Side Bet City by Evolution Gaming brings back an 80s vibe to an original new poker-themed card game. If players have ever heard of or played Casino Hold’em or Texas Hold’em, they might have come across Side Bets.
Side bets are additional bets that players make alongside their usual bets. When the players draw a pair of cards and the dealer makes a valid poker hand, it is called a winning hand. Through Side Bet City, the side bet feature has become the central theme of this game.
The game is based around side bets, and no main hand exists. All players are dealt seven cards from a single deck to form the best five or three-card poker hands.
To form a winning hand, players must decide beforehand what the payout will be on the type of their placed bet. Another option is to wager that there won’t be a winning hand!
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Review Of Side Bet City Live
Side Bet City, a game by Evolution Gaming, is not played against a dealer. However, a live dealer is present during the game. The live dealer guides the players with the gameplay of the game and, at the same time, answers any individual queries.
In the game, all payouts and gameplay decisions are done automatically, thus making Side Bet City a perfect fit for all the new poker players unfamiliar with poker hands or their rankings. In-game, stakes start as low as €0.50, and the game’s payout scheme varies between 0.7:1 on a lose-all bet, with the game’s biggest payout of 1000:1 coming in the evasive five-card royal flush.
Side Bet City is played with a standard 52-card deck shuffled with every round. The game starts by simply placing on either of the following options:
Three card hand
Five card hand
Seven card hands or all lose
The betting window is time-restricted, and players must ensure they place their bets within that time frame and before the beginning of the next round. If players miss that time window, they patiently wait and join this exciting game in the next round.
The live dealer deals seven cards; the first three cards decide the outcome of the three-card hand bet. At the same time, the first five cards determine the conclusion of the five-card hand bet.
In the case of the seven-card hand bet, only five are considered out of them. Seven-card poker has a greater chance of forming a solid hand, so payouts are marginally lower than on five-card poker.
Placing a bet on all losses is similar to taking an insurance bet in blackjack. All losses are like a safety net if the usual bets do not pull through. The payout on an all-lose bet is 0.7:1.
Side Bet City Live Game Features
Side Bet City is a simple game for players to place bets on. The first step is to place a bet; players can bet on the third, fifth, or seventh cards. There is also an option to bet on all lost outcomes. Getting a three-bet card is the easiest in the game, followed by the seventh card bet. The fifth card bet, however, has the highest odds and is hard to get.
Let us understand the Side Bet City features in depth. After placing the bets, the dealer gives out seven cards from the standard deck 52. The first one to be dealt will be the third card hand, and the other two sets will follow.
Players think it is hard to understand that when they have won, but it’s the reverse. If a player backs a hand and wins, the winner is automatically declared via a displayed message. All winning procedures follow the same protocol, including all losses.
All players in Side Bet City can back any bet of their choice. The players can also support three-card hands, and they all lose side bet. In this scenario, all losses can work as an insurance bet. As we discussed earlier, the five-card hand has the best payout because of its difficulty in guessing the right option.
One of the best Side Bet City features is the winning card hands displayed on the screen’s right side. This is where it shows the players when they have a winning hand.
Betting Options
The live casino game offers four betting options. First is the three-card one, where the game result is decided by the first three cards from the deck. Five cards where the player’s first five cards determine the result.
The last two betting options include the seven card, where a hand of the best of five is determined. Meanwhile, the all-lose is where a player bets on the presence of no winning hand.
3 Card
The three-card bet in Side Bet City includes going headfirst into action. The goal is to predict the first three cards, which involve high risks that lead to higher rewards. To win, at least a pair of any rank is needed.
5 Card
After the three-card bet comes the five-card bet, which is the most promising of the betting options and gives more payouts; the five cards form the strength of the hand. The first three are then revealed.
The minimum win in this hand at least requires a pair of Jacks or higher; that is why the stakes of this hand are higher than the three-card bet.
7 Card
The go big or go home bet. Players must predict whether the final hand is formed with all seven strong cards to win. The minimum winning hand in this game is three of a kind. It typically pays around 3:1.
All Lose
The all-lose bet involves betting upon none of the hands mentioned above. The players bet all lose when they believe neither three, five, or seven-card will be a winner. Predicting this is big and is considered a bold move as indicating this leads to a big payout and is unexpected.
The all-lose bet is placed before the round. Then, the live dealer deals with all seven cards. After that, if there is no three-hand combination, then the winner is declared.
Winning Hands
Once the bet is played, then, the dealer gives out seven cards that are put face-up on the table. If there are any winning hands, then they are calculated for every bet type.
Let us look at all the valid winning hands in the live casino game.
- A pair- Two cards having the same value.
- A pair to AA or JJ- This involves a pair of Jacks or better. Only applicable in five-card hands.
