Line: c:\letride\letride.exe

Working Directory: c:\letride

Icon Name: Strategy Reminder

Command Line: c:\letride\reminder.exe

Working Directory: c:\letride

Icon Name: Tip Editor

Command Line: c:\letride\tipedit.exe tips

Working Directory: c:\letride

Icon Name: Installation Notebook

Command Line: c:\letride\notebook.exe

Working Directory: c:\letride

Icon Name: Information Desk

Command Line: winhelp.exe c:\letride\letride.hlp

Working Directory: c:\letride

Icon Name: Let It Ride ReadMe

Command Line: notepad.exe c:\letride\readme.txt

Working Directory: (none)

Performing a Manual Upgrade

Installing an upgrade, assuming that you still can't use a standard installation, is essentially a repeat of the preceding steps. In this case, however, some of the files originally installed will not be replaced and you would continue to use your existing Let It Ride directory. Also, unless new utilities are provided, the existing Program Manager icons would not require any changes. Any special considerations will be supplied in a README file accompanying the upgrade.


Dealer's Choice

The Dealer's Choice Variation

If you like a little variety in your play, this option should give it --- in spades! When you select dealer's choice, the game variation changes on every hand. This is probably what you play in your friendly poker games.

There are two ways this can work. Normally, the dealer just cycles through each of the game variations in turn. After playing a while, you can get fairly comfortable with the sequence and play almost at your normal pace. If you wish, however, you can choose to have a random selection. In this case, the game for each hand is chosen randomly and you really have to stay on your toes. The same variation might appear two or three times in a row, and then not appear for a long string of hands. There is no way to predict what is coming up.

How to Play

You select this option just as you do other fantasy session options by pressing Rules button. Thereafter, a new game will be selected each time you press the Bet & Deal button. Because of this, you are forced to choose a bet amount before you know what you are playing. You should make it a practice to glance quickly at the name of the current game in the Fantasy Session Control Panel. To make it easy for you to do this, it is highlighted when dealer's choice is in effect. When you first begin to play dealer's choice, this panel will be blank, since the next game isn't known until you press the Bet & Deal button.

When the hand is played under the "any card wild" variation, the wild card will also vary. It will be chosen randomly from the allowed values 2-9.

Don't forget that each game variation has its own special rules. Some allow bonus bets or insurance; others don't. Also, the payoff odds change on each hand. Because of this variability, you should not choose the blind bet option, which is too restrictive for some games. You can select the replacement option even though it is not allowed for the extra winners variation. When the dealer chooses extra winners, the replacement button will still appear, but it will be inoperative just for the current hand.


Development Toolset

The essential tool used in this development is Microsoft's Visual Basic™ Professional Edition, Version 3.0. I will no doubt upgrade at some time to Version 4.0 (or later) to produce a Windows 95 version, but I have been waiting for the rumored compiler version to come out.

As an experienced programmer I have the usual "not invented here" bias of the breed. Nevertheless, I used a very effective set of commercial tools in this development. While none are perfect, they are of uniformly high quality and their few quirks are easily avoided. I recommend them highly.

Designer Widgets™ 2.0 (Sheridan Software Systems, Inc.) --- An excellent toolbar control with associated button construction utilities plus a fairly good index tab control.

ButtonMaker™ (Far Point Technologies) --- A clever control for building unusual buttons, plus a well-designed and flexible balloon help control.

ALLText™ 4 (Bennet-Tec Information Systems) --- A multiple-font custom control text box with many word-processing properties.

QuickPak Professional for Windows (Crescent Software, Inc.) --- Several useful controls and programming utilities.

ForeHelp 2 (ForeFront, Inc.) --- An outstanding tool for building Windows help files, like the one you are reading now.

MenuEv, Tips, and HiTime (Mabry Software) --- Three well-designed controls from a library of unique tools put out by this vendor.


End of the Hand

This is a snapshot of the table after play of the hand is complete and the dealer has made the payoff.  Notice that your bankroll has increased by $15 and your winning bets remain in place. To return to how the hand began click here.


Ending Play

To end play and quit Let It Ride, press the Exit button on the Session Control Panel. Your session information will be retained so that when you start play again all conditions will be restored. In other words, quitting is just like temporarily leaving the table to take a break or have dinner.

For unregistered users, pressing the Exit button also ends the current session and erases the session history.


Enhanced 4-Card Strategy (Flush)

Qualifying for this Strategy

In order for you to apply this strategy while peeking at other player's cards, you must have a draw to a flush. If you also have a chance for a straight flush, let this bet ride. Otherwise, perform the following calculation. As usual in Let It Ride, a high card is a 10, J, Q, K, or Ace.

Evaluating Your Hand

First, compute the initial expected value of your hand. Call this V.

V = 33 + 6 * number of high cards in your hand

Adjusting the Value

For each card that you have peeked at, adjust the value of V as follows:

If it fills your flush:	V = V - 8

If it matches one of your high cards:	V = V - 1

Otherwise:	V = V + 1

Applying the Result

If the final value of V is greater than zero, let your bet ride. Otherwise, scratch it.


Enhanced 4-Card Strategy (No Flush)

Qualifying for this Strategy

In order for you to apply this strategy while peeking at other player's cards, one of the following two conditions must be true. Either you must have a draw to an open-ended straight or you must have a draw to any straight with four high cards. An open-ended straight has no holes and can be filled two ways, e.g. 6-7-8-9 can be filled with a 5 or a 10. As usual in Let It Ride, a high card is a 10, J, Q, K, or Ace. If neither condition holds, you can't use this enhanced strategy and must use the basic 4-card strategy instead.

Evaluating Your Hand

First, compute the initial expected value of your hand. Call this V.

If you have an open-ended straight:	V = 6 * number of high cards in your hand

Otherwise:	V = 0

Adjusting the Value

For each card that you have peeked at, adjust the value of V as follows:

If it fills your straight:	V = V - 5

If it matches one of your high cards:	V = V - 1

Otherwise:	V = V + 1

Applying the Result

If the final value of V is greater than zero, let your bet ride. Otherwise, scratch it.


Enhanced Strategy While Peeking

If you have the opportunity to peek at other player's cards, this information can be helpful in your betting decisions. The casinos are not too pleased with this, but they don't try very hard to stop it --- so far at least. In this game, you can peek at the cards of the players seated beside you by pressing the Peek buttons at their seat locations.

It might be possible to develop an enhanced strategy that applies to your initial bet, but I haven't done so. At first glance it looks somewhat complicated and the rules might be hard to remember. On the other hand, a fairly simple and effective strategy is available for your second bet.

The enhanced strategy thus only applies when you can see four cards: your three cards and one of the dealer's two cards. It requires you to make a little calculation. Based on the result, you would either scratch your bet or let it ride. The calculation depends upon whether you have a flush possibility or not. Hence, there are two rules to remember. To see their details, browse the following two topics. Don't be put off by what you see; after a little practice, applying these rules becomes almost second nature. You will hardly be aware that you are performing a calculation.

Enhanced 4-Card Strategy (No Flush)

Enhanced 4-Card Strategy (Flush)

These strategies are always applied by the dealer when he gives you hints or when he is playing for you in auto mode. Note that he has a good memory. If you peek at the cards and then hide them again, he has no problem remembering what he has seen. I hope you develop that skill too!


Entering  and Editing Message Text

You enter text the same way you do in any of the familiar word-processors or text editors, like Notepad. One thing you may find peculiar is that the usual text selection shortcuts, like double-clicking on a word, don't work in this editor. Instead, you must drag the cursor over whatever text you want to select. Also, the usual clipboard shortcuts, such as Ctrl-C to copy selected text to the clipboard, are inoperable. You must use buttons on the Editor Toolbar instead.

The right margin of your text is fixed. This ensures that the message will word-wrap properly in the space available when it is displayed.

There is a vertical scroll bar that would permit you to enter a very long message. Don't do this. The scroll bar is there only because I use this editor myself for more general purposes. You should never enter more text than will fill one editor screen. This ensures that your message won't be truncated when it is displayed.


Extra Winners Strategy

Beware of using the surrender option with this variation. There are too many cases where losing hands surprisingly turn into winners.

Any hand with four unpaired low cards is a good candidate for letting the bet ride. You have a 33% probability of a total bust, paying 6 to 1, and a 25% probability that the dealer will pair one of your cards with his last card, giving you a low pair last push. If the cards are all of the same color, your prospects are even better since you have a 45% probability of a color flush, paying 2 to 1.

Whenever you have four cards of the same color, always let your bet ride. This bet still has a positive expectation even when your neighbors have only cards of the same color (the worst case). I don't recommend trying to improve your color flush chances by replacing the odd card when you have only three cards of the same color.

A low pair last is very common, accounting for almost 9% of the hands. This makes it reasonably profitable to let borderline bets ride when your four-card hand has three unmatched low cards. A borderline hand might be one with a seven or with a draw to an inside straight.

When you get a lightning strike opportunity, take it by letting both bets ride. Given the frequency of winning hands in this variation, the double odds make virtually any hand a good bet.

It might be helpful to know the relative frequency of the winning hands. In order, from most frequent to least, they are: high pair, low pair last, two pairs, color flush, lucky sevens, royal marriage, three of a kind, total bust, straight, flush, picket fence, full house, round the bend, four of a kind, straight flush, and royal flush. In some cases, the differences between adjacent hands in the list is quite small so this should be taken only as a general guide.


Fantasy Session History Features

Reviewing Fantasy Session History

While you are playing a fantasy session, you may review the session history just as you can during normal play. Essentially the same statistics, plots, and charts are available. (This excludes the two graphical analyses of luck, since no luck assessments are feasible under fantasy rules.) In addition, information specific to fantasy sessions is also provided.

Statistics

The statistics include a count of the number of surrendered hands and the number of hands that were pushes due either to  insurance bets or to  low pair last hands in the extra winners variation. They also list the number and net returns from all of the winning hands special to fantasy play.

The reconciliation panel is particularly important in understanding fantasy session results. This is because fees and usage charges, insurance, surrendered hands, and side pots all affect your bankroll but don't show up in the statistics relating to ordinary bets.

Session Plots and Charts

Fantasy sessions introduce four supplementary graphs to help you understand your session history. There is one new chart and three new plots.

The chart showing dollar winnings as a function of the type of hand only includes normal winning poker hands. (It does include five of a kind if that is a possible hand.) To show the equivalent information for the additional winning hands offered in the extra winners variation, there is an additional chart. You can select it by choosing Results of Extra Winning Hands in the drop-down list of available graphs on the Session History Toolbar. To see what this chart looks like, click here.

There is a special plot that analyzes the effectiveness of your use of the surrender and replacement options. This plot is very helpful in assessing whether you are deriving benefit from these options. You can select it choosing Fantasy Option Effectiveness in the drop-down list of available graphs. To see an example of this plot, click here.

The plot showing the record of your wins and losses may be somewhat misleading for a fantasy session. This is because it really displays your total net return, which in this case includes the effects of many factors, such as fees and usage charges, side bets, surrender, insurance, and replacement. It still is a good guide for how your overall session went, but it may not assist you much in seeing how well you are actually playing your cards. Thus, there is a supplemental plot that removes all of these factors, showing your net return simply from ordinary bets. You can select it by choosing Record of Basic Wins and Losses

in the drop-down list of available graphs. To see what it looks like, click here.

Finally, there is a plot that provides a record of your side pot results. This shows the cumulative net return from these side bets. You can select it by choosing Record of Side Pot Results in the drop-down list of available graphs. To see an example of this plot, click here.


Fantasy Option Effectiveness

The replacement and surrender options during a fantasy play session are double-edged swords. They offer significant chances for improving your results, but they incur both a per-hand fee and and a usage charge. When used inappropriately, they can seriously hurt your bankroll. The worst of all possible worlds, for example, is to surrender a hand only to find that it was a winner when the dealer's cards are revealed. Recommendations for effective use of these options are discussed in the Fantasy Play Strategy topic.

A plot of the type shown below assesses how effective your strategy has been. For each of the two plotted curves, your net return from the option is assessed. Necessarily, this is not an exact calculation, since it depends upon some assumptions about what might have transpired if you didn't employ the option. In essence, the net return is the sum of three factors. The first is the per-hand fee that is charged whenever the option is available. The second is the usage charge incurred when the option is actually employed. Both of these factors contribute negatively to the net return. The third factor is the difference between what you might have won or lost if you had not used the option and what actually transpired when you did use it. This factor could be positive or negative. If you are using the option well, it should mostly be positive. This factor is only approximate, since it requires plausible assumptions about how you might have played if the option were not used.

If the curves are mostly in the plus region, you are using the options effectively. If they drop significantly negative, you might want to rethink your strategy a bit. In the example below, the surrender option is being used fairly effectively. You can't expect to guess right all the time, but these results are really not too bad. The flat portion of the curve toward the end was a result of turning the option off after about 40 or so hands. Clearly, however, the replacement option is not faring anywhere near as well, and the reason should be obvious. The long, steady decline for the first 50 or so hands is a symptom that no replacements were being made at all. If you don't expect to use it, don't choose the option. As the final period shows, when it is used, the benefits can be very significant.


Fantasy Play

Variations on the Game

When you get together with friends for a Friday night poker session, you probably play variations that bear little resemblance to the pure game: deuces wild, anaconda, night baseball --- you name it! Well, if you don't, you're missing out on some harmless fun. Like any poker game, Let It Ride can also be varied in a number of ways, and that is the basis for fantasy play sessions. They introduce new rules of play and new kinds of winning hands, and they require entirely new strategies. The basic play is essentially the same as in a normal session, but, as you will see in the descriptions that follow, there are many new features.

One common characteristic of these variations is that you have more chances to win and more ways to play the hands. But they are not easy and you'll have to play alertly if you expect to win. Even after you have mastered the new rules, you won't be able to play as rapidly as you normally do, since there are many options to consider.

All of the games have been designed to be fair. The house percentage is much smaller than the 3.5% edge in the normal game. There is even a combination of options, which I'll leave you to discover, where you even have a slight edge over the house. Since there are  more ways to win, the payoff odds are typically smaller than in the normal game and some features incur a fee or usage charge. The net result is fair, but you must choose options judiciously and play carefully for this to remain true.

Learning How to Play

You can quickly learn how to play these variations by browsing through the following topics. This discussion assumes that you have already mastered the basic game of Let It Ride and doesn't repeat information provided elsewhere by the Information Desk. If you have any doubts, please refer first to The Computer Version of Let It Ride.

Many of these variations involve wild cards. It is important for you to remember that not all wild cards are alike in how they can be used. Sometimes a wild card can be given any value at all. Other variations restrict the wild card to filling straights and flushes, with the card otherwise being given an arbitrary value. In some cases, this value is restricted to being an ace, while sometimes this value can be any high card, i.e. 10, J, Q, K, or Ace.

Getting Started with Fantasy Play

The Fantasy Session Control Panel

Playing with Extra Winning Hands

Playing with a Joker in the Deck

Playing with One-Eyed Face Cards Wild

Pick Your Own Wild Card

Playing with a Hidden Wild Card

Playing with Your Low Card Wild

Dealer's Choice

The Surrender Option

The Replacement Option

Betting in the Blind

Insuring Your Hand

Lightning Strike

Side Pots

Fees and Usage Charges

Special Payoff Schedules

Selecting Rules and Options

Fantasy Session History Features

Fantasy Play Strategy

As the above list makes evident, fantasy play offers numerous features and options. You could set up each session when you begin it, but there is a useful alternative. You can preset options to suit your preferences so that each session begins with these options already in effect. Review the configuration options for fantasy play to see how this is done.  Using this capability also allows you to exercise some unique controls that are not otherwise available. Any option changes you make are not applied until the current session, if any, is finished.


Fantasy Play Options
Fantasy Play Configuration Options

The Fantasy Play Tab

When you press the Options button in the starting screen, the Initial Settings window comes up with the tab set to configuration options relating to normal Let It Ride sessions. If you click on the tab labelled Fantasy you get the following card:

The settings shown are the original installation defaults. You can restore conditions to these values at any time by pressing the Restore Defaults button. Any changes you make only prescribe initial conditions. During play you still can change options as you wish.

Changing the Options

Many of these options are fairly self-explanatory. If you click on any of them, you will set the associated initial conditions for all fantasy play sessions. The game options are exactly the same ones available when you press the Rules button during the session. The drop-down list in the play options panel allows you to pick a default game variation that is different from the standard one (Joker wild).

The play options also provide two unique controls not available during the play. Some players don't like the lightning strike feature, since it seduces them into making imprudent bets. If you wish, you can disable this feature by checking the appropriate box. The only way to re-instate lightning strike would be to open up the Initial Setting window again and uncheck the box once more.

The drop-down list pertaining to the insurance option allows you to select among three alternatives. The normal alternative is to be offered insurance whenever it is available. You could choose either never to be offered insurance or always to accept the insurance offer. As an aside, my strategy recommendation is always to accept insurance, but you must watch out for one "gotcha". If you do decide to always accept insurance, you won't get a warning if your bankroll is too low to pay the insurance charge. In this case, you will just be offered insurance instead.

