How to Play Casino War

Casino War is based on the children's' card game "War". Players bet against the house on who will get the higher of two cards. If the two cards tie the player can opt to go to war or surrender. The result of the war is determined by who has the higher of the next two cards.

Casino War can be played at both land-based and online casinos. As you will see, there are two plays available to players that give the house a big edge. Otherwise, the game is basically even.

• The game is played with six standard decks.
  
• Cards are ranked as in Poker except that aces are always high.
  
• All players ante. There is usually a range of possible antes at the table.
  
• The dealer deals one card to all players and to himself. If you are playing in a land-based casino there may be other players at the table but you will play only against the dealer.
  
• If your card is higher you win equal to your bet.
  
• If the dealer's card is higher you lose your bet.
  
• If the two cards are equal you may choose to go to war or to surrender.

• If your card and the dealer's card are equal you can "go to war".
  
• You increase your bet by the amount of your original bet.
  
• The dealer burns three cards then deals one card to you and to himself.
  
• The higher card wins. If the dealer wins you lose both your original bet and your re-bet.
  
• If your card is higher, you win an amount equal to your re-bet but your original bet is a push, or tie.
  
• Some casinos offer a bonus if the war ends in a tie as well.
  
• In some casinos, a tie in the war is a win for the player.

• Never surrender. In casinos that offer a bonus for a tie when you are at war, the house advantage is reduced to only 2.06%.
  
• Never make the side "tie" bet. The house's advantage is never less than 16%.
  
• If you can count cards, it may give you some idea of how the next few hands will play out. For example, if you know that there are a large number of cards of the same rank in the deck, you can expect a lot of wars upcoming. Wars are where the house's advantage is, aside from the two poor bets mentioned above. This is because if you win a war you win only on the re-bet, not on the original bet. So if you anticipate many wars coming up it is time to leave the table.

War has its appeal but it will never challenge the great classic games in popularity.

The integrity of the online game is guaranteed by the Random Number Generator. Nevertheless, you should do some research to find the best online casino in terms of payment terms and other considerations.