Side Bet City is an engaging live casino poker game by Evolution Gaming, designed to transport players back to the vibrant 1980s in Miami. This unique game offers a straightforward and thrilling experience, perfect for those who enjoy poker but prefer a simpler, faster-paced variant. In Side Bet City, seven cards are dealt from a single deck to form the best possible poker hand, and players can bet on various outcomes.
Playing Side Bet City is refreshingly simple. If you have a basic understanding of poker hand rankings, you'll find this game easy to pick up. The minimum wager is $.50 per hand selection and $50 per hand selection is the maximum wager.
Players can bet on multiple outcomes and can win on multiple outcomes at once with different hand results.
For example: A three of a kind on a 3 card hand would also result in a three of a kind for a 5 card hand, which means that a player with wagers on the 3 card hand and 5 card hand would win both payouts.
Here's another example of a round:
The dealer deals from left-to-right on your screen. The first three cards on the left are the 3 card hand, in this case it forms nothing, which means that those who bet on 3 card hand would lose their wager. The next two cards on the right form a 5 card hand with the previous three cards and in this case formed a Straight, the players who bet on the 5 card hand would win. The players who bet on the 7 card hand would also win with the Straight being formed. The last two cards on the right side of the image could enhance the hand for those wagering on the 7 card hand or affirm the same result as the 5 card hand.
Side Bet City offers various betting options with distinct payouts based on the hand ranking and the number of cards:
| Hand | 3-Card Hand Payout | 5-Card Hand Payout | 7-Card Hand Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 100:1 | 1000:1 | 500:1 |
| Straight Flush | 40:1 | 250:1 | 100:1 |
| Four of a Kind | - | 100:1 | 50:1 |
| Full House | - | 50:1 | 7:1 |
| Flush | 4:1 | 40:1 | 5:1 |
| Straight | 5:1 | 25:1 | 4:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 35:1 | 7:1 | 3:1 |
| Two Pairs | - | 4:1 | - |
| Pair (JJ-AA) | - | 1:1 | - |
| Any Pair | 1:1 | - | - |
The Return to Player (RTP) percentage and house edge vary depending on the type of bet:
Low Risk Strategy: The best strategy for conservative players is to bet on the 3 Card Hand due to its highest RTP. Pairing this with the All Lose wager can provide a safety net, ensuring some return even if your primary bet loses. However, placing the wagers still results in a loss unless a more premium hand is achieved.
High Risk Strategy: For those seeking higher payouts, focusing on the 5 Card Hand is ideal. This strategy aims for the maximum Royal Flush payout of 1000:1. Again, using the All Lose side bet can mitigate potential losses.
Side Bet City is a dynamic and accessible poker game that offers various betting options and potential payouts, making it suitable for both novice and experienced players. However, given the Return to Player (RTP), this is not the best live poker option. The best option would be Evolution's Video Poker and all of the odds for the associated games (Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, etc.) have the same RTP as the RNG oriented games. Would you rather play a game with the highest RTP being 96.69% or a game with the highest RTP being 99.54%? Video Poker is the way to go, not Side Bet City. Plus, with Video Poker, you can play multiple hands at as low as $.10 per hand.