Pressing the Change Card Deck button displays a set of alternative card designs. You can choose any one of them you wish for use during fantasy play sessions.

The Help in Context button supplements the normal Help button at the bottom right of the window. Pressing it transfers you to an Information Desk topic specifically relating to fantasy play sessions.


Fantasy Play Strategy

General Considerations

The diverse options available during a fantasy play session make strategy evaluation fairly difficult. It's not impossible, of course, but it is more than I would care to attempt. There are just too many considerations for the type of analyses that led to the basic strategies for normal play. As a result, you will mostly have to develop your own strategy, either by analysis or just by trial and error. If you do come up with a promising strategy, it would be a good idea to document it using the Strategy Reminder utility.

One general rule can be stated with confidence: always peek at your neighbor's cards. Knowing whether the joker is available for the dealer's hand or how many of the possible wild cards are taken is very valuable information. In the extra winners variation, many possible cards might affect your judgment in playing the hand. The more you know, the better off you will be.

Strategic Concepts

Try browsing through the following topics to see if they offer ideas that help you develop your strategy. These recommendations are based partially on a series of lengthy simulations and partially on simply trying various approaches to see what works.

Extra Winners Strategy

Joker Wild Strategy

One-Eyes Wild Strategy

Any Card Wild Strategy

Hidden Wild Card Strategy

Low Card Wild Strategy


Fees and Charges
Fees and Usage Charges

Why Fees and Charges?

Fantasy play variations introduce new types of winning hands and provide play options that allow you better chances of winning than in a normal game. Thus some fees and usage charges are needed to maintain a fair game. There is a distinction between a fee and a usage charge. Fees are imposed on every hand while the associated options are in effect. Usage charges are only imposed when the associated option is actually used during the play. You can keep usage charges to a minimum by effective use of the options.

Assessments

The following table itemizes the fees and usage charges for each of the fantasy play options. All values are shown as a percentage of your current bet amount. In other words, the actual dollar amount might vary from hand to hand. For example, if your bet amount is the minimum $5, so that you are wagering up to $15 per hand, a fee of 20% would assess $1 per hand.

Option	Fee per Hand	Usage Charge

Extra Winners	80%	None

Joker Wild	40%	None

Any Card Wild	100%	None

One-Eyes Wild	80%	None

Hidden Wild             (See Note)	None

Low Card Wild	60%	None

Surrender	20%	20%

Replacement	20%	20%

Blind Bet	None	None

Lightning Strike	None	None

Side Pots	None	None

Insurance	None	100%

Note --- The basic fee for the hidden wild card variation is 20%. However, if you elect to see the wild card before the end of the hand, an additional amount is imposed. This raises the total to 40% to see the card before your final bet decision and 60% to see it before your first bet decision.


Getting Help While You Play

Help from the Dealer

The most direct form of help comes from the dealer. There are quite a few circumstances where the dealer will speak directly to you. Most are attempts to be helpful, although he might want to warn you if you are not playing according to the rules or not following the proper table etiquette. In the current version, the dealer doesn't actually speak. Instead, his picture pops up on the screen with comments in a caption. (A later upgrade may have sound capability as well.)  An example of what this looks like is shown below. This is his greeting from the opening screen.

Not all of his comments might be as nice as this, particularly if you continually break the rules. Actually, he can get a little testy at times!

Sometimes when he pops up like this unexpectedly, you might miss his comment. This often happens if you push some button at the wrong time. If you see his face, but miss the comment, just go back and push the same button again. This time, keep the cursor over the button instead of moving it away. He will repeat his comment for you.

The dealer also keeps track of your progress during the session. If you click on the word DEALER at the top of the table layout, he will tell you how many hands you have played and the length of your current winning or losing streak.

The Let It Ride Information Desk

The Information Desk is the file you are now reading. It contains anything you need to know about playing Let It Ride. While the game is executing, this resource is only a mouse click away. Moreover, you can always activate the Information Desk directly by calling up the Windows Help Engine, WinHelp, with the file letride.hlp as its command argument. Every window presented by Let It Ride has a Help button, which can be used to activate the Information Desk. There is a help button on the opening screen, the Session Control Panel, the Tournament Control Panel, the Fantasy Session Control Panel, the Session History Toolbar, the simulation window, and the registration window. Even the Tip Editor and Strategy Reminder utilities have help buttons on their toolbars. All bring you to the Information Desk, some even moving directly to a relevant topic rather than initially showing you the table of contents.

If you are not expert at using Windows help files---and maybe even then--- you might want to check out the many and diverse tools it offers for quickly finding what you need to know.

Context Help

Another form of on-line help is also available from the Help buttons. If you click using the right-button on your mouse, the Help button will activate balloon help. One exception to this rule is the Session History Toolbar which has a separate button for this function. Balloon help is a small explanatory caption that pops up whenever your cursor passes over something of interest. This is easier than checking with the Information Desk, but you probably wouldn't want to leave balloon help on all the time as it can be a little distracting. An example of balloon help, taken from the opening screen, is shown below:

Help with Your Play of the Hand

There are two ways that you can get direct help in playing Let It Ride properly. One is to enable hinting. When you do this, the dealer will suggest the proper plays by pointing at the correct button to press. A second way is to enable auto mode, in which the dealer will actually take over the play himself and explain what he is doing and why.

 In addition, you can bring up the Strategy Reminder program to display the proper betting and play strategies. You can keep this on-screen while you play as a reference source.


Getting Hints While You Play

Initiating Hinting

If you wish, you can ask the dealer to recommend the best betting decisions. You do this by pressing the Hint button on the Session Control Panel. You can turn hinting on at any time. You are not constrained to accept his advice, but you should be aware that it reflects the best strategies of betting and play. When hinting is enabled, the caption on this button switches to End Hints. Thus, to begin playing unassisted once more, just press this button again.

Features When Hinting is On

Each time you have a betting decision to make, this little pointing hand will pop up to designate which of the two buttons you should press, i.e. Let It Ride or Scratch It.

If you want to know why the dealer is making this recommendation, just click on the pointing hand. A balloon message will pop up with a brief explanation. An example might be:


Getting Started with Fantasy Play

Starting a Fantasy Play Session

To begin a session, press the Fantasy Play button in the opening screen. This isn't necessary if you have previously exited from Let It Ride without terminating your fantasy play session. Instead, when you start Let It Ride again, it immediately resumes play with all options and conditions exactly as you left them. (This capability for on-going sessions is not available to unregistered users.)

The Table Layout

The basic table layout is almost the same as the one used during normal sessions. There are slight differences in the session control panel and there is a scrolling payoff schedule overlaid over the normal one printed on the layout at the upper left. In addition, if the surrender or replacement options are selected, their control buttons appear below the cards at your seat position.

None of the wild card variations permit bonus bets, so the bonus betting spot in the center of the table is covered while these variations are in effect.

Features Not Available

Some features of normal play are not available during a fantasy play session. You cannot obtain instruction from the dealer, so neither hints nor auto mode is offered as an option. You will notice that the buttons for selecting these options are missing from the control panel. In addition, no luck assessment is possible under the diverse fantasy play rules. Thus the luck index is not displayed and no graphical analysis of luck is available in your session history. Finally, the automated betting systems cannot be used during fantasy play. Of course, you can implement them yourself by changing your bets according to your favorite system.


Graphics Pages

Selecting a Graphic Display

Your session history is recorded in two kinds of graphic displays. A set of five plots provide hand-by-hand records of your entire session. The second set comprises four charts that summarize your play from a variety of perspectives. You select which graphic you wish to see by selecting its title from the drop-down list on the Session History Toolbar. Then you display it by pressing the Show Graphics button on the toolbar.

Session Plots

The detailed plots show up to 600 hands per page. Thus longer sessions of play produce multi-page graphics. For details about how you navigate around the set of pages comprising a plot, check the description of the Session History Toolbar. The following lists the currently available plots. All but the last one are relatively self-explanatory, so the best way to understand them is to view sample plots by clicking on the buttons below. The fifth plot assesses how you fared with respect to the luck of the draw. It applies a statistical measure to determine if your luck was better or worse than expected. For more on this topic, you might want to consult the role of Lady Fortune.

Record of Bankroll and Stake

Record of Wins and Losses

Record of Bonus Plays

Record of Strategy Variance

Measure of Good and Bad Luck

Summary Charts

The summary charts analyze your winning and losing hands from several interesting viewpoints. Each chart consists of a single page. The following lists these charts. As with the session plots, the simplest explanation is provided by the samples. Just click on the buttons below:

Dollar Winnings by Type of Hand

Percentages of Winning Hands

Percentages of Winning Bets

Summary Measure of Luck


Hidden Wild Card Strategy

The primary strategic issue here is when to get the dealer to expose the wild card. Unless you pay an "early look" fee, you won't know if you have a wild card until the hand is done. If you go that route, you probably should just ignore wild cards and just play the basic strategy. I don't think this is a good idea. I would pay to see the wild card before the final betting decision. This is a compromise, of course. Knowing the card earlier would be better, but the larger fee probably makes it a poor choice.

If you pay to see the wild card, play the basic strategy until you see it.

Once you know the wild card, you could play a sort of "conservative version" of the any card wild variation. The general principles are same, but you have only three chances for a wild card here and four chances in the other variation. Since the payoff odds are adjusted to account for this difference, you can probably safely ignore it.

An effective strategy might be to choose to bet in the blind, while exposing the wild card before you second bet. This provides enhanced payoff odds that offsets the extra fee for seeing the wild card early, and it is rarely desirable to surrender your hand in this variation.


Highs and Lows
This table shows the range of your bankroll and net return so far. It includes the effect of side pots and bonus bets, if any. This gives you some idea of how large were the swings in these important measures and what kind of stake you need for future play.


Initial Exit
Pressing this button exits from Let It Ride without starting a new session. Next time you begin, you will see the opening screen once again.


Initial Help
Pressing this button opens the Let It Ride Information Desk, which is the help file you are now reading.


Installation

System Requirements

Let It Ride was developed under Windows 3.1 and should be compatible with any version of Windows 3.x. The current version is not compatible with Windows NT and it has not been tested for compatibility with Windows 95. If you have enough computer memory installed to run Windows satisfactorily, you should have no problem with Let It Ride.

A full installation requires up to 5MB of disk space. The actual amount depends upon how many of the Let It Ride utility libraries are already installed on your system. For example, if you have Visual Basic installed, this reduces the requirement by up to 800KB.

The best display for Let It Ride is SuperVGA (800x600) with at least 8-bit color depth (256 colors or more). It works perfectly well at ordinary VGA (640x480) or at any higher resolution. If you must run at 4-bit color depth (16 colors), a few of the screen colors may be somewhat less appealing, but this does not materially affect operations.

Installing and Uninstalling Let It Ride

Under normal circumstances, both installing and uninstalling Let It Ride are very simple operations. Utilities are provided that fully automate both tasks, although a few systems may require custom installation. For full information on installing and uninstalling Let It Ride, please browse the following list of topics:

Standard Installation

Custom Installation

The Installation Notebook


Insuring Your Hand

The Insurance Option

You may be offered an opportunity to insure your hand when you have a wild card but currently no sure winner. This is only offered for the joker wild and one-eyes wild variations. The purpose of insurance is to limit your losses if you hand turns out to be a loser.

The only time that insurance is offered is when you have a four-card hand containing exactly one wild card and no high pairs or better. Of course, the dealer could offer insurance on three-card hands or even on all four-card hands, but it would be a very poor idea for you to accept under these circumstances. Since this is a friendly game, the dealer only offers insurance when it might be profitable for you to take it. (Casinos are not so friendly. Their offer of insurance in blackjack is a sucker bet, unless you are counting cards and you know the point count is high.)

If you accept the insurance offer, you are assessed a non-refundable usage charge equal to your single bet amount. If your hand is actually a loser after the fifth card is turned over, the hand becomes a push and your remaining bets are not taken. If you have a winner, you are paid off in the usual manner.

How It Works

When insurance is being offered, a button appears in the center of the table layout.

This is what the button looks like when it first appears. To accept the insurance offer, press this button before making your final bet decision.

After you press the button, this is what it looks like. When you see this, you know your hand is insured. You can change your mind by pressing it again before your bet.

When you press the button, or rescind your acceptance, you will see your bankroll change accordingly. Once you make your final bet decision, you are committed to whichever insurance choice you have made.

Insurance Strategy

It's not hard to work out the odds, so you can probably come up with the right strategy for insurance without my help, but my recommendation is as follows. You should always accept insurance and let your remaining bet ride. Scratching your final bet when it is insured is clearly wrong, since it cannot lose.  Of course, if you think you are on a lucky streak, taking insurance might just eat into your profits.

If you have only two bets riding, in most cases the insurance bet is pretty much a toss-up. To see why this is so, consider the following example with one-eyes wild. Suppose you have the Jack of Spades (wild) plus 3 non-paired low cards. If you don't insure, you should probably scratch your final bet. If you hit a high pair on the last card, you win one chip. If the hand remains a loser, you lose one chip. If you do take insurance and let the second bet ride, the result is exactly the same. If you hit a high pair, you win two chips but sacrifice the insurance charge. If you lose, your bets are untouched, but you suffer the one chip insurance charge. This analysis ignores the possibility of hitting a straight or flush, which only makes the insurance more profitable since it allows you to leave more bets riding. When you have already let your first bet ride, insurance is a clear winner every time.


Joker Wild Strategy

If you have the joker, usually you should let all remaining bets ride. You are by no means assured of a win but the odds favor it with all but the worst card combinations. The worst case would be a hand in which the other three cards are unpaired, low cards with no flush or straight possibilities. In this case you can only win if the dealer shows a high card. I would either insure or scratch this hand and any like it.

The surrender option is well worth considering. If you enable this option, you might try surrendering any hand with no straight or flush possibilities, no pairs, and no more than one high card. If you can't find a profitable strategy in which you are surrendering at least one hand in four, then drop this option.

The opportunity to use the replacement option effectively occurs too infrequently for it to be worth its per-hand fee.

Frankly, I would ignore a lightning strike opportunity in this variation and, to minimize temptation, I would even disable this option for the remainder of the session.

If you know the joker is unavailable by peeking at your neighbor's cards, then always use the enhanced strategy. Otherwise, consider the following recommendations.

Any three or four card hand with straight or flush possibilities is a pretty good bet. Straights and flushes occur about 70% more often than a normal game when a joker is available. If the hand also has at least two high cards, you should always let your bets ride.


Less Cost
This is the cost computed in the panel immediately to the left.


Let It Ride: The Casino Game

Preface

Are you visiting the Let It Ride Information Desk for the first time? If so, I strongly suggest that you spend a few moments reading about how to best use it. To do so now, click here.

Rules of the Game

The basic Let It Ride, as seen in Las Vegas and elsewhere, is played on a blackjack-like table, with up to seven players. The 52-card deck is usually shuffled by a machine located beside the dealer, on his right. He deals three cards face down to each player and places two cards face down in front of himself. Each player will make a poker hand using these five cards. The two cards in front of the dealer are community cards. Each hand is evaluated according to the normal rules of poker and winning hands are paid with odds that increase with the value of the hand. The minimum winning hand is a high pair, defined as a pair of tens or better. The odds for each type of  hand are printed on the table layout.

Betting

There are two betting phases. Each player initially places three equal bets on betting circles in front of him. These are labeled $, 2, and 1, from left to right. After receiving his three cards, each player in turn can elect to scratch the bet in the circle labeled 1. Alternatively, if he thinks his chances are good, he can let it ride. After each player has made his decision, the dealer turns over one of the community cards and another betting phase begins. This time the player can scratch his bet in the circle labeled 2 or let it ride as he sees fit. When all players have reached their decision, the dealer turns over the last community card. Then he pays all winners and takes the remaining bets of the losing hands. A typical minimum bet in Las Vegas is $5, although a few casinos allow smaller bets. Thus, the player could risk a total wager of from $5 to $15 on each hand with the minimum bet.

Table Etiquette

There is a table etiquette for how the betting decisions are signaled. If you want to scratch a bet, you signal this by scratching the table top with your cards when your turn arises. The dealer will then push your bet toward you and you can take it back. You should never touch your bet while it is on the betting circle and the hand is still in play. The decisions are made in a clockwise fashion around the table. If you want to let it ride, you just place your cards face down on the table, behind or under your wager. Once you have reached your final decision, you are expected to place your hand face down on the table.

Payoffs

After the second community card is turned face up, the dealer proceeds clockwise around the table, turning over each player’s hand to determine if his three cards with the two community cards make a winning poker hand. For each winner, an equal payoff is stacked in front of each of the remaining bets and the player is free to take both the payoff and his bets.

The Bonus Bet

In addition to the normal betting, most casinos offer the chance for a special bonus on certain winning hands. The player pays a $1 fee to take this chance, placing this fee on a red bonus spot just above the three betting circles. The bonuses are quite high, but only straights or higher qualify. Note that the $1 fee is not a wager; it is more like a charge for a lottery ticket. Unlike normal wagers, it is not returned on winning hands. A major portion of this fee goes to fund a knockout tournament with large prizes, even for the losing players.