- Two pairs- Only applicable in five-card hands and involves two sets of pairs.
- Three of a kind- Any three cards that have the same value.
- Straight- A series of cards arranged numerically in order.
- Flush- All cards with the same suit.
- Full house- Hand with three of a kind and a pair.
- Four of a kind- Similar number from every suit.
- Straight flush- A series of cards in the same suit arranged sequentially.
- Royal flush- A series of cards in the same smaller than Ace, i.e. King, Queen, Jack, etc.
Side Bet City Live Casino Game Payouts
All the winning hands have a different payout scheme. As discussed above, the best payout is for the hands in the five-card bet. But this is for a reason: they are the hardest to get. The three-card bet has an average payout and needs the lowest number of qualifying hands.
The seven-card bet offers the lowest payout and occurs the most. The RTP for seven cards is 94.34%. The three card offers a 96.69%, which is way better than the seven card.
Royal Flush | 100:1 | 1000:1 | 500:1 |
Straight Flush | 40:1 | 250:1 | 100:1 |
Three of a kind | 35:1 | 7:1 | 3:1 |
Straight | 5:1 | 25:1 | 4:1 |
Four of a kind | 100:1 | 50:1 | |
Flush | 4:1 | 40:1 | 5:1 |
Full house | 50:1 | 7:1 | |
Two pairs | 4:1 | ||
Pair JJ-AA | 1:1 | ||
Any Pair | 1:1 | 1000:1 | 500:1 |
All lose gives 0.70:1 |
RTP and Odds
The RTP and odds in Side Bet City Live can vary from one bet to another. Different bets have different RTPs and depend on the casino the player plays with.
Usually, the three-card bet offers an RTP of 96.69%, very high for games at online casinos. The odds stack up around 24%. Five-card bets reach an RTP of 95.21%, while their winning odds are around 44%.
While the seven-card bet has the lowest RTP in the game, 94.34%, the lowest RTP in Side Bet City, and their odds of winning are 34%. All lost side bets have an RTP of 96.29%, with the odds of winning around 19%.
How To Play Side Bet City
Side Bet City by Evolution Gaming feels like an episode of Miami Vice. The game has neon lights, an arcade feel, and 80s memorabilia. Some in-game live dealers play the game.
The male dealers dress like Don Johnson and have that 80s Florida and Miami feel. This makes an actual 1980s theme and helps players go back in time.
Apart from the studio and the get-up off the dealers, let us understand how the game works. The first step is finding the right online casino and searching for the game. Once that’s done players can look over the few betting options.
The main bets involve three cards, five cards, and seven cards. The strength of the final hand is used in betting from that. Then comes the side bet, i.e. the all-lose bet. Each bet has its minimum and maximum betting limit to it.
Then, the live dealer deals seven cards facedown from which the first three are revealed for a three-card bet. The players’ winning bets depend upon their hand, which consists of a certain number of cards, three, five or seven and a basic poker hand ranking.
The payouts depend on the chosen bet type and the strength of the particular hand.
Side Bet City Winning Strategies
Since Side Bet City has a variety of card bets, there should be a betting strategy for all of those.
The three-card bet offers frequent wins and is less risky. Betting on it is safe, and players can still profit from it. The five-card bet is both a risk and a reward. It depends on what is present in the player’s hand before splitting pairs. In these cases, the dealers tend to have the advantage.
The high risk is the seven-card bet. It requires both patience and a higher bankroll. Briefly check hand distributions and the options of straight or straight flush.
Then comes the side bet in the form of a loss bet. The reward from this bet is unpredictable, and hence, the odds of this are the highest.
Understand the Payouts
Understanding the payout in any game is essential as players are playing to win big at the end of the day. Players can briefly realise what they will get from their move from the payout table above.
Analysing the structure of the payouts is essential as it will only help in the long run.
Start with Small Bets
The golden rule of any live casino game is to start slow. Understand the game’s mechanism; if it has a demo version, it is advisable to play that and start investing the real money.
It is always nice to start with smaller bets, no matter how big a player’s bankroll is. Treat it as a marathon; hence, at the beginning, the players would like to warm up, and smaller bets can be that warmup. The chances of loss will be less and will be recovered in the longer run.
Take Breaks
Playing with smaller bets and taking breaks in between is the right way. Whether it is continuous wins or losses, it is always advised to take some time off. Treat it as a fun activity and not an addiction.
Plan the breaks even before starting the game and stick to it.
Play Gamble Responsibly
The last and most important thing is to gamble responsibly. Do not overdo anything, and stick to the rules. Make it healthy and follow all the protocols talked above. Play it for fun and avoid chasing losses.
If longer dry spells arrive, call it a day and start fresh from the next day.