Side Bet City

Introduction

Side Bet City is a unique table game offered by Evolution Gaming, known for its live dealer games in online casinos. The game has straightforward rules, where the dealer first deals three cards followed by additional cards to form a five-card hand and then a seven-card hand. Players have the option to wager on the poker strength of any or all of these hands, with the possibility of losing. Along with the introduction of a No Win bet, the gameplay remains similar to traditional poker. 3-5-7 Poker with different pay tables.

Rules

1. This game utilizes a standard 52-card deck.
2. The scoring for hands follows standard poker rules, which I trust the reader is already acquainted with.
3. There are four different types of bets you can place, outlined as follows:
   • 3 Card Hand
   • 5 Card Hand
   • 7 Card Hand
   • No Win
4. The result of bets on the 3 Card Hand is influenced by the poker value assigned to the initial three cards dealt, following the pay table provided below.
5. For bets placed on the 5 Card Hand, the winning outcome is determined by evaluating the poker value of the first five cards dealt, in accordance with the pay table below.
6. The results for bets on the 7 Card Hand depend on the poker value of all seven cards dealt, guided by the pay table below.
7. If all three hands do not win, the 'No Win' bet pays out at a rate of 0.7 to one.

The accompanying tables display the payouts for each hand type on the 3-, 5-, and 7-Card Hand bets. Payouts are structured on a 'for one' basis.

Analysis

The next table presents an analysis of the 3 Card Hand bet, revealing a house edge of 3.31% in the bottom right cell.

In the subsequent table, an overview of the 5 Card Hand bet is provided, indicating a house edge of 4.79% in the lower right cell.

The following table offers insight into the 7 Card Hand bet, with a house edge of 5.66% displayed in the lower right cell.

The next table contains my evaluation of the No Win bet, showcasing a house edge of 3.71% in the bottom right corner.

Methodology

To tackle the complexity of finding a mathematical solution, I opted to develop a simple looping program. Here's how it works:

1. Iterate through all 22,100 combinations of selecting 3 cards from a total of 52.
2. If the three-card hand results in a win, increase the losing combinations by combin(49,2)*combin(47,2)=1,271,256. If it does not win, proceed to the next step.
3. Loop through the 1,176 ways to select 2 cards from the remaining 49 cards in the deck, which will be combined with the three-card hand to form a five-card hand.
4. Should the five-card hand win, increase the losing combinations by combin(47,2)=1081. If it doesn't win, skip to step 5.
5. Finally, loop through all 1,081 combinations of selecting 2 cards from the remaining 47 cards in the deck, to be used with the five-card hand and create a seven-card hand.
6. If the seven-card hand is successful, add one to the losing combinations. If it fails, add one to the winning combinations.

External Links

• Discussion Learn more about Side Bet City on my forum at Wizard of Vegas.

Written by: Michael Shackleford