What's It Like To Play?

As can be seen, the play is quite straightforward and it generally moves fairly rapidly. At a typical table, from 40-100 hands are played per hour, depending upon the number of players and how quickly they reach their decisions. Use of the automatic shuffling device speeds play and is used by the casino to help ensure a fair game.

Unlike blackjack or Pai Gow poker, for example, the players are not playing against the dealer. He is there only to deal the cards and handle the bets and payoffs. On the other hand, like both of those games, Let It Ride offers a real opportunity for good strategic decisions. A skillful player must not only be able to evaluate poker hands, he must also have a good grasp of the chances of hitting a winning hand when not all of the cards can be seen. The payoff odds are set so that, when players are using the proper strategy, the house percentage is about 3.5%. Most casino games have higher house percentages; only craps and blackjack offer better percentages from the player’s viewpoint, and then only under certain circumstances.

Let It Ride is fun to play and it can reward the skillful and lucky player. This is evident from its growing popularity and the many casinos across the country that now offer it.


Lightning Strike

Every so often, on a random basis, the payoff odds for the current hand are doubled provided that you leave all three of your bets riding. To keep it interesting, I won't reveal how often this happens, but it is frequent enough that you need to keep alert for when this opportunity arises. Because of the way random processes work, it might even happen on several hands in a row!

This light bulb in the lower right-hand corner of the table layout signals that doubling is in effect. If you scratch any bet, the bulb will immediately disappear.

The displayed odds will not indicate any change, but if you win the hand the payoff message will show you that your odds have in fact been doubled.

If you would prefer not to have this lightning strike feature---but why not?---all you have to do is to click on the light bulb when it appears. This will disable lightning strike for the current hand and for the remainder of the session.


Limits

The Limits Tab

When you press the Options button in the starting screen, the Initial Settings window comes up with the tab set to configuration options relating to normal Let It Ride sessions. If you click on the tab labelled Limits you get the following card:

The settings shown are the original installation defaults. You can restore conditions to these values at any time by pressing the Restore Defaults button.

Changing the Options

With the exception of fantasy play sessions, these configuration options apply throughout Let It Ride. If you like, you can choose a larger payoff limit so that it will never impact your winnings. The maximum allowed value is 250 ($250,000). Alternatively, you might want to match the actual limit in some casino in order to improve realism.

The range of valid bet amounts is $1 to $99, and obviously the maximum must not be smaller than the minimum setting. Whenever you play using one of the automatic betting systems provided by Let It RIde, these limits are always expanded to give the broadest range of bet amounts. Thus, you don't need to exercise these options for this purpose.

The Help in Context button supplements the normal Help button at the bottom right of the window. Pressing it transfers you to this Information Desk topic.


Loss Streak
This is the longest sequence of consecutive losing hands so far. Unless you are very lucky, your losing streaks will be much longer than your winning streaks. This is why you must be patient and conservative in your bets.


Low Card Wild Strategy

This variation is the only case where the actual wild card might change during play of the hand. Thus, a key aspect of a successful strategy is estimating what, if anything, is going to be wild. As a working assumption, I suggest counting strongly only on a six or seven. As your low card gets progressively higher, its chances of remaining wild become ever smaller. If you do get a six or seven low, let the first bet ride. Assuming that the dealer's first card doesn't bust your wild card, then I would let the second bet ride with up to an eight low, but only if the four-card hand has straight or flush possibilities or contains an ace.

If you get a 2-5 among your three cards, or if your low card has a fairly high value, then just play the basic strategy. The same is true for all cases in which the dealer's cards make a wild card impossible for this hand.

You could try surrendering all or most hands where you know that there will be no wild cards and where the hand itself has no redeeming features on its own. In fact, this variation is the most promising application of the surrender option.

The replacement option has some interesting uses here. For example, suppose you have 2, 8, Ace in your hand and the dealer shows a 10 on his first card, you might try replacing the deuce. You have a good chance of getting a sustainable wild card, and if you do you are guaranteed at least a pair of aces. Other examples will no doubt occur to you.


Maximum Payoff

For each player at the table, there is a limit on the amount that he can win in a single hand. This limit does not include any bonus payoff. For this table the limit is displayed on a sign shown on the right side of the opening screen:

 For most practical purposes, you need be little concerned about this limit, as you can tell by examining the payoff schedule. In real play, casinos often have more stringent limits and it is a factor you must consider in choosing your bet size.

If you want to change this payoff limit, you can do so by pressing Options button when Let It Ride begins execution. Choose the Limits tab and select a value between 25 and 250 ($25,000 to $250,000).


Measure of Good and Bad Luck

This is a plot of your luck of the draw. The red line shows a statistical measure of whether you have been getting better or worse cards than average. Don't pay too much attention to the actual numbers on the Y-axis. Any value between the heavy blue lines can be considered to be average luck. Values above +1 represent good luck; the higher the value, the better your luck is. Values above 3 are fairly unusual, as you can see. They represent exceptional luck. Values below -1 represent bad luck. They indicate that you are getting hands that are worse than usual. This sample was from a representative, but fairly successful, session of play.

Note that the initial 25 hands show a "flat, average" run of luck. This isn't actually valid. The measure used requires at least 25 hands to get started, so the value for these hands is just arbitrarily set to average. You must have played at least 30 hands to see this graph.


Net Cost
This is the sum of the above items.


Net Result
This is the sum of the above items.


New in Version 2

Tournament Play

One of the two major new features in Version 2 is tournament play. This brings an entirely new perspective to the game. Not only must you play well in order to win, you must also adapt to the play and betting strategies of your fellow competitors. The objective is not merely to increase your bankroll; you must finish each tournament round with a bankroll higher than either of the two other players at your table. This sometimes entails taking risks you wouldn't consider in an ordinary session of play. Unlike regular Let It Ride, the correct strategy for you to follow is not clear. You will have to evolve one on your own. Your competitors, played by the computer, employ a variety of strategies, some of which are highly adaptive. You will need to watch what they are doing very carefully if you are to succeed.

Fantasy Play

The second major feature in Version 2 is fantasy play. This introduces numerous variations to the game, like wild cards, side pots, insurance bets, a surrender option, and the capability to replace one of your cards during the play of the hand. In effect, an entirely new set of games is created, requiring new strategies to be developed.. Of course, these variations are not for the purist and few are ever likely to be offered in the casinos. This is too bad because they give you many more options to consider while you are playing, which makes them both interesting and challenging.

Betting Systems

There are a number of betting systems that gamblers use to try to optimize their chances of winning. Realistically, none of these systems can improve your chances in the long run, but the better ones could help you win most of the time at a slightly higher risk of a large loss. Many gamblers find this to be a reasonable tradeoff. With this warning in mind, you might want to try some the betting schemes that are now automated in Let It Ride.

Setting Program Defaults

With the numerous features in Version 2, you will find that there are many associated control settings. They range from the simple case of choosing a bet amount and stake to selecting from among the many fantasy play options. Making your choices isn't really burdensome, but perhaps you find yourself making the same choices over and over again. To make playing a little easier, you can now preset default values for control settings to suit your preferences. Then, whenever you start playing most of what you need to configure will already be done.

Luck Index

To add a little interest, and as a betting guide, there is now a luck index on the table layout, in front of the dealer's cards. This is a sliding gauge that gives a rough measure of what kind of cards you are getting. When your luck is "in the green", your cards are better than average; when it is "in the red", they are worse. This is not a precise statistical measure, it simply shows whether the most recent run of hands is good or bad when compared to statistical expectations. If you prefer,  you can hide this index.

Strategy Assessment

While you are playing a normal session of Let It Ride, your bets are constantly monitored to see if they adhere to the recommended strategies. A new session history plot shows how much any deviation from these strategies has affected your net return. In addition, you can request a live display of this information while you are playing. This display is updated after you complete each hand.

Session Summary

A record is now maintained of your 50 most recently completed sessions. You can bring up a window showing this information at any time. This is helpful in tracking your results and in measuring your progress toward mastery of the game.

Unregistered Usage

Previously, unregistered users were excluded from some advanced features of Let It Ride. In Version 2, this restriction is somewhat eased. Instead, all features are accessible, but with a few significant limitations. This allows you to assess the game more fully to see if you might like to register it.

Bug Fixes

A number of discrepancies in Versions 1.1 and 1.2 have been corrected in Version 2. Most were fairly minor and none prevented proper usage of the game. However, a couple of problems did cause incorrect hand assessment.


One-Eyes Wild Strategy

If you have any of the three wild cards on your first three cards, let the first bet ride. You have an excellent chance of at least a high pair. If the fourth card doesn't give you a sure winner, or a chance at a straight or flush, then I would either insure the hand or scratch the final bet.

I don't recommend enabling the surrender option for this variation. You might try experimenting with it, but you have to find a strategy in which you are surrendering at least one hand in four for it to be profitable.

The replacement option is promising here. You will need to see if you use it profitably. After developing your replacement strategy, verify its effectiveness by examining the special plot in your session history. In general, never do a replacement on your first three card bet. With four cards, three of which are high cards of the same suit, a replacement of the odd card is definitely in order. Other opportunities will no doubt occur to you.

A lightning strike opportunity is not a clear case. I usually take it, but I haven't really attempted to work out the probabilities involved. I guess I just like the action!

If you know that all three of the wild cards are unavailable, by peeking at your neighbor's cards, then always use the enhanced strategy. Otherwise, consider the following recommendations.

Any three or four card hand with a flush possibility is a good bet.

Let your first bet ride with a low pair and a high card.

Let your first bet ride with any open-ended straight containing at least one high card.

Let your second bet ride with low pair and two high cards.

Let your second bet ride on any open-ended straight.


Ordinary Play
These are your winnings (or losses) from normal play of the hand, as reflected in the panel above.


Pausing or Quitting Tournament Play

Pausing Play

If you are doing well, a tournament can involve a fairly lengthy session. To win the tournament, you would have to play at least 800 hands. Since you might not want to do this all at once, you can pause play and resume at any later time.

There are two ways to pause play, both using buttons on the Tournament Control Panel. If you press the Exit button, you will leave Let It Ride. The next time you begin to play, the tournament will continue exactly as you left it. Alternatively, you could press the Pause button. This switches you instead to the opening screen where you can choose to play another type of Let It Ride session. Whenever you subsequently press the Tournament button, you will continue just as if you never paused play.

Quitting Play

If you are doing so poorly that you see few prospects of winning, you can quit the tournament and begin a new one by pressing the Resign button on the Tournament Control Panel.


Payoff Schedule

The payoff schedule is printed on the left side of the table layout. Sometimes it is on a sign propped on the table top, but this is more common. The schedule shows the odds paid for each type of winning hand:

You receive these odds for each of the three bets that you have remaining after making your two betting decisions. The payoff is automatic and is directly placed in your bankroll when the hand is complete. You will see your bankroll amount flash to indicate that it has changed.


Peeking at Your Neighbor's Cards

How to Peek

The most important special feature of Let It Ride is the capability to peek at the hands of players seated beside you. Of course, you will eventually see all hands when the deal is complete and the dealer is determining who won and lost. But, peeking earlier has some big benefits, as discussed below.

Notice the Peek buttons on the table layout in front of each of your neighbors. Pressing these buttons turns their cards face up so that you can peek at them. You may peek at either or both hands at any time you please. Once you press one of these buttons, the cards will be continue to be dealt face up at this position. To end peeking, just press the same button once again. As a reminder, the button caption is changed from Peek to Hide when peeking is enabled. The two cases just described look like this:

Why Peek?

As in all poker games, the more cards you see the easier it is to decide what to do. Peeking at other player's hands gives you information that can affect your play. A smart player takes this advantage when he can. Since you are not playing against anyone, few players care whether you see their hands or not. There is an enhanced strategy of play that properly accounts for this extra information, and with a little learning effort you could easily master it.


Percent Return
This is your percentage "take", i.e. the ratio of net return divided by the total amount you wagered. If you are playing in a fantasy session, the costs of play (fees and usage charges) are accounted for in your net return.


Percentages of Winning Bets

This sample pie chart shows another perspective on your winners. It accumulates all winning bets and compares their number against your losing bets. It is interesting to compare this with the alternative look in the graph showing Percentages of Winning Hands. In this case the losers do not dominate as much. This is because, with good play, you will win almost all of your multi-bet hands.


Percentages of Winning Hands

This pie chart shows how your winning hands were divided according to the number of bets in play on each hand. While this example is taken from an actual session, it is a little unusual in the skew toward multi-bet hands. On the other hand, the overall breakdown between winning and losing bets is fairly typical.


Performing Simulations

Purpose of Simulation

During a simulation, the program automatically plays your hands according to the betting and strategy options you have established. You will see the outcome and you can review the simulation history just as you can when you are playing. However you will not see the actual play of each hand. Instead, the program plays the hands very rapidly, much faster than you could watch. It is capable of playing many thousands in just a few seconds. How many depends mostly on the speed of your computer.

The purpose of simulation is to aid you in assessing your prospects in playing Let It Ride, both using this game and in real-life. Statistics gathered over the relatively small number of hands you could play are not sufficient for confident predictions. Accurate prediction requires a large number of hands.

Even if you play well and use good strategies, you will notice big differences in the outcome from session to session. This might seem puzzling, but it is a natural result of the nature of the game and how it is played. Over the short term, large variations are not unusual, and in fact that is one of its attractive features. This unpredictability means that the lucky player can do very well indeed, and the uncertainty adds spice to the play. However, in the long run---the very long run---these effects are overcome and the true statistics become evident. For the serious player, understanding these statistics is very helpful in bankroll management and in setting plausible objectives for a single session of play. Knowing when to stop, either as a winner or a loser, is the key to success.

Running a Simulation

For each simulation run, you set up a variety of ground rules by selecting from a set of options. Then you start the simulation and wait, briefly, for it to complete. You can watch its progress via interim reports, called snapshots, and you can judge its time to completion by checking a status indicator. To see how this all works, browse through the following topics:

Setting Simulation Options

Using Simulation Controls

Simulation Progress Reports

When you have completed this review, you should examine the configuration options for simulation sessions. You can use these to preset all simulation conditions so that you will not have to completely set up each simulation run.


Pick Your Own Wild Card

The Any Card Wild Variation

In this variation, you may select any low card (2-9) to be the wild card. If your lucky number is seven, then by all means, choose sevens wild! The default is deuces wild. You can change the wild card for each hand if you like, but obviously not while a hand is currently in play.

The selected wild cards may be used to fill straights and flushes. Otherwise, they are counted as aces. (Note that this rule is less flexible than the rule for one-eyed face cards wild, a fact that is partially compensated by the larger number of wild cards.) For example, if you have one deuce and it's your wild card, then the hand 8, 9, 10, J is a straight (or a straight flush if all four cards are of the same suit.) If the hand contained 7, 7, K, A, then you have two pairs, aces over sevens.

When you play this variation it is possible to get one new winning hand, five aces.

Special Rules

When this variation is selected, you are not permitted to make bonus bets. Also, the payoff odds are adjusted to give a fair game.


Placing Bets

Where Bets are Placed

This place on the table layout is where you place your chips. It lies in the center of the table directly above where your cards are dealt. The three betting spots are labeled according to your betting decisions. You will decide on #1 first and then on #2. The bet on the $ spot is always in play on every hand. If you want to place a bonus bet on this hand, click on the red bonus spot. It's label will switch to "YES" to indicate that a bonus bet is active. This option will remain for subsequent hands until you click it again to stop placing bonus bets. Each time you place a bonus bet, you are charged $1.

How Bets are Placed

You don't have to actual pick up chips from your bankroll and put them on the betting spots. This is done automatically for you when you press the Bet & Deal button. This means, of course, that you must set your bet amount properly before you press this button.

After Pressing Bet & Deal

This is what the table layout looks like when you have placed your bets. In this case the bet amount is $5 and there is no bonus bet. Notice the highlight around the chip on betting spot #1. This indicates that this is your current bet, i.e. the one for which you must now make a scratch or let it ride decision. After you have made that decision, as described under the play of the hand, the highlight moves to betting spot #2 for your next betting decision.


Play Option Fees
These are the fees you paid during a fantasy session. Fees are assessed to provide a fair game during non-standard variations of Let It Ride.


Playing with Extra Winning Hands

The Extra Winners Variation

You have probably discovered that relatively few winning hands occur during normal play of Let It Ride. In fact, only about 24% of your hands will be winners. This variation almost doubles that number by changing certain kinds of losers into winning hands. All of the usual winning hands are in effect and they continue to pay the same odds as before. In addition, the hands described below become winners too and pay the indicated odds.

You will have to play carefully or else you might overlook a winning possibility, since hands that previously looked like junk might be jewels instead! When you first start playing this variation, I suggest you play very slowly and check the possibilities thoroughly.

New Winning Hands

The following six types of hands, all previously losers, become winners in this variation. Note that if the hand is also a normal winner that pays higher odds, you will receive the highest payable odds for the hand.

