Live Side Bet City by Evolution: 80s-Themed Fast-Paced Poker Action [2025 Review]

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Live Side Bet City Review

Game Specifications
Game name	Side Bet City
Game provider	Evolution
Game type	Poker
Streaming from	Latvia, Malta
RTP	94.34%
Bet range	€0.5 - €5000
Max win
Side bets	No
Supported platforms
Supported OS
Languages	Albanian Bulgarian Chinese Croatian Czech English +15 All supported languages Albanian Bulgarian Chinese Croatian Czech English Finnish German Hebrew Italian Japanese Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish

2019 was a particularly active year for Evolution, marked by several high-profile releases, including branded titles such as Monopoly Live and Deal or No Deal. Among their new live table games, one that especially stands out is Side Bet City. Inspired by 1980s aesthetics, the game presents a distinct poker-themed experience in a neon-lit studio environment. With multiple optional bets available, the interface may seem complex at first glance, which is why understanding how the game works is helpful before diving in.

Live Side Bet City is one of several Evolution Gaming releases introduced in 2019. The provider announced a broad lineup of new content that year, with games like Free Bet Blackjack and Lightning Dice reaching casinos earlier in the year. Side Bet City followed in June, introducing a poker-style concept with unconventional rules and a visually striking studio presentation. Despite its unique setup, the game remains easy to learn—even for players unfamiliar with online poker.

The studio is designed to evoke a retro 1980s atmosphere, complete with neon lights and a rectangular poker table resembling a stylish nightclub counter. Unlike traditional poker titles, Side Bet City is played against a paytable, not against a dealer or other players. Because of this structure, standard poker strategies do not apply here.

Side Bet City is the newest poker variant added to Evolution-powered live casinos and is based entirely on standard poker hand rankings. No special skills or decision-making elements are required. You simply place one or more optional bets and the outcome is determined automatically by the cards dealt. The poker hands displayed on screen are formed solely from the cards the dealer reveals—no additional actions influence the result.

There is no main bet or Ante wager. All available bets are optional, and you may choose any combination of them. The betting options include 3-Card Hand, 5-Card Hand, 7-Card Hand, and All Lose. As cards are dealt, the interface highlights any potential winning hands in the bottom-right corner. At the end of the round, the game displays whether your selected bets won or lost. An unlimited number of players can participate simultaneously, and outcomes are determined exclusively by the paytable rather than head-to-head play against the dealer.

The studio has an immense visual appeal

Not your typical poker game, yet simple enough for beginners

The interface includes access to live chat and multiple audio and visual settings

The developer uses a premium multi-camera rig to capture the gameplay

The game is coded in HTML5 and image quality is guaranteed throughout

Because Side Bet City does not involve player decisions, the game functions as a chance-based poker variant. The dealer reveals cards in stages from a single deck:

The first three cards determine the outcome of the 3-Card Hand bet.
The next two cards complete the 5-Card Hand outcome.
The final two cards form the 7-Card Hand, while also confirming the result of the All Lose wager.

The All Lose bet wins only if none of the 3-Card, 5-Card, or 7-Card Hand bets form a qualifying poker hand. Importantly, you may choose to place only the All Lose wager if you prefer.

Each bet type has different payouts and its own Return to Player (RTP) percentage. For example, a royal flush pays:

100:1 on the 3-Card Hand
1,000:1 on the 5-Card Hand
500:1 on the 7-Card Hand

RTP values vary as well:

3-Card Hand: 96.69%
All Lose: 96.29%
5-Card Hand: 95.21%
7-Card Hand: 94.34%

These figures give players an idea of which wagers have comparatively higher long-term return potential. While results are always unpredictable, bets with higher RTP—such as the 3-Card Hand and All Lose—tend to appeal to players seeking more consistent outcomes. The All Lose wager pays only 0.7:1, but it wins relatively often due to its structure.

Players looking for occasional larger payouts may choose to add the 5-Card Hand bet from time to time, as it offers the biggest potential prizes. Ultimately, Side Bet City is a simple, RNG-free poker-style game where the best approach is to choose bets based on your preferred balance of volatility and entertainment.

How to Play Evolution Live Side Bet City Online

The swift, 80s-themed live poker variant from Evolution Gaming uses one deck of 52 cards. The cards are shuffled after each round. The table is open 24/7 and there is no limit to the number of players that can join at any one time. All the participants have a fifteen-second betting window to place their wagers, and only after they’re done with placing bets the dealer will proceed to lay out the cards from a manual shoe. Bettors can wager on one or more of the four bets – 3, 5 or 7-card hand, or on the ‘All Lose’ option. They are all very clearly presented below the video feed.
First, the dealer deals the initial three cards face-up. Thus, the 3-card result is revealed. Next, the dealer then adds the following two cards, revealing the result for the 5-card hand. Finally, the croupier will deal the remaining two cards and reveal the outcome of the 7-card hand. Various digital overlays will indicate over the course of the dealing which players have won their bets. The poker paytable is the same as always, only there are three sets of odds for each bet: Any Pair, Pair JJ-AA, Two Pairs, Three of a Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush and Royal Flush. For the Royal Flush, the odds are 100:1 (3-card hand), 1000-1 (5-card hand) and 500:1 (7-card hand).

Our Verdict of Live Side Bet City

Just like previous Evolution’s products, Live Side Bet City performs exceedingly well across all devices. It is a retro game with all the advanced functionalities developed by the industry’s leading live casino solutions provider. It benefits from professional dealers, both female and male, as well as from a multitude of betting possibilities. The table limits are affordable too, so if you like poker, don’t think twice about Side Bet City.

Excellent

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