Casino War
Casino War is undoubtedly one of the easiest card games in the casino. You don’t even have to go to the casino to be familiar with the game. If “war” was one of your childhood games, or if you’ve bet on who could draw the highest card, then the game should be familiar.
Casino war is played with six decks, and cards are ranked the way they are ranked in poker, except that Aces, in whatever suit, are always high. Dealers and players are dealt one card each. Each of the player’s card is then compared to that of the dealer’s. If the player has the higher card, he wins, and if the player has the lower card he loses. It’s that simple.
A tie is inevitable in a game of chance, and when this happens a player has the option to surrender and forfeit half his bet or wage war. Should he decide to go to war, he must increase his bet by the amount equal to the original wager. The dealer can purport to make a decision to go to war or surrender. Both the player and dealer will then be dealt another card. If the second card of the player is equal to or beats the dealer’s, then the player wins even money on the raise. The original wager is pushed. If the dealer’s second card is greater than the player’s, the player loses both bets.
Some casinos like the Mirage and Casino Niagara sanction offer bonus in case a tie results in another tie. The bonus is equal to the amount of the original wager.
In casino war a tie bet can also be made. A tie bet pays 10 to 1 in case the first two cards tie.
Unlike other casino card games, the probability of winning at casino war is 50%. House edge in casino war lies in the game itself – when there is a war, a player either wins one unit or loses two. If, for example, the original bet is $5, the player must double his bet and risk $10 just to win $5.
Some internet casino uses an unusual number of decks, unlike their brick and mortar counterparts. The table below shows the house edge under the bonus rule, normal “no bonus” rule, surrender on ties, and the tie bet itself.
Number
of Decks Bonus No Bonus Surrender Tie Bet
1 2.06% 2.42% 2.94% 35.29%
2 2.24% 2.70% 3.40% 25.24%
3 2.29% 2.79% 3.55% 21.94%
4 2.31% 2.84% 3.62% 20.29%
5 2.32% 2.86% 3.67% 19.31%
6 2.33% 2.88% 3.70% 18.65%
7 2.34% 2.89% 3.72% 18.18%
8 2.34% 2.90% 3.73% 17.83
Popularity: 67%