Color Flush (Pays 2 to 1) --- This is a hand in which all five cards are the same color, i.e. either all clubs and spades or all hearts and diamonds.

Lucky Sevens (Pays 2 to 1) --- A pair of sevens is a winner.

Royal Marriage (Pays 3 to 1) --- This is a hand containing a King and Queen of the same suit, e.g. the King and Queen of Diamonds.

Total Bust (Pays 6 to 1) --- This is a hand in which there are no pairs and no card is higher than a nine, e.g. 2, 4, 5, 8, 9.

Round the Bend (Pays 7 to 1) --- This is a new kind of straight in which the card values are viewed as a circle, i.e. with the King followed by the Ace. An example of a round the bend straight is J, Q, K, A, 2. This hand also qualifies for a bonus award of $100.

Picket Fence (Pays 7 to 1) --- This is another kind of straight with alternating gaps. An example is 4, 6, 8, 10, Q. (Note that there is no such thing as a round the bend straight that is also a picket fence.) This hand also qualifies for a bonus award of $100.

In addition, the following special kind of hand is a push, i.e. you neither win nor lose and your current wager is returned:

Low Pair Last (Push) --- If your hand has only a low pair and the dealer's last card made the pair, the hand is a push.

Special Rules

When this variation is selected, the replacement option is not allowed. If you are playing dealer's choice, the replacement button may be present because it is allowed in other variations, but you still are not permitted to use it whenever the hand is played under the extra winners variation.


Playing with One-Eyed Face Cards Wild

The One-Eyes Wild Variation

In this variation, the three one-eyed face cards are wild. These are the Jack of Hearts, the Jack of Spades, and the King of Diamonds.

You may use these wild cards to fill straights and flushes or otherwise as any high card. For example, suppose you have the Jack of Spades plus the following cards: 5, 6, 7, 9, of different suits. In this case, you get a straight by calling the wild card as an 8. If instead your four other cards were 2, 5, 7, K, then you get a high pair by calling the wild card as a King. If you were to get two wild cards, then you are assured of at least a high pair by calling them the same value, even if the other three cards are low.

When you play this variation it is possible to get a new winning hand, five of a kind.

Special Rules

When this variation is selected, you are not permitted to make bonus bets. Also, the payoff odds are adjusted to give a fair game. In this variation, you are permitted to insure your hand.


Playing with Your Low Card Wild

The Low Card Wild Variation

This wild card variation is a little tricky. The lowest among the three cards in your hand will be a wild card provided the following two conditions are satisfied:

1.	This card must be a six or higher.

2.	Neither of the dealer's two cards may be lower than this card.

In evaluating these conditions, aces are assumed to be high. This does not restrict you from subsequently setting an ace low to make a straight. Any similar card among the five making up your hand is also wild. Wild cards can be used to fill straights and flushes or otherwise they are counted as aces.

An example or two might make this clear. Suppose that you are dealt 7, 9, J and the dealer gets 7, K, then both sevens are wild and you have a King high straight. On the other hand, if the dealer gets 4, K, then your hand has no wild cards and is worthless. If you are dealt 5, 6, 7, then you don't have a bad draw but you cannot have any wild cards because of the 5.

This variation puts a high premium on carefully watching the cards and on being able to compute the probability of occurrence of cards of given denominations. After a while you'll probably become fairly skillful at this, but it is still exasperating when the dealer hits a low last card to ruin a promising hand. Peeking at your neighbor's cards helps a lot in assessing what is most likely to happen.

When you play this variation it is possible to get one new winning hand, five aces.

Special Rules

When this variation is selected, you are not permitted to make bonus bets. Also, the payoff odds are adjusted to give a fair game.


Playing with a Hidden Wild Card

The Hidden Wild Card Variation

In this variation, an additional card is dealt face down below the dealer's normal two cards. A marker is placed on it denoting that it determines a wild card. Any cards of the same denomination in your hand, including the dealer's cards, will be wild cards. They can be used to fill straights and flushes or otherwise as an ace. For example, if this wild card is a Jack, then any Jacks in your five card hand are wild. As you begin each hand, the table layout looks like this:

Under normal circumstances, this wild card is not revealed until you have made both of your betting decisions. This makes it totally a "crap shoot". If you want a little more control, you can request the card to be turned face up before either your first or your second bet decision. But if you do this, you are assessed a fee. The fee is higher if you want to see the card immediately so that you can use this information for both bet decisions.

If you elect to bet in the blind, don't choose to show the hidden wild card on your first bet, since you will be assessed the fee without getting any benefit from the information.

When you play this variation it is possible to get one new winning hand, five aces.

Special Rules

When this variation is selected, you are not permitted to make bonus bets. Also, the payoff odds are adjusted to give a fair game.


Playing with a Joker in the Deck

The Joker Wild Variation

In this variation, a joker is added to the deck. The joker looks like this:

You can use a joker as any card at all in setting your hand. For example, if you have 2, 3, 5, 6, Joker, then you can call the joker as a 4, giving a straight (or a straight flush if all four cards have the same suit.) Another example is 4, 9,9, K, Joker, where you can call the joker as a 9, giving three of a kind. Note that, as a result, there is now a new possible winning hand, five of a kind.

Special Rules

When this variation is selected, you are not permitted to make bonus bets. Also, the payoff odds are adjusted to give a fair game. In this variation, you are permitted to insure your hand.


Plus Result
This is the result computed in the first panel on the left.


Problems Corrected in Version 2

Several deficiencies in earlier versions of Let It Ride were either reported by users or uncovered during development testing. These are listed below. All known problems have been corrected in the current version.

It was possible to request a review of simulation results while the simulation is still running. When this happened, the information displayed was incomplete and thus inaccurate.

When leaving auto mode, the prior hinting state was not restored. The only impact was the need to turn hinting off if it was not desired.

An attempt to change your bet amount while the hand is in play correctly produced an admonition from the dealer, but the change was still allowed to occur.

The chip denomination was not always restored to its default value at the start of a new session.

On very lengthy simulations an overflow error could occur.

There were several circumstances where using the keyboard instead of the mouse to control Let It Ride functions was permitted. This was not intended to occur and could result in incorrect messages from the dealer when you do something invalid.

The evaluation of certain draws to a four-card straight flush was incorrect and failed to recognize a successful draw. The result was no payoff when one was warranted. This is a very low frequency occurrence and was only detected through regression testing.

When evaluating a draw to a four-card inside straight, the computation engine failed to recognize either a successful draw or the pairing of a high card for certain sets of cards. The result was no payoff. This is a fairly common situation and was reported by several users.


Pushed Hands
This is the total number of hands that were pushed either due to Low Pair Last hands or insuring a loser during a fantasy session.


Reconciliation
This is the net result of your play, which should be the same as your final bankroll.


Record of Bankroll and Stake

This is an example of the plot of your bankroll and stake as it varies over the session. The heavy blue line is the stake, which in this case was constant at $1000. The bankroll is the red line which, as expected, is quite variable. Overall, this session was quite successful, but you will notice two fairly long downturns.


Record of Basic Wins and Losses

This plot presents the results of ordinary play of the hand during a fantasy session. It shows your net return without regard to the effects of bonus bets and side pots. It also removes all effects of surrender and replacement options you exercised during the session. What remains is more truly comparable to the kind of net return plot you get during an ordinary session of play. A representative plot is shown below.


Record of Bonus Plays

This is an example of a typical experience making bonus bets on every hand in a session. While the potential payoff is large and the possibility of gaining entrance into a tournament is attractive, few such sessions will be profitable.


Record of Side Pot Results

If you make side bets with either of the other players at your table, a record is maintained of the results of these bets. It looks like the example shown below. If there are two pots active, their results are summed, so there is no way to know whether you are luckier betting against your left or your right-hand neighbor. If there is money in the pots when you check this plot, it will not show up since no decision on it will have been reached.


Record of Strategy Variance

The plot shown below illustrates the consequences of varying from the recommended strategies for betting and play. The blue line shows the cumulative impact on your net return of first bet decisions that don't follow the basic strategy. The red line shows the same information for second bet decisions. The sum of the two values would have been added to your net return if you had followed the optimum strategy. In this example, as it turns out, the off-strategy second bets ended up improving your bankroll! This will rarely happen and it should never happen over the long run.


Record of Tournament Play Bankrolls

This shows a fairly representative example of a plot of your bankroll compared to those of your competitors at the table. Your bankroll is shown in red. Notice that all three start at $1000. A round involves 200 hands, so a new round begins with a new stake of $1000 in the middle of the plot. In this example, you won the first round easily. Your right-hand opponent, shown in green, lost his entire stake half way through the round and your left-hand opponent, shown in blue, wasn't very close. The second round was much tighter, with your right-hand opponent finally prevailing. You were trailing most of the way, but you came very close at the end.


Record of Wins and Losses

This is an example of a plot of your net return over the session. This is obviously the most significant measure of success. This example used the optimum betting strategy at the minimum bet level of $5. As may be seen, there were quite large swings in the bankroll even though the end result was favorable.


Register Button
Once you have entered the required information, just press this button to record your registration and you are done.


Registered Owner
Enter your name here exactly as you provided it on the printed registration form.


Registration

The Shareware Credo

This program is shareware, meaning that you are free to use it while you evaluate its usefulness, but that you are obligated to pay if you intend to keep it. The program has no nag screens and is fully functional. On the other hand, there are real benefits to registration and the cost, only $25.00, seems reasonable.

Benefits of Registration

The current version is fully functional for unregistered users. However, several useful features have significant limitations. (Refer to Unregistered Usage of Let It Ride.) Within these limitations, you can easily evaluate these features to see if you agree that registration is worthwhile. The affected capabilities are:

Peeking and the Enhanced Betting Strategy --- The capability to peek at other player's cards and to use that information to your advantage is a realistic opportunity in real-life play. It adds another dimension to your betting strategy and is really essential for successful fantasy play.

Tournament Competition --- Playing in a multi-round, knockout tournament creates new challenges for effective strategy and is an absorbing variation on the basic game.

Simulation --- Particularly for the serious player, simulation provides tools for evaluating what the real prospects are for success at Let It Ride.

Ongoing Sessions --- When you exit from Let It Ride,  the necessary information is saved so that you can continue the session when you next begin play. Apart from its convenience, this also permits you to test your skill during lengthy sessions, comparable to what you might encounter in a trip to Las Vegas, for example.

Fantasy Play --- This introduces many off-beat but intriguing variations on Let It Ride, from wild card games to side pots. It is possible to set up literally dozens of different game situations during a fantasy play session.

In addition, registered users are licensed for all future upgrades.

How to Register

Registration is easy. In the splash screen that comes up when you start Let It Ride, there are two buttons, as illustrated below:

Pressing this button will print out a form that you can fill out and mail with your payment. You will receive a personal registration ID by return mail or posted to your e-mail address. To complete the registration, use the following button.

 Pressing this button brings up the Registration Window. All you have to do is to enter your name and personal registration ID and you are done. You will notice that the panel at the bottom of the splash screen will immediately show you as the registered owner.


Registration Help Button
This button provides the customary access to the Let It Ride Information Desk. In this case, it immediately transfers to the Registration topic. However, you are free to read any information you choose. Alternatively, if you click using the right-button on your mouse, it  enables balloon help. When this is active and your cursor passes over any item, a balloon pops up with a brief explanation of the item. Pressing the button a second time, using the right-button once again, turns off this function.


Registration ID
Enter the registration ID that you received in the mail or by e-mail. It's fairly long, so you must be careful to enter it correctly. Don't worry however, you can try again until you get it right.


Registration Window

The registration window is illustrated below. For an explanation of its entry fields and buttons, move your cursor over the picture and click when the cursor turns into a hand.


Results of Extra Winning Hands

The following chart shows a fairly typical example of the dollar returns from the hands special to the extra winners variation of fantasy play. It is not unusual for these hands to be as lucrative as the normal winning poker hands.


Reviewing Your Session History

The Session History

While you are playing, the program is automatically gathering information that comprises your session history. You can review this as often as you like and at any time before beginning a new session. During regular play, just press the History button on the Session Control Panel,  Tournament Control Panel, or Fantasy Session Control Panel.  If you are performing simulations, you can get the same type of information by pressing the Review Results button. The session history includes a variety of interesting and informative statistics about your play, as well as graphs that show the entire record of your hands and their results.

Performing a Review

You control what you see and do during session history review by pressing buttons and making selections using a toolbar at the top of the window. For complete details, browse through the follow topics:

Session History Toolbar

The Statistics Page

Graphics Pages


Reviewing Your Tournament History

Just as in any Let It Ride session, you may review the statistics and graphics showing your tournament history by pressing the History button on the Tournament Control Panel. You may do this at any time and as often as you wish. But don't forget that this information is erased if you begin a new tournament or quit the current one, so you must do this review first.

The information available includes all of the statistics, plots, and charts provided for any other kind of session. In addition, there is a special tournament plot that compares the bankrolls of you and your opponents.

When reviewing the plots, keep in mind that the tournament history is continuous over all of the rounds of play. However, since your stake and bankroll are reset to $1000 at the beginning of each round, you will see a discontinuity in the plotted data approximately every 200 hands. This marks the beginning of a new round. It may not be exactly at 200 hands if the preceding round involved a sudden-death playoff.


Saying Hello to Everyone

The initial window that appears whenever you start Let It Ride has a Hello button in the bottom right corner. If you press this button, the dealer will greet you and invite you to enter your name. This is the name by which you will be addressed in any messages or dialog with the dealer and other players at the table.

You can enter any name you please, but the friendliest choice would be your first name or, even better, a nickname. The dealer will remember you thereafter and address you by name whenever you play again at his table. But if you like to adopt aliases, you can even change your name every time you play if you wish.

Oh yeah, one other thing --- we would rather you didn't choose something X-rated! There are ladies present!


Seat Available Sign
This seat is available for you to play. When you first sit down, you can greet the dealer by clicking on this sign.


Seat Taken Sign
This seat is taken by another player. If you wish, you can peek at his cards and take advantage of what you see.


Selecting Rules and Options

The Fantasy Rule Selection Window

When you press the Rules button in the Fantasy Session Control Panel, the following window appears:

After you have made your selections, press the Done button to put them into effect. If you press Cancel instead, your selections are ignored and the session resumes unchanged. Pressing the Help button, as usual, transfers temporarily to the Let It Ride Information Desk where you can get help on setting rules and options. If you click using the right-button on your mouse, the Help button initiates context help instead. This provides brief explanations of any of the items in the window when you move the cursor over them.

The message panel highlighted in yellow tells you what the total fees will be for the selected options. As described under Fees and Charges, most options incur fees in order to maintain a fair game.

Making Selections

You must select one of the seven hand options. This picks a game variation and determines the payoff odds for the possible winning hands. In addition, you may select play options, but this isn't essential. If you choose the option "Neither of the above" and don't allow the replacement option, then actual play of the hand will be identical to the play in a normal Let It Ride session.

One point you should note relates to the play option "Show hidden on...". This option only relates to the hidden wild card variation. It allows you to see the hidden wild card (for a fee) before either your first or your second betting decision. You can pick whichever you want by clicking on the spinner arrows. But this has no effect unless you also click on both the hidden card hand option and the show hidden play option.

Similarly, the play option "Random dealer's choice" only is relevant if you choose the dealer's choice variation. Normally, dealer's choice just cycles through each of the six game variations. When you elect a random dealer's choice, the game variation for each hand is unpredictable. It is chosen randomly and you really have to watch carefully to make sure that you know what you are playing.


Session History Toolbar

Press this button to resume play or return to your simulations. You can return to the session history review at any time. It will always show up-to-date information.

Press this button to view the statistics page. This page is automatically displayed when you begin history review and whenever you return after playing additional hands.

Press this button to display the selected graph. For example, in the toolbar shown above, if you pressed this button now you would see the record of bankroll and stake. Before doing this, you should choose which graph to show from this drop-down list of available graphs:

The graphs that show plots summarizing your entire session of play can present at most 600 hands on a single page. Thus some sessions will require multiple pages. You can easily tell when this is true by checking on the right end of the status bar at the bottom of the window. This will read Page N of M, indicating that you are presently viewing Page N out of a total of M pages. To switch to the previous or next page, press the button with the hand pointing in the appropriate direction.

To print the current page press one of these buttons. The colored one generates color or gray-scale output, depending on the capabilities of your printer. Note that this is compatible with all laser printers. If you must have monochrome output, press the other button. In the case of the statistics page, it really doesn't matter which one you press since the output will appear the same. This is not true for the graphical pages. They are far less attractive and readable in monochrome, so you should avoid this unless you have no other choice.

These buttons give on-line help. The one on the right provides the customary access to the Let It Ride Information Desk. In this case, it immediately transfers to the topic: Reviewing Your Session History. However, you are free to read any information you choose. The button on the left performs two functions. Pressing it turns on tool tips for the toolbar buttons, as a quick memory jog for their function. More significantly, it also enables balloon help on the statistics page. When this is active and your cursor passes over any item, a balloon pops up with a brief explanation of the item. Pressing the button a second time turns off both of these functions.


