Let It Ride Poker History

In terms of age let it ride poker is a recent development having been introduced in casinos in 1993. Compare this to other casino games such as roulette or baccarat which are hundreds of years old. The story of how let it ride came about is an interesting one.

The game was not initially developed to make players happy but rather to sell products. Let it ride poker was invented by the Shuffle Master Company in order to get their new automatic shuffling machines on to casino floors.

In 1992 Shuffle Master had developed the BG-1 shuffler and while the technology was a vast improvement on human shuffling the land-based casinos did not take to the new method. Shuffle Master had to come up with a new game that was tied to their new technology.

From this let it ride poker was born and was first seen on casinos floors in Reno, Nevada. The game increased the uptake of the shuffling machines and saw Shuffle Master release the BG-2 and BG-3 models. It took almost five years for the shuffling machines to become common in Las Vegas.

Today let it ride poker tables are found at virtually all casinos and automatic shuffling machines are also very common. This has not stopped Shuffle Master developing new variations on the game with Let It Ride Bonus being released a few years ago with a $1 side bet that pays if the players first three cards hold a pair or better.

Some casinos have also introduced a progressive jackpot version of the game where a $1 side bet can win big money if you get a royal flush or a straight flush. Typically these games pay 100% of the jackpot for a royal and 10% of the jackpot for a straight flush.

One of the latest development for let it ride players is the ability to play on the Internet. Online casinos started to feature the game in 2003 when InterCasino launched the first online version. Now all of the big software providers feature at least one game so you can play for free or real money in the comfort of your own home.