The Game of Casino War

Many people are familiar with the game of War. Playing it in the back seat of a parent’s car or one an airplane during a long trip to grandma’s house it is a game that has been played by youths for decades. Today you can enjoy the very same game in the casino setting. Not only that, but it is one of the few games where players have a good chance to beat the house more than 50% of the time.

How to play

The rules of War are extremely simple; this is why children are the most prevalent players. Essentially the deck would be divided between players and both would take turns flipping one card from the top of their respective decks. The higher card would be considered the winner, on a ranking scale that puts Ace at the top and descends to the 2 card. However, in the casino version of the card game, players use six 52-card decks during play. The player typically wins back two times their own bet amount, plus the amount of their raise. Conversely, if the dealer’s card is higher the player’s bet is lost.

Now, so far this is a pretty simple premise, however, when a tie is the result things get a bit more complicated. In the event of a tie the player is given two options. In this case a player may surrender and forfeit half the bet or they may go to war. If war is the player’s choice a second bet must be placed, one equal to the initial bet. Three cards are then “burned” or turned face down, and the fourth will be laid down face up, from this point either player or dealer wins, or another tie may result and again, the player may forfeit or go to war again, repeating the process.

Bets and Odds

Betting is made multiple times throughout the game. Each hand resulting in one War offers the chance for a player and dealer to make/receive 3 bets. With multiple bets per instance of War, it is possible with 6 decks to make over 100 bets.  However the odds of that happening are strongly against. Bonus bets are available to be made in the event of a tie, allowing players to receive 10 to 1 on their bets. Dealers maintain a 46.3% advantage of a first card win; their odds are lowered when a player and dealer tie and a surrender gives the house a slightly higher advantage.  So, for these reasons it may be considered advantageous of players never to exercise the surrender option. The overall house advantage wobbles between 2-3% depending on a player’s decision to surrender or not.