Session Summary

Viewing the Session Summary

You can display the Session Summary window at any time by clicking on the History button using the right-button on your mouse. This shows the results of your most recent 50 sessions of play. They are listed in reverse chronological order, i.e. with the most recent first, and so on. This looks as follows:

There are three types of sessions: normal, tourney, and fantasy. These correspond to the three kinds of Let It Ride sessions. Tournament (tourney) sessions encompass all rounds of play, so the number of hands will typically be a multiple of 200, which is the number of hands in a single round. If a round involves a tie-breaking playoff, the number of hands may be slightly higher.

Note that this summary only includes completed sessions. Your current session, if any, is not listed. When you complete this session, the session summary window is immediately updated.

Controlling the Display

It isn't necessary to combine the display of all session types. Since each type of session involves different features and consequences, it is often useful just to show one type at a time. Pressing the Select button expands the window to show a selection panel and changes this button to a Refresh button. This looks as follows:

You may choose which combinations of session types to display by clicking on the appropriate check boxes. At least one type must be selected. In the default case, all are selected, as shown in the picture above. The display is not updated until you press the Refresh button.

If you press the Clear button, the session records currently on display are erased. This permanently erases them, not just their display, so you will be asked to confirm this action. Note that only the displayed types are erased. Thus, for example, you could eliminate all of your tournament records without affecting normal session records by first refreshing the display with only tournament sessions selected.

Pressing the Close button hides the Session Summary window. Pressing the Help button, as usual, switches temporarily to the Let It Ride Information Desk. In this case it immediately displays this topic so that you can get help on Session Summary features and controls. Once there, of course, you can peruse whatever information you choose.


Setting Program Default Options

Preparing to Play

While playing a normal Let It Ride session, there are a few configuration choices you must make. For instance, you must pick a bet amount and you always have to buy some chips to get started. For fantasy play, there are many more options to consider and every tournament or simulation requires some setup. Rather than making some of these choices every time you play, you can preset many defaults so that the game is ready to play when you start each kind of session.

This capability also introduces some controls that you would not otherwise have. For instance, you can select a different card back design for each kind of session. In normal play, you can preset the speed in auto mode. In tournament play, you can decide in advance the most convenient size and position for the tournament status window and you can elect to get warnings when key events occur. In fantasy play, you can choose to always accept insurance when it is available.

 Examining and Changing Options

You can examine and change the default options by pressing the Options button at the bottom of the window that first appears when you start Let It Ride. (This button is present only for registered users.) When you do this, the Initial Settings window pops up showing all of the current controls. They are organized on tabbed index cards, with a separate card for each kind of session. To switch between the cards, just click on their labelled tabs.

While a few options are common to most types of session, such as selecting an initial stake, you must make these selections individually. In this way, you can choose different rules to suit your needs. For example, you might  want to always begin tournament play with a larger bet size than you would normally use.

At the bottom of the Initial Settings window, and separate from the index cards, are the following three buttons:

Press this button after you have completed your changes. They will be recorded for use in subsequent Let It Ride sessions.

If you press this button, any changes you have made are discarded and the Initial Settings window is closed.

Pressing this button transfers you to this topic in the Let It Ride Information Desk. If you click with the right-button on your mouse, you enable context help instead. This gives brief explanations whenever you move the cursor over an item of interest. Pressing the button again, using the right-button on your mouse, turns off context help.

It is important that you understand that any changes you make will not be applied until you start the next session of play or begin the next tournament round. Thus, if a session is in progress, the previous options will remain in effect until the session or tournament round is complete.

Configuring Each Type of Session

To see what options are available, browse through the following list of topics. Before doing this, be sure to familiarize yourself with the features of each of the types of Let It Ride session. In general, the discussions accompanying these topics assume that you understand what is being controlled.

Standard Options

Tournament Options

Fantasy Play Options

Simulation Options

Limits


Setting Simulation Options

Simulation options are specified in the following set of three panels on the left side of your simulation window. The default values are as shown in the pictures. For the actual play, the computer will always employ the best betting and play strategy.

These are the primary simulation options. You must specify your stake and the size of your bet just as you would during a normal session of play. The usual limits on the bet size apply here too. The maximum number of hands places a limit on the length of the simulation. It might not reach this limit if you have placed alternative termination options using the next panel.

If you wish, you can establish stopping rules for the simulation, just as you might for yourself in a regular session. You might halt simulation once you have won or lost some percentage of your stake. To institute one of these rules, click on its check box and choose an appropriate percentage. In the default case, neither rule applies. The minimum win percentage you may set is 10%. The maximum loss percentage is 90%. (Simulation will always halt if you exhaust your stake.) You may set either or both of these options---they are completely independent.

These play options are like those you normally make. To choose one, click on its check box. When either of the peeking options is selected, the computer applies the enhanced betting strategy.


Side Bets
This is your net return from side pots with other players at the table.


Side Pots

Placing Bets on the Side

Are you one of those avid gamblers who wants action on every hand? If so, then this feature is perfect for you. You can set up a side bet with either or both of your neighboring players at the table. You each contribute to a pot that accumulates until one of you wins by getting a better winning hand. The pots can quickly grow to large amounts and it isn't unusual to have $100's at stake even when you are only making minimum bets.

Setting Up the Pot

To set up a side pot with either of the other players, just click on their cards. You may only do this while no hand is currently being played. Each of these side pots is independent. When a pot has been established, a pot symbol appears between your table position and your neighbor's position. It shows how much money is currently in the pot and looks like this:

Once a pot has been set up, you each contribute an amount equal to one chip at your current bet size on each hand. Thus, if you are betting the minimum $5, the pot increases by $10 per hand until one of you wins. Then it starts over again on the next hand.

The pot will remain in effect until you decide to end it. To do this, just click again on your opponent's cards. If there is money in the pot when you do this, you will be asked to confirm that you are forfeiting the pot.

Creating a Super Pot

Rather than contending separately against your neighbors, you can also create a super pot in which all three of you participate. Since each of you contribute one chip per hand, a super pot grows much more rapidly than a single pot and it costs less than playing two separate pots. But, of course, your chances of winning aren't as good, unless you think you play better or are luckier than the others.

To create a super pot, you must first open single pots with both of your neighbors. Then, combine them by clicking on either of them. When you do so, the other pot disappears and the one you clicked on changes to look as shown below.

When the pot symbol has a "Superman" logo like this, it is a super pot and all three players are competing for it.

The only time you can create a super pot is when two side pots are currently open and both are empty. The reason why they must be empty is probably obvious. It certainly wouldn't be fair to you otherwise! If you have one or more pots open and they are not currently empty, the best thing to do is to wait for decisions and close each pot as soon as a winner is declared. Then, reopen the pots and immediately create a super pot.

To close a super pot, you must first split it into two separate pots again. You do this by just clicking on the super pot again. The current contents of the pot, if any, are equally split between the two regular side pots. If the amount isn't even, then the dealer extracts a "toke" of $5 to make things work out. (He likes it when you do this!) If you wish, you can then play out these pots or close them as described above.

Picking the Winner

The winner of a pot is whoever has the better hand, but this is decided on the class of hand. What this means, for example, is that all straights are considered to be equal for this purpose, and similarly for all high pairs, flushes, etc. To win, you must have a hand paying higher odds than your opponents in the pot.

In the case of a super pot, the winner must beat both of the other players. You remain in contention even if one of them beats you, as long as he doesn't also beat the third player.

One point to note is that, if you surrender your hand, you are still contending for the pots. Your hand is evaluated just as though you had played it out.

If you are puzzled by why you didn't win, or why you did, click on the pot using the right-button on your mouse when the hand is done. An explanation will pop up. You must do this while the cards are still showing and before the next hand begins. (If you have enabled context help, this explanation is superseded by the context help message, so you will need to turn it off to get the explanation.)


Simulation Options
Simulation Configuration Options

The Simulation Tab

When you press the Options button in the starting screen, the Initial Settings window comes up with the tab set to configuration options relating to normal Let It Ride sessions. If you click on the tab labelled Simulation you get the following card:

The settings shown are the original installation defaults. You can restore conditions to these values at any time by pressing the Restore Defaults button. Any changes you make only prescribe initial conditions. During play you still can change options as you wish.

Changing the Options

These options are the complete set available when you begin each simulation. Using them you can preset the controls to values that you most frequently choose.

The Help in Context button supplements the normal Help button at the bottom right of the window. Pressing it transfers you to an Information Desk topic specifically relating to simulation sessions.


Simulation Progress Reports

You can observe the progress of simulation in a panel on the right side of the simulation window. A representative view is shown below. This is a picture taken after a 700 hand simulation was complete. During the simulation, the status indicator at the top graphically displays percent completion, based upon the maximum number of hands you specified in your simulation options. The brief list of statistics below that gives you an extract of the session history. For complete details, you must press the Review Results button.

Optionally, you can get interim progress reports at whatever interval you wish. You do this by clicking on the check box under the status indicator and choosing how often you want these snapshots. In the example below, snapshots were taken every 200 hands. Note that the final snapshot is always provided, even if the run limit is not evenly divisible by your snapshot interval.

For further details about this panel, move your cursor over the various items and click when the cursor turns into a hand. You will see a brief explanation of the item.

*


Special Payoff Schedules

Many fantasy play options result in changes to the payoff schedule for winning hands. Some options introduce new types of winning hands, while others vary the odds paid for these hands. As a result, the payoff schedule is likely to change each time you choose a different set of rules and options.

This variability is handled by providing and updating a scrolling payoff schedule in place of the normal one printed at the upper left of the table layout. This schedule looks as follows:

After any change in your options, you should quickly check the payoff schedule to familiarize yourself with the winning hands and their payoff odds. Don't forget to scroll down to see hands not shown within the schedule display. After many sessions of play, this may no longer be necessary, but it's a good practice nevertheless. Some of the payoff odds may seem a little strange, but I can assure you that they are carefully set to guarantee a fair game. They properly account for the expected frequency of each hand.


Special Play Features

Improving Your Play

The computer version of Let It Ride provides several features that aid you in learning to play well. You don't need to use them, but you should try them out.

One feature is called auto mode. When you activate this mode, the dealer plays the hand for you. He uses the optimal strategies for betting and play and he will explain his decisions if you ask.

A second feature is a little less intrusive but serves the same purpose. The dealer can give you his opinion of what you should do when you are faced with each of your two betting decisions. This feature is called hinting. You continue to make the plays yourself and you don't have to follow his advice.

A third feature is the capability to peek at the cards of players seated beside you. This opportunity is often present in real-life play in a casino. Peeking is just fun, of course, but it also allows you to employ an enhanced strategy that improves your chances of winning.

The final feature doesn't directly aid you, but instead it grades your play. This strategy assessment is like a final exam to see if you are following the proper strategies.

How To Use These Features

To understand these features, browse through the following topics:

The Dealer Plays for You

Getting Hints While You Play

Peeking at Your Neighbor's Cards

Strategy Assessment


Stake Amount
This is your total cost for purchasing chips during the session.


Standard Installation

Requirements

In order to qualify for a standard installation, your system must satisfy the following conditions:

The primary shell program must be Program Manager. If you are running a an alternate shell, such as Norton Desktop, you cannot perform a standard installation.

Only essential programs may be running while installation is underway. This is necessary to avoid sharing conflicts while installing some common utility libraries. One program that must not be running during installation is the Let It Ride Installation Notebook.

Your computer must not be networked to a server that provides remote Windows services.

If you are uncertain whether you have conflicts with either of the last two conditions, go ahead and try a standard installation as described below. It will detect any conflicts and safely terminate with a message explaining the problem.

Installing Let It Ride

The Let It Ride installation files are supplied in a ZIP file. The first step is to extract all of these files into an empty working directory on your hard disk. They require about 5MB when they are uncompressed. This directory will be automatically emptied again during the installation.

Using File Manager, select this working directory and execute SETUP.EXE by double-clicking on it. This installation manager will ask you a few questions as it proceeds. You will be asked to specify an installation directory for Let It Ride. This should be a unique directory dedicated to Let It Ride software, not shared with other programs. If it doesn't exist, the installation manager will automatically create it for you. Do not choose the working directory or the root directory of your hard disk. Also, make sure that the disk volume containing this installation directory has at least 2MB of available space. In addition, you must have 2-3MB of available space on the disk volume containing your Windows directory.

You will also be asked if you want a Program Manager group (folder) to be set up, with icons for the various Let It Ride components. You should accept this offer.

When installation is complete, up to four support files may remain in your Windows directory. These files are SETUP1.EXE, SETUPKIT.DLL, VBRUN300.DLL, and CSPICTURE.VBX. None of these are required any more and you may delete them if you wish. (They occupy about 570KB of disk space.) But be careful, don't delete the copy of VBRUN300.DLL that is in your Windows\System subdirectory. This file is essential.

Installing an Upgrade

In most cases, an upgrade will not require a full installation to be performed. All that you will do is to copy a few replacement files into your existing Let It Ride directory.  Any special considerations will be explained in documentation accompanying the upgrade.

Uninstalling Let It Ride

If you have performed a standard installation, uninstalling Let It Ride is a trivial operation. Simply click on the appropriate icon in the Program Manager group set up during installation. This will run an uninstaller utility that will complete remove all traces of Let It Ride from your system.

If you own a registered version, uninstalling Let It Ride will erase the registration information. If you subsequently reinstall it, you will need to re-input this information. This is one good reason to maintain a copy of this information in a safe place.


Standard Options
Standard Configuration Options

The Standard Tab

When you press the Options button in the starting screen, the Initial Settings window comes up with the tab set to configuration options relating to normal Let It Ride sessions. It looks like this:

The settings shown are the original installation defaults. You can restore conditions to these values at any time by pressing the Restore Defaults button. Any changes you make only prescribe initial conditions. During play you still can change options as you wish.

Changing the Options

The check boxes on the left are fairly self-explanatory. If you click on any of them, you will set the associated initial conditions for all normal Let It Ride sessions. You can also begin play with any valid bet amount and initial stake. Setting an initial stake is particularly helpful, since you need to do this for every session anyway.

The drop-down list is a unique option. When you play in auto mode, the speed control normally comes up configured for medium speed. If you prefer, you can select an initial state of either slow or fast speed.

Pressing the Change Card Deck button displays a set of alternative card designs. You can choose any one of them you wish for use during normal Let It Ride sessions.

The Help in Context button supplements the normal Help button at the bottom right of the window. Pressing it transfers you to an Information Desk topic specifically relating to normal Let It Ride sessions.


Start of the Hand

This is a snapshot of the table immediately after the cards have been dealt. It is your turn to decide what to do with your first bet. Obviously, since you have a sure winner, you are going to let all bets ride. To see how this hand ends up, click here.


Starting Let It Ride

Before beginning to use Let It Ride, you must perform a complete, error-free installation on your computer. Thereafter, you may begin execution by any of the usual Windows methods, e.g. double-clicking on the program icon, using the File|Run menu command, etc. When you do so, the first thing you will see is the splash screen.

This screen serves several purposes. One is simply to provide a cover for the mechanics of some necessary program initialization steps. These typically take from 3 to 8 seconds to perform, depending on the speed of your computer and its graphics subsystem. Also, this screen provides the opportunity for you to register the program.  Finally, for registered users only, it also displays a variety of tips and trivia for your entertainment. This information is randomly selected from a database that is provided in the installation.

The registered version also includes the Tip Editor. This is an interesting add-on that allows you to modify or even replace the tips and trivia database. You may use it as you wish to personalize your version.

If you wish, you can also personalize your copy of the program by entering a name or nickname to be used in messages and dialog with the dealer. I highly recommend that you do this. Just press the Hello button in the bottom right corner of the splash screen.

In the lower left-hand corner of the splash screen, you will see a progress bar. When initialization is complete, this will look as follows:

When you see this, you may begin play by clicking on this progress bar.


Starting a New Session

To terminate the current session and start a new one, press the New button on the Session Control Panel. Don't forget that when you do this all of your current session history is erased and your stake and bankroll are both reset to zero. Therefore if you want to review this history you must do so before pressing the New button.


Starting a Tournament

You can begin playing a tournament by pressing the Tournament button on the opening screen. If there is a tournament currently in progress then you will resume play at the point at which you last paused.

While you are participating in a tournament, you can terminate play and begin a new tournament by pressing the Resign button on the Tournament Control Panel. Don't forget that when you do this the session history will be erased. Thus, if you want to review your session history, you must press the History button first.


Starting and Stopping Automated Betting

Automated Betting Control

On the right side of the table layout, next to the control for setting the bet amount, there is a small button labelled S (for system) as shown below:

Pressing this button brings up a window in which you can start or stop automated betting. As a memory jog, whenever a betting system is operating, the label next to the betting control changes to look like this:

Whenever you see this label, the bet amount will change automatically for each hand according to the system you have selected. The betting control will show the correct bet for the next hand, but you will not be allowed to alter it. If you momentarily forget which system is running, you can click on the S button using the right-button on your mouse. When you do this, the dealer will tell you the name of the system.

