The game free ride is a modified version of Let It Ride. free ride is found almost exclusively at online casinos. I have yet to see free ride at a casino in Las Vegas.

Most casino table games have a history. They have either been around for a long time or they are a modification of another game that has been around for a long time. Let It Ride is different. It was invented by Shuffle Master to help market it's single-deck shuffling machines. Let It Ride was introduced to Nevada casinos in 1993 and quickly became a hit with many table game players.

The game of free ride is played on a blackjack-like table with, of course, a shuffling machine. It is an unusual type of poker game where you put up all your bets before the first cards are dealt and then you can pull your bets back one-by-one if you don't like the way your free ride hand develops. If you do like the cards, you can just let your bets ride, as indicated by the name of the game. You can also make an optional side bet to qualify for an additional bonus payout.

The game free ride is basically the same as Let It Ride, except instead of placing all your bets before the cards are dealt, you only put up the first bet. As the fourth and fifth cards are dealt, you have the option of placing an additional bet after each card if you like the way your free ride hand is shaping up. You are not required to place additional bets if you don't like your free free ride, but you cannot pull back your original free ride bet.

The game of free ride is easy to learn. Winning free ride hands are based on the standard poker hands, with no wild cards. However, unlike blackjack and regular poker, you don't play against the dealer or other players at the free ride table. Instead, the value of your final free ride hand is determined by a fixed payout schedule. Consequently, the bluffing and normal playing strategies that are used in traditional poker games do not apply to free ride.

When free ride begins, you place an initial bet. Three cards are dealt to you, at which point you must decide whether to add to your bet or pass. Either way another card is dealt, and you have a final opportunity to bet or pass before the last free ride card is dealt. Once all five cards are on the free ride table your hand pays out according to its value:

Royal Flush: 1000 to 1
Straight flush: 200 to 1
Four of a kind: 50 to 1
Full house: 11 to 1
Flush: 8 to 1
Straight: 5 to 1
Three of a kind: 3 to 1
Two pair: 2 to 1
Pair of tens or higher: 1 to 1
Less than a pair of tens: Lose your bet

There is also a Progressive coin slot that costs $1 to play in free ride. It produces a bonus payout for good hands:

Royal Flush: %100 of Progressive jackpot
Straight flush: %10 of Progressive jackpot
Four of a kind: $250
Full house: $150
Flush: $100

NOTE: The maximum payout on free ride is $50,000 per hand.

Statistically, free ride is a negative expectation game. There is no free ride strategy that will overcome the house edge and make free ride profitable for the player. You must, however, use some reasonable strategy when playing free ride or you can deplete your bankroll very quickly.

When you play free ride there are four basic decisions you have to make: 1) how much money to wager on the original bet; 2) whether or not to place the one dollar progressive jackpot bet; 3) whether or not to make the first additional bet; and 4) whether or not to make the second additional bet. Each of these four choices will have a major effect on how much on win at free ride.

There have been attempts to develop a simplified strategy for free ride. However, every time researchers backed off from the best mathematical free ride strategy, the house edge just got out of hand. Therefore, there is only a single strategy choice for free ride, which is a mathematically perfect strategy. This strategy is not that complex, so even casual recreational free ride players can memorize it easily.

There is only one reasonable approach to free ride strategy. It is called the perfect strategy, and it is outlined on this page. As the name implies the free ride perfect strategy gets the house take as low as mathematically possible. It is summarized as follows:

Perfect Playing Strategy for free ride

Rule 1: Never bet more than the table minimum.

Rule 2: Never place a one-dollar bet on the progressive jackpot.

Rule 3: Three-Card Strategy - Only make the first additional free ride bet if your initial three-card hand contains any of the following: Any paying hand (pair of tens or better), A possible royal flush, ore a possible straight flush.

Rule 4: Four-Card Strategy - Only make the second additional bet is your four-card free ride hand contains any of the following: Any paying hand (pair of tens or better), a possible flush, an open ended straight.

The four rules given for the free ride perfect strategy work very well for most serious and recreational free ride players. It squeezes the last little bit out of the house advantage and may keep you from losing your shirt too quickly. So that you understand them correctly, we will review each of the rules in some detail.

Since free ride is a negative expectation game, the more you bet, the faster you will drain you resources. So always play the table minimum when playing free ride. You won't lose so fast. Also, by placing the minimum free ride bets, there is no chance that you will run up against the aggregate payout limit, no matter what the limit is. You wouldn't want to place large bets, get a hot free ride hand, and then get shortchanged on the payout.

Investing one dollar in the free ride progressive jackpot is a much greater negative expectation gamble than the basic game. In most casinos, the house percentage on the bonus payout ranges from 25% to 35%, or more. Yes there are schedules that pay the house only 13% or less, but they are very hard to find. Since the house edge on basic free ride (with perfect strategy) is as little as 3.5%, why hurt yourself by betting the bonus?

Place the first additional bet if your initial three-card hand contains any paying hand. With three cards the only possible paying hands are three-of-a-kind or a pair of tens or better. If you have one of these winning free ride hands, you don't have to think any further. Just place both additional bets and collect your winnings.

Place the first additional bet if your initial three-card free ride hand contains a possible royal flush. A possible royal flush consists of any three cards from a ten to an ace, all of the same suit. Since the payoff for a royal flush is 1000 to 1, the reason for this rule is obvious.

Place the first additional bet if your initial three-card free ride hand contains a possible straight flush. This may be either an inside or outside straight flush. If it is inside, however, it should have no more than a one-card gap in the sequence. This free ride hand is worth playing because of the high 200-to-1 payoff; if you miss it, you may still get a flush.

Three-card free ride hands that should not be played: In free ride, there seems to be a tendency for some people to bet hands on which the hand should not be made. Many of them will hopefully play a three-card straight with the odds against completing it being much. Also, never bet on a pair lower than tens. The chance of picking up a third card of the same rank or making two pairs is worse than the payoff odds of 3 to 1.

Place the second additional bet if your four-card free ride hand contains any paying free ride hand. In addition to three-of-a-kind and a pair of tens or better, a pat four-card free ride hand can also be two pairs or four-of-a-kind. If you have any of these, you know what to do.

Place the second additional bet if your four-card free ride hand contains all cards of the same suit. In addition to a possible flush, this would include any possible straight flushes and royal flushes.

Place the second additional bet if your four-card free ride hand contains an open-ended straight. This is a four-card sequence with no gaps, and open at both ends. Thus, the lowest card should not be less than a deuce and the highest card should not be greater than a king.

Four-card free ride hands that should not be played: Some people have a tendency to bet on inside straights. This is never a good idea. So you started off with a three-card straight flush and the fourth card was out of suit and turned into an inside straight. Cut your losses and don't place the second additional free ride bet. Or, you were hoping to convert that low pair into a trip. It didn't happen on the fourth card, and it probably won't happen with the fifth one.

There you have the free ride perfect strategy. The free ride strategy may not make you a ton of money, but it can help prevent you from losing too much. Good luck.