Casino Card Games - Casino War, an Overview

Casino War must be one of the most unambiguous casino card games known to man, and it is a rip-off of the popular kid's game, War. The only problem with this uncomplicated diversion is that the house edge is relatively high, so beware of losing that hard-earned cash.Casino War

How to Play Casino War

The game is played with up to six standard decks of cards and Aces are high, otherwise all other hand rankings are that of traditional poker. The game begins, like so many others, with the player placing his bet.

A card is then dealt to both the player and the dealer. If the player's card is higher, he wins an amount equal to that of his original bet, but if the dealer's card is higher, the player simply loses. Should the dealer and player receive a card of the same rank, then a tie is declared and the player has one of two options:

  • The player may surrender and will lose half of his bet or
  • The player can opt to 'go to war', and will required to place an additional bet on the table equal to that of his original bet.

To War

Should the player decide to 'go to war' the dealer will burn, or discard without exposing, three cards before dealing an additional card to both himself and the player who has chosen to 'go to war'. If the player's card is higher or the same as the dealer's card then the player wins an amount equal to the size of the original bet only. If the dealer's card is higher than the player's card, then the player loses both the original and the war bet.

According to the statisticians both the dealer and the player have a 46.3% chance of winning if six standard decks are used, but the house advantage, or disadvantage, is decided by the tie in the 'go to war' stage of the game. Several gaming houses do offer a bonus payout in the event of a tie, which will inevitably have an impact on the house advantage.

Although the game is purely a matter of fortune or fate, there is one strategy which should always be adhered to, and in the words of Winston Churchill, 'Never Surrender' as this will increase the house advantage.