Automated betting is available for normal sessions and during tournament play. You cannot employ it during fantasy play.

The Betting System Window

The window that opens when you press the S button looks like this:

If you click the down-arrow on the system selection box, you will see a list of the available automated betting systems. When you select one, a brief description is provided, like that of the Pyramid System shown above. Two important controls are the basis and maximum bet amounts. While automated betting is in effect, the normal table limits are temporarily released. Most betting systems quickly raise the bet amount, so a small basis bet is usually best. I advise setting it to the minimum value of $1. The best choice of the maximum bet is not as clear. For some systems, the bets seem to cluster at the upper ranges, so you may want to hold the maximum to a level that your bankroll will tolerate.

The two option boxes allow you to specify what happens when a system betting cycle reaches its limit without success. Regardless of the maximum bet amount, this can occur with any betting system; it is just part of the game. In the default case, the cycle is simply restarted. If you remove the check mark on this option, the betting system terminates instead. Alternatively, you can enable the second option, which allows you to get a signal (a short beep) whenever the cycle is restarted. You could use this as a reminder to consider whether you should stop the system or not.

Once you have selected the system and set up its controls, press the Start button to begin automated betting. If you change your mind, press the Cancel button instead. To stop automated betting, press the Stop button.


Statistics Page Example
Statistics Page Example (Part 1)

This is what the statistics page looks like when it first appears. Click on any items of interest for an explanation. To see the other pair of panels on this page, click on the button at the bottom right corner, just as you would during an actual run. Some of the information, particularly the non-standard hands in the right-hand panel, are specific to a fantasy session and will have no entries during normal play.


Statistics Page Example 2
Statistics Page Example (Part 2)

This shows what the second pair of panels on the statistics page look like. Click on any items of interest for an explanation. To see the first pair of panels, click on the button at the bottom right corner, just as you would during an actual run. The bottom panel is a reconciliation table that summarizes all of the contributing factors to your final bankroll.


Strategies for Betting and Play

Your Best Strategy

Many casino games involve no skill whatsoever. They are just a matter of luck. Others only require the player to decide how much to bet and which betting options to take. A few require the player to make skillful judgments about both betting and play. Blackjack is one such game. Let It Ride is another.

This computer version of Let It Ride incorporates a set of optimal strategies developed through extensive analysis and verified by lengthy computer simulations. These strategies are fully described and justified in the book that inspired this game. Any player who wants to improve his skill and increase his chances of coming out a winner would do well to master their simple rules. Also, when you have the opportunity of peeking at some of other player's cards, you can do even better with an enhanced strategy that accounts for this additional information.

 In this game, the dealer follows these strategies when giving hints about the play and when he plays for you in auto mode. The same strategies are used during simulation. To review these strategies, browse through the following topics:

Basic 3-Card Strategy

Basic 4-Card Strategy

Enhanced Strategy While Peeking

The Strategy Reminder Program

Let It Ride, the computer game, includes a helpful utility program called the Strategy Reminder. This program can be called up while you play to remind you about all of the optimal strategy rules. It has a number of additional useful features that recommend it to the serious player.


Strategy Assessment

Monitoring Your Play

I hope it doesn't make you nervous, but your play is constantly monitored during a normal Let It Ride session. The purpose is to see if you are following the recommended strategies and, if not, to compute how much any deviation has cost you. The results of this assessment are available in one of the session history plots.

On-Line Strategy Assessment

You can request a live display of this information while you are playing. To do this, press the Auto button in the Session Control Panel while clicking with the right-button on your mouse. When you do this, the caption on the Auto button changes to Resume. To end the strategy assessment display, press this button again. Note that monitoring continues throughout the session, regardless of whether you show the display or not.

The display is updated immediately after the completion of each hand. It appears in the center of the table layout, below the dealer's cards, and looks like this:

The information on the right concerns your first betting decision and the information on the left concerns the second one. This order corresponds to the position of the related betting spots on the table layout. The colored panels graphically display the percentage of bets that were correct, in the sense of following the proper strategy. When they are completely green, you are following the strategies exactly. The proportion of bets that were wrong are shown in red. In the above picture, most but not all of the bets were correct.

The dollar amounts indicate what any deviations have cost you. Usually, these will be negative, meaning that they have reduced your net return. Sometimes, as the above example for Decision 2 shows, not following the strategy could increase your bankroll. In other words, your guess or hunch might actually succeed. In the long run, that shouldn't happen. In fact, if you consistently get positive values in this display, I would very much like to hear what strategy you have been following. Perhaps you have invented a better mousetrap!


Strategy Reminder

The Strategy Reminder Program

You can call up the Strategy Reminder program while you are playing to jog your memory about the best strategies for betting and play. In fact, if you want to call it up right now, just click here. To call it up while you are playing, just click on the Hint button, using the right-button on your mouse. (The Hint button is on the Session Control Panel.)

This utility program can show you any of the strategies discussed here in the Let It Ride Information Desk and it is very simple to use. But it has another very interesting feature. It allows you to document and show your own personal strategy, one that might work best for you. If you might be interested in this, have a look at Creating Your Personal Strategy.

Program Control

Control is accomplished by selecting menu items. In the main menu along the top of the Strategy Reminder window, there are three selections: Strategy, Window, and Help. Selecting Help brings you right here, where you can get information about using the program. The other menu selections are described below.

You will also notice a toolbar with several buttons underneath the menu. Mainly, this is used only when editing personal strategies. However, the print button works all the time. Use it to print the contents of the currently selected strategy window.

These options select which strategies to show. You can display one or all simultaneously. The option "All Strategies" will display the four predetermined strategies plus your personal strategy if you have one. "No Strategies" removes all of those presently on display so that they don't clutter up the window. If you select "Personal Strategy", and you have not yet defined one, an empty window comes up for you to input your description. Later, you can change this description by selecting the same item. If you wish, you can also erase your personal strategy, whether it is displayed or not, by selecting "Delete My Strategy".

These options control the appearance of the display. If you have multiple strategies showing, you can arrange them neatly so that they are easily accessed. The options are the ones you are familiar with from other Windows programs. If you select "Stay on Top", the Strategy Reminder will remain visible even when other programs are active. For this to be useful, you probably would want to resize it and place it where it doesn't cover what you need to see. The "Remember" item, remembers the way you have set up your windows and the size and position of Strategy Reminder. Next time you call it up, everything will be as it is at the instant you make the selection. You can restore the default arrangement and location for Strategy Reminder by selecting "Restore Default".


Summary Measure of Luck

As you play through a session you will experience periods when your hands are better than expected, and other periods when they are worse. The pie chart below summarizes this measure of luck. Usually, your luck will be average, meaning that it falls within the range of normal expectations for a fair game. But, even when your periods of good fortune exceed those when you get bad cards, you may or may not come out a winner. A lot depends on how well you play, what kind of betting patterns you follow, and just when lightning strikes. In the long run, however, if you seem to be getting reasonable cards and you're still not winning, you might want to reassess your strategy for betting and play.


Surrendered Hands
This is the total number of hands you surrendered during a fantasy session.


Table Limits

The opening screen has a table sign in the upper right corner that shows the table limits. All tables have betting limits. The sign is pictured below:

This means that your bet size can range from $5 up to $50. Since Let It Ride involves from one to three bets per hand, your total wager on a hand could thus be as low as $5 and as high as $150. Bets are always in increments of the minimum bet. In real play, many casinos offer lower limits of $2 or $3, but you're a high roller, right?

The limits displayed above are the normal defaults for Let It Ride. If you want to change these limits, you can do so by pressing Options button when Let It Ride begins execution. Choose the Limits tab and enter whatever values you wish within the allowed range of $1 to $99. (Table limits for fantasy play sessions cannot be changed and they will remain at the default settings regardless of your choices for other kinds of sessions.)


The Bonus Bet

The bonus bet is a special wager that entitles you to extra payoffs if you have a high enough winning hand. It costs $1 per hand and this fee is non-refundable even if you win. Part of this fee goes for payoffs but a large portion is used to fund tournaments. The hands that qualify and the payoff schedule are printed on the left side of the table layout.

To start making bonus bets, click on the red bonus spot. To discontinue this wager, click the same spot once again.


The Computer Version of Let It Ride

Features of the Computer Version

This version of Let It Ride is an accurate representation of the casino game, with concessions only to the fact that you play it on a computer. All normal play and betting rules are in effect and the table layout is identical to those commonly found in the casinos. Any player who masters this game will be comfortable from the very beginning when playing in real-life.

The table always has two other players in addition to yourself, one on each side of you. They play their hands in the normal manner, although their bets are normally not displayed since they don’t really affect your play. The presence of these players adds general interest to the game, as you can watch whether they are winning or losing. In addition, they make possible the peeking option which underlies the enhanced betting strategy.

All play is performed by mouse clicks. No keyboard input is required. It would have been relatively easy to emulate the player’s motions in placing and removing bets and in handling the cards. However, in the interest of faster action, these activities occur instantly once decisions are made by pressing appropriate buttons. Sound is not used in the current version, but the dealer does communicate with you when the need arises. When he does so, his picture flashes on the screen with a cartoon bubble containing his comments.

The computer version has a number of special features not found in a casino game. Mainly, they aid in learning to play well and in analyzing how you are doing. There is also a simulation capability for the serious player.

Learning How to Play

You can quickly learn how to play the computer version of Let It Ride by browsing through the following topics.

Starting Let It Ride

The Opening Screen

Beginning a Session of Play

The Table Layout

Buying Chips

Placing Bets

The Bonus Bet

The Play of the Hand

Winning Bets and Payoffs

Starting a New Session

Ending Play

When you have completed this review, you should examine the configuration options for standard Let It Ride sessions. They allow you to set up the game to suit your preferences. Any option changes you make are not applied until the current session, if any, is finished.


The Dealer Plays for You

Initiating Auto Mode

Letting the dealer play your hand is particularly useful while you are learning to play. It is also sometimes helpful when you just want to run through a set of hands quickly to gather some statistics. To initiate this mode, press the Auto button on the Session Control Panel. You may only do this when no hand is currently in progress. When auto mode is active, the caption on this button switches to Resume. Thus, you can resume regular play whenever you please by pressing the same button again.

For obvious reasons, the strategy assessment display is never shown while you are in auto mode. It wouldn't be particularly helpful to see if the dealer is following the proper strategy, just take my word for it.

Features of Auto Mode

Several changes take place when you enter auto mode. The most noticeable change is that this speed control appears in the center of the table layout:

You can use this control to adjust how quickly the dealer plays. At his fastest rate, you probably won't see the play at all, only the final outcome of the hand. At slower rates, you can follow the play and test yourself by trying to predict what he will do.

Another change is that hinting is automatically enabled. You cannot turn this off as long as automatic play is in effect. As always when hinting is in effect, clicking on the pointing hands will cause an explanation of the dealer's decision to pop up on the screen. However, here this might not be practical when the play is moving briskly along. Instead, you can get a post-mortem from the dealer himself by clicking on your cards when the hand is complete. This will look something like the snapshot below:

Yet another difference also stems from the rapidity of the play. If you have the speed set fairly fast, you might not notice whether the dealer had scratched or lost one of your bets. Don't forget, it's your money at risk here! When the hand is done, in either case, there would be no chip on the betting circle. But obviously, the effect on your bankroll is quite different for these two cases. To help you, the dealer places little placards on each of the betting circles when a chip is removed to tell you what happened. The placard will either say Scratch or Bet Lost. An example in which you won your final bet and scratched the first two is:


The Fantasy Session Control Panel

The five fantasy play controls are grouped in this panel at the top-right portion of the table layout. This is the same location as used for the Session Control Panel during normal Let It Ride play. The New, Exit, History, and Help buttons function exactly as described for the normal Session Control Panel.

Pressing the Rules button brings up the Fantasy Rule Selection window  in which you can select game variations and options. You can change the rules at any time that no hand is in play.

The small panel to the right of the Rules button indicates which game variation is currently in effect. In the example shown above, you have chosen extra winning hands instead of one of the wild card games. If you have not enabled context help, you can click on this panel to see more information about the game variation. One of your game options is to play "dealer's choice". When you do this, the game variation changes for every hand and you need to keep checking this panel to see what rules are in effect. To aid you in this case, the panel is made more visible by changing its color scheme, as shown below:


The Installation Notebook

The Installation Notebook is a simple utility that provides information you should read before you perform an installation or upgrade of Let It Ride. It includes any late-breaking news about the current version and offers instructions and guidelines for installation.

You may refer to it again after installation if you choose. During a standard installation, a Program Manager icon is set up for the Installation Notebook.

When an upgrade is pending, new data files for the Installation Notebook will be made available. Keep in mind that registered users are licensed for all future upgrades to Let It Ride, so your only expense for an upgrade is the cost of downloading files.


The Opening Screen

Whenever you are about to begin a new session of play, the screen pictured below is what you will see. Behind the table signs and sundry buttons, the green felt standard table layout can be seen. To get information about anything of interest, move your cursor over it and click when the cursor turns into a hand.


The Play of the Hand

Dealing the Cards

Once you have selected your bet amount and decided whether to make a bonus bet, you are ready to play the hand. You initiate play by pressing the Bet & Deal button directly in front of you. When you do this, your bets are automatically placed on the betting circles and the dealer deals three cards to each player and two cards to himself.

The dealer's cards are dealt face down. Your cards are dealt face up in front of you so that you can make your betting decisions. The other players' cards may be face up or down, depending on whether you are currently peeking or not. Your cards and the buttons that control play of the hand look like this:

Making Bet Decisions

Notice that there is a highlight around the chip in the first (right-most) betting spot. This indicates that this is the bet currently in play. You must decide whether to let it ride or to scratch it. You do this by pressing either the Let It Ride or Scratch button as you see fit. (In this case, clearly the right choice is to let it ride, since you have a lock.)

After you have made your first decision, the dealer will turn one of his cards over and you must make your second betting decision. The highlight will automatically move to the second (middle) betting spot. Once again, you press either the Let It Ride or Scratch button. Don't forget that this decision is completely independent of the previous decision. It is perfectly acceptable, and often correct, to scratch your second bet even though the hand looked good enough to bet on the initial three cards.

This ends the play of the hand. The dealer will turn over his last card and evaluate each player's hand in turn. Winners will receive their payoffs and losing bets will be taken.


The Replacement Option

Option Features

This option allows you to replace one of your cards before making either of your two betting decisions. You may only do this once per hand. When you do so, you are assessed a replacement charge. This charge is 20% of the your current bet amount. This option can be a powerful tool when used wisely, but it is easy to get carried away with optimism about what you might hit. Generally speaking, you would do best to wait until you can see one of the dealer's cards before trying a replacement, but there are circumstances where an earlier choice is viable. Check the discussion of fantasy play strategy for other considerations. One of the special graphs provided in your fantasy session history assesses how effectively you are using this option.

This option is not available while you are playing the extra winners variation.

Performing Replacement

Whenever this option is available, a button is present in front of cards and to the left at your seat position. It has an image of trash can and looks like this:

In order to replace a card, you must first choose it by clicking on the card. When you do so, the card is turned face down. Then, replace it by pressing the replacement button. If you change your mind before actually replacing the card, you can click on it again to turn it face up or you can click on one of the other two cards to choose it instead. The replacement charge is only incurred if you actually perform the replacement.


The Role of Lady Fortune

Can I Win?

The quick answer is: "Yes, but not in the long run." As with most casino games, the odds are stacked against you. After all, they are in business to make money, not just to entertain you. Actually, there have been exceptions to this rule in the past, and there is even one that I know about today.

Fortunately for those of us who enjoy a game of chance, the long run is much longer than you are ever likely to play. Luck plays a key role, although you can make the best of what you get by playing well. Luck is not a superstition; it is just another term for statistical probability. Statistically, it's possible for you to get a lucky run of the cards; in fact, it is likely you will have several over a fairly lengthy session. Whether you prosper, however, is another issue.

What about Luck?

It's possible to calculate whether you are getting a lucky draw of the cards or not. What you can expect to get is known to great precision, so it's just a matter of comparing your draw against normal expectations. Let It Ride performs this calculation as you play and you can review it in your session history. In addition, a gauge shows the following index of your luck on the table layout beneath the dealer's cards.

As the sliding index moves further into the red, your luck is increasingly bad, i.e. below expectations. As it moves into the green, you are getting better and better cards. The yellow region represents average luck. If you wish, you can hide this index by double-clicking on it. You can restore its display again by double-clicking where it was shown before. (This index is not displayed when you are in auto mode or when you have requested a strategy assessment display.)

Keep in mind that this evaluation is only approximate. It doesn't distinguish between really outstanding luck and just a minor effect. Also, due to the nature of the calculation, it is not reliable for the first 25 hands. Thereafter, it is calculated continuously across sessions until you exit from Let It Ride.

In calculating the luck of the draw, Let It Ride applies a statistical measure that looks at how the cards have been running in the "near term". It doesn't simply accumulate data over your entire session, because results toward the end would be swamped by the build-up of earlier information. But, don't confuse this measure with the question of winning or losing streaks. You can be very lucky without having any winning streaks at all! For example, if you were to win every other hand, you would almost certainly win a great deal, even though your maximum winning streak would be one hand.

