Who Invented Let-It-Ride Poker? The Story of Mr John Breeding

Let-It-Ride is one of the few poker variants to keep a lasting place in modern casinos. It was introduced in Reno, Nevada, in 1993 by Shuffle Master, a well-known proprietary game provider that designed it, at the time, for marketing purposes.

Mr John Breeding, a former truck driver and founder of Shuffle Master, created Let-It-Ride Poker. He invented the game to help sell his automatic shuffling machines for other classic games, like blackjack. His intention, however, was met with a ready market.

Players wanted a game similar to classic American five-card stud but with unique features. Without hesitation, Mr John pushed Let-It-Ride and received approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board in August 1993, and by October, he began licensing it to casinos.

Today you can play Let-It-Ride at more than 30 Las Vegas casinos, and at hundreds more around the country. From long-haul trucker to gaming inventor, it’s quite a story — read on for the game’s history and success.

The Story of Mr John Breeding & His Poker Game: Let-It-Ride

John Breeding founded Shuffle Master, the Minnesota-based gaming company whose table-game business is now part of Light & Wonder.

He quit trucking in 1983 to build an automatic card shuffler, inspired by a newspaper article about casinos fighting card counting at blackjack. After roughly ten years of work (and several bankruptcies), his single-deck shuffler came to market in early 1992. But it struggled: blackjack was typically dealt from three to five decks, so a single-deck unit had limited appeal.

Troubled as anyone would be, Breeding began to consider what could be the next step for him, seeing that his shuffling machine was receiving little attention in casinos. In a meeting with CDC Gaming, a reputable gambling industry news platform, Breeding said his wife gave him the idea that led him to invent Let-It-Ride poker.

“My wife said, ‘If you’re so smart, why don’t you invent a game that only uses one deck,” Breeding told CDC Gaming. Mr John repurposed his single-deck shuffler into a poker variant based on five-card stud, Let-It-Ride.

In August 1993, the Nevada Gaming Control Board approved Let-It-Ride, patented as a five-card stud poker game. In October, shuffle masters began licensing it to casinos. It first rolled out in Reno, Nevada, and later in Mississippi and Connecticut.

In 2017, Mr John Breeding was inducted into the American Gaming Association's Gaming Hall of Fame.

Dealer Training and Challenges

Let-It-Ride is a single-player game, you play against a fixed paytable, and the dealer holds no hand. That simplicity helped adoption: unlike Derek Webb, who worked hard to promote and teach Three Card Poker, Breeding needed little dealer training. He simply presented the rules of the game to casinos and walked them through the payouts.

What makes Let-It-Ride Different

Let-It-Ride’s appeal comes from a few distinctive features. Players can reduce their bet when a winning hand looks unlikely, or “Let-It-Ride” when their cards are strong. The hand’s strength is revealed gradually. And it’s a solo game: you play against the paytable, not the dealer or other players. For the house’s part, casinos like Let-It-Ride for its relatively high house edge of about 3.51%.

Further Innovation

Let-It-Ride has changed little since its debut. To offset that high edge and to feed players’ appetite to bet small and win big side bets (a 3-Card Bonus and a Progressive Jackpot) were added. They dangle large payouts but carry an even higher house edge.

Those jackpots can be life-changing. On March 29, 2025, a player placed a $5 Let-It-Ride side bet at Encore Boston Harbor and won a record-breaking progressive jackpot of $877,261.40.

Let-It-Ride is also a staple online, and a video version followed in the mid-1990s, rewarding players for making winning hands with three cards.

Final Thoughts

Breeding’s story is a genuinely inspiring one: from driving a long-haul truck to inventing a casino staple he first designed just to promote a shuffler. Let-It-Ride isn’t as popular as Three Card Poker, Caribbean Stud, or Ultimate Texas Hold’em, but it holds a loyal following and a lasting place in Las Vegas. A true favourite of players who like a relaxed, low-pressure game.

FAQs

Who invented Let-It-Ride Poker?

Mr John Breeding, a former truck driver and founder of Shuffle Master, created Let-It-Ride in 1993.

Why is Let-It-Ride popular?

Let-It-Ride's popularity stems from the flexibility it offers players: they can reduce their bet when a winning hand is unlikely or "Let-It-Ride" when they have a strong hand. It also offers side bets with high payouts.