What you may find puzzling is that you can be lucky and still lose! And the converse is true, also. Many factors contribute to your success or failure. If you don't play effectively, using a sound strategy, you are unlikely to win even with good cards. On the other hand, the best of play may not prevail if you get bad cards at the wrong times, such as when you have large wagers riding.

What Can I Do About It?

I don't want to discourage you if you like to rub a rabbit's foot, or wear a lucky pair of socks, or even mutter incantations. This can't hurt. If you have a clever method of ensuring that you win, like using a special sequence of bets --- well in that case, maybe I had better try. You can always determine how lucky you have been, just as Let It Ride does for you. But none of this can be used to predict the future. Every run of winning hands ends with a loser, and no one can tell you when it will arrive. Lady Fortune can certainly smile on you, but don't fool yourself, she isn't watching any of your antics!


The Session Control Panel

The six session controls are grouped in this panel at the top-right portion of the table layout.

Pressing the New button ends the current session and restores the opening screen, where you may select which kind of new session you wish.

Pressing the Exit button terminates play. You may resume play at another time exactly as you left it. Let It Ride remembers all of your session information. (This is not true for unregistered users for whom the session automatically terminates upon exit.)

Pressing the Auto button switches to an auto mode in which the dealer plays the hand for you. This special feature is particularly useful while you are learning to play the optimum strategies. When you press this button, its caption changes to Resume. Pressing the button once more resumes regular play in which you are completely in charge. You may turn auto mode on as often as you like, but only when there is no hand currently in play. If you click using the right-button on your mouse, pressing the Auto button brings up the strategy assessment display instead.

Pressing the Hint button turns hinting on. The dealer will show you what to do if you want to follow the best available strategy. You can also get an explanation for the hints. When you press this button, its caption changes to End Hints. Pressing the button once more terminates hinting. You can turn hinting on or off whenever you wish while a hand is in play. If you prefer, you can use this button to pop up the Strategy Reminder program. Just click using the right-button on your mouse. This program allows you to review the actual strategy details on-line.

Pressing the History button allows you to review your session history. It provides a variety of interesting statistical and graphical information about your play. You may perform this review as often as you like and at any time, providing that you are not in the middle of playing a hand. The information displayed will always be up-to-date. If you click using the right-button on your mouse, pressing the History button brings up the session summary window instead.

Pressing the Help button provides the customary access to the Let It Ride Information Desk. Alternatively, if you click using the right-button on your mouse, it  enables balloon help. When this is active and your cursor passes over any item, a balloon pops up with a brief explanation of the item. Pressing the button a second time, using the right-button once again, turns off this function.


The Statistics Page

Contents of the Page

The statistics page presents a variety of information that you can use to evaluate your strategy and play. Even if you are just playing for fun, this information can be both interesting and informative. The statistics are organized into four panels. One panel covers your overall results, and includes averages and ranges for such items as your wagers, bankroll, net return, etc. A second panel focuses mainly on bonus betting. It includes a table of  hands based on their type, like two pairs or flush. One column shows the total number of winning hands of each type. Other columns in the table show the number of those winning hands that actually had bonus bets and the total amount you won from those bets. The third panel is a table that reviews your hands based upon the number of bets that you let ride. This is most important, since the essence of a successful strategy is to win all or most of the hands on which you risk multiple bets. The final panel summarizes the results and reconciles them with your final bankroll. This is mostly important for fantasy sessions, in which there are many factors entering into the mix.

The four panels contain too much information to display in a single window, so they are shown in groups of two. To switch between one pair and the other, press the button titled More Statistics >> at the bottom of the page.

You display this page at any time by pressing the Statistics button on the Session History Toolbar. It is always shown when you first bring up your session history.

Understanding the Information

The easiest way to understand the statistics page is by examining an example. To do this, just press the button below. When the sample page is displayed, you can move your cursor over the panels and click your mouse for an explanation when the cursor is over an item of interest. You can tell when there is information to be seen by the fact that your cursor turns into a hand. As an aside, virtually the same information is available on-line when you enable balloon help.


The Surrender Option

Option Features

This option allows you to surrender the hand before your first betting decision. When you do so, all three bets are automatically returned to you and you are assessed a surrender charge. This charge is 20% of the chip denomination. When used judiciously, this can be a very effective option, but you should review the strategy recommendations for how to go about this. One of the special graphs provided in your fantasy session history assesses how effectively you are using this option.

Performing Surrender

Whenever this option is available, a button is present in front of cards and to the right at your seat position. It has an image of a man with his arm raised and looks like this:

Pressing this button surrenders the hand, returns all bets to your bankroll (less the surrender charge), and finishes play for this hand. The dealer's cards are turned face up so that you can see whether you made a wise decision or not.


The Table Layout

The basic table layout is shown below. You are seated directly behind the row of three buttons at the bottom of the table. The dealer is at the top and he will lay his two cards on the table directly in front of himself. There are two other players, one seated on your left and one on your right.

You can get information about various aspects of this layout by moving your cursor over it and clicking when it turns into a hand. Alternatively, you can follow the current browse sequence, which will explain everything involved in playing Let It Ride.

 In either case before you go any further, you might want to see what the table looks like with a hand in play. If you click on the box below, you will see an example immediately after you have made your bets and have received your cards. It might be useful to keep this window open while you browse through the remainder of this discussion.


The Tournament Status Window

Viewing the Tournament Status

When you begin playing in a tournament, a status window opens to show information that you need to know in order to play effectively. When it first opens, the window looks like this:

The information on the left tells you which round you are playing and lets you know how many hands remain to be played in the round. Each round involves 200 hands. Your winnings from prior rounds are listed, as is the prize for winning the current round.

Since you will need to refer to this window frequently, it is normally shown in a manner that keeps it on top of other windows on your screen. If you want to change this mode, press the Allow Hide button. When you do so, the caption on this button switches to Stay on Top. Pressing it again, reverts to the normal display state.

If you press the Minimize Size button, the status window shrinks so that it only shows vital information. This makes it easier to place the window on your screen so that it doesn't obstruct the play. After you do this, the window appears as shown below:

To restore the window to its full size once more, click anywhere in the center of the window.

Competition Status

The crucial play information is shown in the minimized window. You need to watch the number of hands remaining carefully in order to choose the appropriate betting strategy. The table identifies each of the players at your table. The first named player is your right-hand opponent; you are in the middle; and your left-hand opponent is named last. (Your name will appear only if you have supplied it to Let It Ride, using the Hello button on the splash screen. Otherwise, it will just read "Me".)

 The status column can have one of two entries. When the player is still actively competing, the status is "In". If he is no longer playing, his status changes to "Out". This can happen in two ways. Either his bankroll dropped to a point which wouldn't support further bets, i.e. it was less than $15, or he failed to qualify for a final playoff.

The bet column shows the amount selected by each player for the forthcoming hand. Since bets are selected in sequence, starting from the bug, there may or may not be entries in this column when you go to choose your bet. For example, if you have the bug, both opponents will wait for you to pick a bet amount before they act.

The final column shows the current bankroll for each player. This is the most important information for you to watch. Any effective tournament strategy must rely upon your relative status and how much of a gap there is between the player's bankrolls. One important point to note is that your bankroll does not include any chips that you still have on the table. This isn't true for your opponents. To get a valid comparison, you need to remember to add in the value of these chips. Of course, you can always "pick up your chips" after you win a hand by clicking on them, which is what your opponents always do.

Termination Message

When the round is complete and a winner has been determined, a message appears over the table of information. It looks something like this:

If you wish to look again at the information that is obscured by this message, just click on it.


Tip Editor

Tips and Trivia

After playing Let It Ride for a while, you may find that the tips and trivia shown at startup begin to get a little repetitious. Thus, for those of you who enjoy customizing your software, you may use the Tip Editor to modify or even replace the database holding this information. This is a mini-wordprocessor that is very simple to use, and its database management operations are completely automatic. (This capability is not available for unregistered users.)

Each item in the database is a text message. One of these messages is randomly selected for display each time the program is started. Some messages are tips about how to use Let It Ride more effectively. They are selected from information in the help file you are now reading. Others are simply tidbits of trivia provided for your amusement. You might want to modify or delete any of these, or you could add additional items of your own choosing. Alternatively, you might simply want to customize the items so that they are more clearly directed toward you personally. Do whatever amuses you --- have fun!

Using the Editor

The Tip Editor is a standalone program which is installed with Let It Ride during the standard installation procedure. You start it by using any of the standard Windows methods, such as double-clicking on its program icon. Before using the editor, you should browse the following topics. They explain how to use the editor and also provide a few rules worth considering. Following these rules will protect you against error and will ensure that your changes are visually consistent with the original items.

Entering  and Editing Message Text

Using the Editor Toolbar

Tip Editor Usage Rules


Tip Editor Usage Rules

General Considerations

Following these rules will help you avoid problems and will ensure that any changes you make are consistent with the standard installation. One thing you should always do first is to make a backup of any file you intend to change.

Be aware that if you upgrade your version of Let It Ride, a new Tips and Trivia database will almost certainly be provided with it. If you have made changes to personalize your current version, you will have to reconcile them with the upgraded version. However, this should be fairly painless. Each new upgrade will have a README file in which the items that have been changed are identified. Probably the only change will be the addition of two or three new items. A fairly quick method of reconciling your personal version with the new one is to bring up both files by running two versions of the Tip Editor at the same time. You could then use cut and paste operations to quickly modify either version to your taste. The installation will protect your personalized database so that you can safely make necessary changes.

Working With Files

1.	You can use the Tip Editor to completely replace the existing Tips and Trivia database. Just create a new file from scratch with as many items in it as you like, although it must have at least two items. You must name this file Tips and it must be placed in the Let It Ride installation directory. If you run the editor in the normal fashion, it will place any output file in the installation directory. Don't forget to save the original Tips file just in case you want to reuse it later.

2.	More commonly, you would want to edit the installed Tips file. When you start the editor, you can access this file by pressing the Open File button on the toolbar and inputting the file name, Tips. There is an easier method. Enter the name Tips as a command-line parameter for the editor. You can accomplish  this by setting the properties of its file icon. When you do this, the editor will always start up with the current Tips file for you to edit as you please. During a normal installation, a Program Manager icon is set up to run the Tip Editor in exactly this way.

Working With Items

1.	One item you should not change is the first item in the file. This item is reserved for a message to unregistered users. It will never appear if you have a registered copy of Let It Ride. If you are creating an entirely new file, just put an empty item first.

2.	It is usually desirable to maintain a common appearance for items. The standard rules in the installed file are as follows. The top line is centered, bold, 12pt Arial. It is colored bright red. There is always a following blank line. The general text is left-justified, normal, 10pt Arial. Usually, bold green text is used for highlighting. For your convenience, the default font is set properly for general text. If you click on the status bar at the bottom of the Tip Editor window, it will identify the font in use at the current cursor location.

3.	Don't input more text that will show on a single editor screen, i.e. don't use the vertical scroll bar. Otherwise, your message may be truncated when it is displayed. The right-margin is fixed to ensure proper word-wrap in the available display space.


Total Stake
This is your final stake. It is the maximum amount you have invested by buying chips during this session.


Total Wagered
This is the total of basic wagers, not including bonus bets or side pots.


Tournament Control Panel
The Tournament Control Panel

The six tournament controls are grouped in this panel at the top-right portion of the table layout. This is the same location as used for the Session Control Panel during normal Let It Ride play.

Pressing the New button ends the current tournament and returns you to the opening screen so that you can begin another type of Let It Ride session. This action also erases the session history. If you want to review this information, you must first press the History button.

Pressing the Exit button terminates play but saves all information needed to resume play later. You will continue the competition exactly as you left it when you next start Let It Ride. (This is not true for unregistered users for whom the tournament automatically terminates upon exit.)

Pressing the Pause button temporarily halts tournament play and returns you to the opening screen. At this point you can begin any other kind of Let It Ride session. When you wish to resume tournament competition, just press the Tournament button on the opening screen once again. You can do this during the current Let It Ride run or at any later date.  (This capability is not available to unregistered users, for whom the Pause button acts identically to the New button.)

Pressing the Resign button ends the current tournament and immediately starts a new one. You will be requested to confirm this action since it also erases the session history. If you want to review this information, you must first press the History button.

Pressing the History button allows you to review your session history. It provides a variety of interesting statistical and graphical information about your play. In particular, there is a special tournament plot that shows how your bankroll compares with your opponents' bankrolls. You may perform this review as often as you like and at any time, providing that you are not in the middle of playing a hand. The information displayed will always be up-to-date. If you click using the right-button on your mouse, pressing the History button brings up the Session Summary Window instead.

Pressing the Help button provides the customary access to the Let It Ride Information Desk. In this case, you are transferred directly to the topic that explains tournament play.  Alternatively, if you click using the right-button on your mouse, it  enables balloon help. When this is active and your cursor passes over any item, a balloon pops up with a brief explanation of the item. Pressing the button a second time, using the right-button once again, turns off this function.


Tournament Options
Tournament Configuration Options

The Tournament Tab

When you press the Options button in the starting screen, the Initial Settings window comes up with the tab set to configuration options relating to normal Let It Ride sessions. If you click on the tab labelled Tourney you get the following card:

The settings shown are the original installation defaults. You can restore conditions to these values at any time by pressing the Restore Defaults button. Any changes you make only prescribe initial conditions. During play you still can change options as you wish.

Changing the Options

The topmost panel of options are self-evident. If you click on any of them, you will set the associated initial conditions for all tournament sessions. You can also begin play with any valid bet amount. You need not preset your stake since everyone gets a $1000 stake for each tournament round.

The panel labelled Warning Signals offers two unique controls not available during play. If you wish, you can be signalled when a condition exists where you might need to take special action like increasing your bet. In the default case, neither signal is in effect. The first option signals you when the number of hands remaining in the round is less than or equal to some specified amount. To enable this signal, you must both click on the option and set the hand limit. The second option signals you when you are trailing and the difference between your bankroll and the leading competitor is at least some specified value. To enable this signal, you must click on the option and set the deficit limit.

The signal is fairly unobtrusive. Whenever either condition arises, the top line of text in the Tournament Status Window begins to flash slowly. This should be enough to draw your attention to it to see which condition has occurred. If the signal becomes bothersome, you can turn it off after you have taken action as appropriate by clicking on the flashing line. If you do so, you will not be signalled if the warning condition reoccurs. However, you can start up the monitor again at any time by clicking on the line of text once again. If you have only enabled the hand limit warning, you might as well turn it off after the limit is reached since all subsequent hands would trigger a warning.

The panel labelled Status Window also provides unique controls. In the default case, the Tournament Status Window comes up at full size in the center of the screen, with the window configured so that it stays on top of all other windows and is always visible. Since this obscures information on your table layout, you will need to move it to a more convenient location and, possibly, reduce it to its minimum size. Using these controls, you can set it up so that the window is properly configured on startup.

Pressing the Change Card Deck button displays a set of alternative card designs. You can choose any one of them you wish for use during tournament sessions.

The Help in Context button supplements the normal Help button at the bottom right of the window. Pressing it transfers you to an Information Desk topic specifically relating to tournament sessions.


Tournament Rules

The basic rules of play are the same in a tournament as in the normal Let It Ride session. To accommodate a competition, however, there are differences in how Let It Ride operates and in which of its features are available for use. The following list itemizes the special rules applicable to tournaments.

Rounds -- There are four rounds in a tournament, each consisting of 200 hands. At the end of each round, your bankroll is compared to the other two players at your table and the highest bankroll determines the winner. If there is a two-way or even a three-way tie, additional hands are played in a sudden-death playoff between the tied players until a clear winner is established. Note that, in a two-way playoff, the winner might actually end up with a lower bankroll than the player who was excluded. This allows you to bet freely, based only on the player(s) with whom you are currently competing.

 Stake -- You receive a non-redeemable stake of $1000 at the beginning of each round and you are not permitted to purchase additional chips.

Bankroll -- This is just a measure of success. You don't get to keep your final bankroll and there is no rollover into the next round, i.e. all players start each new round with the same $1000 stake. If you go bankrupt during the round, you lose. You are bankrupt whenever your bankroll is insufficient to cover the minimum required bet. If both of your opponents go bankrupt, you automatically win this round and proceed to the next one. If both you and your opponents go simultaneously bankrupt, there is no winner at the table and, as far as you are concerned, the tournament is over. This applies also to a sudden-death playoff, so be careful with your bets!

Betting -- The normal minimum ($5) and maximum ($50) bets are in effect and no bonus bets are allowed. Much of the special tournament strategy revolves around proper choice of the bet amount. Each player may want to respond to his opponents' bets as well as their relative bankrolls. As a result, bets must be placed in turn. To facilitate this, players are required to bet in turn, moving clockwise (or right-to-left) around the table. The dealer flags which player must bet first by placing a marker, called the bug, at the upper right corner of the player's cards. The bug position is chosen randomly for the first hand and then rotates one position clockwise for each succeeding hand.

Peeking -- Some players allow peeking; others do not. If you peek at one of your opponent's cards, he will peek at yours and make proper use of what he sees. It is up to you to decide if that's a good deal or not.

Hints -- To keep the competition fair, the dealer cannot suggest the proper plays. Thus, neither hinting nor auto mode is available during a tournament. You are on your own.


Tournament Strategy

General Principles

Unless you have a good reason to do so, you would do well to stick to the basic and enhanced strategies recommended for normal Let It Ride sessions. There are circumstances, however, when your competitive situation in the tournament requires something different. In addition, just as in any kind of head-to-head poker, sometimes you may want to deviate from your normal play just to put your opponents off their game. This is a real possibility in this computer version of Let It Ride. Although your opponents are played by the computer, they have quite human characteristics and they may indeed react to what you are doing!

The normal strategies are very good ones and they optimize your chance of coming out a winner in an ordinary session of Let It Ride. From a tournament competition standpoint, however, they have a deficiency. This is because they are also designed to minimize your chance of a large loss. While this is normally desirable, it can be too conservative for tournament play where conserving your bankroll is not the highest priority. If you get substantially behind, particularly if there are relatively few hands remaining in the round, you should be willing to take greater risks in trying to catch up.

The suggestions that follow are just that; I have no "best" strategy to offer. You will have to develop your own. One major issue is deciding when to react. What does it mean to be "substantially behind"? If your normal bet is the minimum ($5), then even a $50 gap might be significant. But if you still have 100 hands to go, perhaps not.

Choosing a Bet Size

A $1000 stake is substantial, but it can dissipate quickly if you bet heavily and get a bad run of cards. In general, I recommend sticking to $5 or $10 bets unless you have an urgent need to catch up. When you get behind and need bigger winnings, try slowly increasing your bet size rather than jumping to a very large bet. Sometimes, you won't have the luxury of doing this. If one of your opponents gets a very big hand and jumps into a large lead, you may have to risk everything to get within shooting distance of him. Also, when the round is almost done, say 15 or fewer hands to go, you may have no choice but to bet heavily and hope for the best. But keep an eye on your opponent. If he is also betting heavily, he might sustain significant losses that reduce his lead.

Modifying Your Play

As noted above, the normal strategy for playing the hand is fairly conservative. The following approach is recommended by Stanley Ko for circumstances when you must risk more in order to catch up. Basically, it is an attempt to increase your chances of a big winning hand, at the cost of a slightly higher overall risk of loss. The rule is to stick to the normal 3-card and 4-card strategies except for the following cases:

Three cards of different suits -- Let your first bet ride for a low pair and for any open-ended or two-way straight that contains three high cards, such as 10, J, K.

Three cards of the same suit -- Let your first bet ride for any open-ended or two-way straight and for any one-way straight that contains at least one high card, such as 6, 9, 10. Also let this bet ride for any hand with at least two high cards.

Four cards of different suits -- Let your second bet ride with any open-ended straight.


Unregistered Usage
Unregistered Usage of Let It Ride

The following limitations are imposed for unregistered users of Let It Ride:

Peeking --- You can only peek at your neighbor's cards for the first 20 hands of a session.

Tournament Competition --- You can only participate in one round of 50 hands, rather than the normal four rounds of 200 hands each. Also, there is no capability to resume play using the Pause or Exit buttons on the Tournament Control Panel.

Simulation --- The maximum length of a simulation is 200 hands; peeking is not allowed; and none of the termination options may be selected.

Ongoing Sessions --- When you exit from Let It Ride, all session information is discarded so that you cannot resume play at a later date.

Tip Editor --- The capability to use this utility to customize your version of Let It Ride is not supported.

Fantasy Play --- Only the variation with a joker in the deck is available and the option to replace one of your cards is not offered.

Program Default Options --- This capability to configure Let It Ride to suit your preferences is not offered to unregistered users.


Usage Charges
These are the charges you incurred for insurance or from exercising surrender and replacement options during a fantasy session.


Using the Editor Toolbar
Using the Tip Editor Toolbar

All editing functions are performed by pressing buttons on the editor toolbar. Most of them will be familiar from their appearance in other editors. When your cursor passes over one of the buttons, a brief descriptive message appears in the status panel at the bottom of the editor window. The buttons are grouped according to their use, as illustrated below:

These buttons are used to manage files. Press the first button to open a new file for editing. The second button opens an existing file and the third button saves the current file. When you initially start the editor, it always automatically opens a new file for you to edit. Normally, you would want to edit the existing Tips and Trivia file, so you would press the second button to do this. When you open a new or existing file, the editor will ask you if you want to save the current file. If you haven't changed this file, just cancel this request.

Pressing this button will print the current item.

These buttons are used to manage items, i.e. the separate messages in the file. To switch to the previous or next item, press the arrow buttons. These move circularly through the file. To remove all text from the current item, press the button with a blank box. To add a new item after the currently displayed item, press the plus button. To delete the current item and remove it from the file, press the button with an "X" over the box. (Don't worry, you will be asked to confirm any deletion.)

These are the usual cut, copy, and paste operations.

This is an undo button. Pressing it will undo the last text modification. You can press it repeatedly to back up even further in your editing.

These buttons control character formatting. To input or change text to bold or italics, press one of the first two buttons. If the text is already in that format, pressing the button returns it to normal text. You can quickly increase or decrease the font size using the next two buttons. For more general font changes, press function key F2 instead. This opens the usual font selection dialog, allowing you to pick any font available on your system and set both its size and its style. The final button allows you to pick a font color.

These buttons control paragraph formatting. To left-justify or center the current paragraph, press one of the first two buttons. To convert the current paragraph into a bulleted list item, press the third button. To indent or remove indents, press one of the last two buttons.

This button provides the customary access to this Let It Ride Information Desk. In this case, it immediately transfers to the Tip Editor topic. However, you are free to read any information you choose.


Using the Information Desk

Why You Should Read This

Even if you are an experienced Windows user, you might profit from a few tips about how to make use of this help file. There is a lot of information here, maybe more than is needed. My thought was to err on the side of too much help rather than too little. But as a result, knowing how to navigate effectively is all the more important.

Information Desk Organization

The information here consists of topics organized into a tree-structure. Actually, an upside-down tree might be more accurate. The table of contents is at the top and branching below it are several main topics. Each of these topics has sub-topics, and so on. The sequence of topics at any level was chosen to give a full and meaningful discussion of some subject. Sub-topics expand on their master topic, providing additional information.

Finding Information

The Information Desk is built upon the capabilities of the Windows Help Engine. I am sure you have used similar tools before. But a scan of its methods for finding information listed below might reveal some new insights.

Index Search --- If you have only a vague idea of what you are looking for, try the index. This is supported by the Search button on the toolbar at the top of this window. The index provides an alphabetized list of keywords to help you find an appropriate topic or topics.

Cross-References --- The most striking feature of help files is their numerous cross-references. They are similar to the phrase "See page 27" in a book. If you click on a cross-reference you will instantly jump to another topic, which might be anywhere in the tree. Cross-references are flagged by green text with a solid underline. When your cursor passes over them, it turns into a hand shape. In some cases, there are even cross-references built into graphics images. These will not be visibly marked, but you can still recognize them because of the way your cursor changes. Whenever this possibility exists, there will always be a comment in the text to let you know.

Footnotes --- Brief explanations of terms in the text are flagged by green text with a dotted underline. As with cross-references, your cursor turns into a hand when it passes over them. If you click on these footnotes, a small window pops up with the explanation. Clicking anywhere outside of the window closes the footnote and you can proceed.

Browsing --- Often, topics at a given level of the tree are linked into a browse set so that you can get a full explanation in a logical sequence. To go forward or backward in this sequence, press the arrow buttons on the toolbar. These buttons will only be active while you are within a defined browse set. Whenever you see a bulleted list of cross-references, this is a browse set.  Clicking on the first, or any one, in the list will drop you downward one level in the tree and put you into the browse set.

Climbing --- If you want to climb upward one level in the tree, press the Up button on the toolbar. This takes you from a subtopic to its master topic, and so on all the way up to the table of contents. This tool is particularly useful if you have used the index to find something and want to know more general information on this topic.

Walking Backward --- No matter where you are or how you got there, you can retrace your steps by pressing the Back button on the toolbar. This progressively walks backward through each topic you have read. It is particularly useful if you have just checked a cross-reference and want to return to the original topic.

Leapfrogging --- If you want to go backward to a topic that you read sometime earlier, you could walk backward of course, but a better method might be to press the History button on the toolbar. This presents you with a list of the topics you have visited in reverse chronological order. Just select the topic you want and you are there.

Using Bookmarks --- If you see something of interest that you might want to revisit, place a bookmark using the Bookmark menu item. Give it a name you will easily recognize. Thereafter, you can return to this bookmark by selecting from a list of bookmarks provided under the same menu item. You may place any number of bookmarks in the file and they are permanent. If the list gets cluttered, you can remove bookmarks by choosing Delete in the dialog offered by the Bookmark menu item.


Using the Simulation Control Panel
Using Simulation Controls

The simulation controls are a set of five buttons along the bottom of the window.

Pressing this button starts the simulation run according to the options you have set.

If for any reason you want to halt the simulation prematurely, press this button and it will stop with a final simulation snapshot.

After the run is finished, as flagged in the status indicator, pressing this button allows you to review its history. The outputs are identical to those you get in a normal session of play by pressing the History button on the Session Control Panel.

Pressing this button ends simulation and returns you to the opening screen, where you can either exit or begin a new session of normal play.

This button provides the customary access to this Let It Ride Information Desk. In this case, it immediately transfers to the topic: Performing Simulations. However, you are free to read any information you choose. Alternatively, if you click using the right-button on your mouse, it  enables balloon help. When this is active and your cursor passes over any item, a balloon pops up with a brief explanation of the item. Pressing the button a second time, using the right-button once again, turns off this function.


Walk Away
This final amount is how much you have left at the end of play.


Win Streak
This is the longest sequence of consecutive winning hands so far.


Winning Bets and Payoffs

Regular Payoffs

After you have made your second (final) bet decision, the dealer turns over his last card and pays all winners according to the payoff schedule. Losing bets are forfeited. Payments are made directly to your bankroll. Winning bets remain on the table for the next hand. If you wish you can pick them up and place them in your bankroll by clicking on the chips. The following message appears in the upper left corner of the table layout when you win. In this example, you got a really good hand and were lucky enough to have a bonus bet too!

If you want to see the payoff schedule that is covered by this message, click anywhere on the message. This isn't essential as the message will be removed when you begin the next hand.

Bonus Payoffs

Bonus payoffs are handled a little differently. When you win a bonus, it is placed directly on the table over the bonus spot. You can pick your payoff up by clicking on it. You don't actually have to do this, since the dealer will do it for you before you play the next hand or when you are exiting play. This is what the table looks like when you have won the bonus mentioned above. It's nice to see the big bucks, isn't it? Notice that all three bets are still in place because you let them all ride, you crafty player!


Your Dealer
This is a picture of your dealer, Sam. You may see his face from time to time, since he will pop up if he needs to tell you something. In the opening screen, you can click on the Seat Available sign to greet your dealer.


Your Tournament Opponents

Selecting the Competitors

There is a large pool of eligible competitors from which your opponents are selected. You will not meet the same competitors twice during a given tournament, but you are likely to compete against them again in a later tournament. During each round, you have two opponents, seated on either side of you. Each opponent is identified by a name plate such as this:

These players have certain characteristics, as explained below, so it will pay to remember what you have learned while competing against them.

Strategies

Each player follows a specific strategy for betting and play, but not all are alike. Some play very well and others not so well. Part of your challenge in tournament competition is to recognize and respond effectively to what your opponents are doing. To make life interesting, I won't reveal what these strategies are, except to say that there are eight distinct strategies and almost all of the players are consistent in following one of them. Just as in real life, about 10% of the players are inconsistent. They may follow any of the strategies, although they stick to one throughout a given tournament round.

Peeking

In a normal Let It Ride session, you may peek at your neighbor's cards and make use of what you see in planning your play of the hand. During a tournament, however, your neighbor is playing against you and might naturally object to this. Some players do and others don't. Those who allow peeking will have a Peek button visible. Keep in mind that if you peek at either competitor's cards, he or she will peek at yours and make profitable use of the information. (Your opponents will never peek at one another regardless of your actions.)


ZIP file
A ZIP file is a set of files compressed by a commonly-available utility called PKZIP. To extract and uncompress the installation files, you must have Version 2.04g (or later) of this utility. It is widely available for downloading on any of the on-line services.


bonuses
Bonus payoffs typically range from $25 for a straight up to $20,000 for a royal flush. The payoff schedule is either printed on the table layout or displayed on a sign.


bug
A bug is probably not what you thought. It is a token or a specially marked chip often used in casinos to flag who must play or bet first. The dealer rotates the bug among the players as appropriate to the game.


comments and suggestions
I can be reached through CompuServe (73220,276), by Internet E-mail (73220.276@compuserve.com), or by FAX (310-377-1083).


community cards
Community cards are shared by all players and are used to make up the standard 5-card poker hand.


exceptions
There was a time when roulette wheels were not properly maintained so that resourceful gamblers could determine their biases. Also, there is the famous instance of the "Australian pull" that worked with some mechanical slot machines until the casinos got wise. As for the current case where you can beat the house --- well I'm not crazy enough to tell you about that!


great precision
Just in case you're interested, you can expect to get a winning hand on 23.878% of the plays.


house percentage
The house percentage is the minimum proportion of your total wagers that the casino expects to win over a large number of hands. The casino "take" is larger when players don't play skillfully. This estimate is not really accurate over just a  few hours of play, during which both the player and the house have good chances for bigger winnings.


let it ride
Once the player lets a bet ride he is committing to play it for this hand. The winning strategies center around when to let bets ride and when to scratch them.


lock
A lock is any sure winner. When you can only see your three cards, the lock hands are a high pair or three of a kind. When you can see one of the dealer's cards, the lock hands are a high pair, two pairs, three of a kind, or four of a kind.


net return
Net return is the amount you have won or lost. At any instant it is the difference between your current bankroll and your stake in the game.


personal strategy
It's possible that you might find an improvement on the strategies described here. The book Mastering the Game of Let It Ride briefly discusses one possible improvement, i.e. the development of a 3-card enhanced strategy while peeking. In addition, there is the entire issue of bet size selection and its relationship to your stake and bankroll. You might come up with something there too. Finally,  the  Fantasy Play variations require entirely new strategies --- and its all up to you!


scratch the bet
Scratching means to take back the bet. The term comes from the way the player signals what he wants to do, i.e. by scratching the table top with his cards. Let It Ride is one of the few games in which a player can take back a bet.


session of play
A session of play is a set of hands played under defined conditions. Any number of hands can comprise a session and you can start a new one at any time. Most sessions involve normal play of the hand. They are started by pressing the Begin button. A simulation session is started by pressing the Simulation button; a tournament session is started by pressing the Tournament button; and a fantasy play session is started by pressing the Fantasy Play button.


snap bankroll
This is the state of your bankroll at the snapshot hand number.


snap bankroll percent
This shows how your bankroll compares to your stake at the snapshot hand number. Values over 100% mean you are currently ahead of the game.


snap bonus count
This shows how many hands won bonus awards.


snap bonuses
This is the total amount you have won in bonus payoffs so far. This will be blank unless you have selected the bonus betting option.


snap hand
This shows the hand number at which the snapshot data were taken.


snap lossstreak
This indicates the maximum number of consecutive losing hands up to this point.


snap maximum
This shows the highest point your bankroll reached up to now. If this reaches your prescribed limit, the simulation will halt.


snap minimum
This shows the lowest point your bankroll reached up to now. If this reaches your prescribed limit or if you have exhausted your stake, the simulation will halt.


snap return
This shows your net return at the snapshot hand number.


snap winstreak
This indicates the maximum number of consecutive winning hands up to this point.


snapshot option
When this option is selected, interim progress reports are provided at the specified interval. Since the simulation runs quite rapidly, intervals shorter than a few hundred hands may be difficult to follow, although you could probably watch one or two key items of interest.


splash screen
This initial screen is not there to annoy you. In fact it is intended for your amusement while the game loads and initializes itself. Registered users get messages, tips, and a random selection of trivia on this screen while they are unavoidably waiting for a few seconds.


statistical measure
For those of you who are not mathematically-challenged, the measure applied is a "sliding window chi-square test." The window size is fairly arbitrarily set at 25 hands. This is the reason that no calculation is possible for the first 25 hands in a session and no graphs relating to it are generated unless you have played at least 30 hands.


status indicator
During a simulation run, this indicator graphically shows progress toward completion. When the run ends it reports how it terminated. Possibilities include: reaching the specified hand limit, hitting a bankroll limit, exhausting your stake, or a canceled run.


uphelp
Pressing the Up button moves you up one level from a subtopic to its master topic. To learn more about navigating in this help file, review the topic: Using the Information Desk.