How to Play Casino War

What is Casino War?

Being one of the easiest and most advantageous table games, Casino War offers more than 50% chances of defeating the house, which categorizes it as probably the most player-friendly game currently available on the gambling market. Unlike most card games, where the origin is almost impossible to trace and which have dozens of different variants and forms, Casino War, currently owned by SHFL Entertainment, is originally created by Bet Technology, using War card game in which a higher card wins as the basis. The developer patented the game in ’93. and in only one year, Casino War became a part of the offer in 5 different casinos, remaining alive even today, in an entirely different millennium and despite (or because of?) its overly simple structure.

How to play Casino War?

The game begins when all of the players submit the Primary Wager, which is won when the player’s card outranks the dealer’s card. When both the player and the dealer have the same value card, the player can decide to go to war and submits a new bet in the same amount as the Primary Wager. The bet is then matched by the dealer and the game continues.

Three cards are removed from the deck (burned) and one extra card awarded to players and the dealer, determining the outcome of the game and starting a new session. Higher card wins, unless the result is a tie, in which case, the player will win.

Choosing to “go to war” is not obligatory, and the player can decide against it, losing half of the Primary wager in the process. Another option would be to place a Tie bet that wins if the rank of the dealer’s and the player’s cards are the same.

Game table and Casino War players

Casino War is played on the table where betting areas for the players are grouped on one side and betting areas for the dealer on the table’s exact opposite. At least two players are needed for Casino War to be played, 8 being the maximum capacity that a table can take. In the casino environment, 6 to 12 standard decks are used.

In the preliminary stage of the game, the decks will be separated and while one batch is being automatically shuffled, the other one is being used for the actual game-play.

Card ranking, betting system and dealing procedure

The suit in Casino War plays no part in the game and the cards are ranked strictly by denomination. The highest rank that the player can hold is an Ace, followed by the face cards: Kings, Queens and Jacks. The ranking continues in the logical order, counting down from 10 to 2.

The bets are submitted by placing the chip on the relevant betting area in accordance with the table limits. After the casino dealer officially announces that the betting time is closed, no additional wagers will be accepted.

Prior to dealing the cards, the dealer burns the first card and then draws one card for himself and one for each of the players, placing it face up on the table. The cards are then compared (starting from the player to the dealer’s left) and the winning bets settled. All the cards are then collected and discarded.

Casino War payout table

Traditionally, Tie bet in all card games comes with the highest payout odds, making it extremely tempting for the players, although the bet is usually avoided by the more experienced gamblers. The reason is, of course, a significantly higher house edge and low-frequency rate. Risk chasers are particularly drawn by the bet’s low probability and the payout rate of 10 to 1.

Primary wager and the follow-up bet placed after the player already declared war are paid even money unless war ends in a push, which automatically raises the odds to 2 to 1.

Casino War strategy

The number one rule in Casino War is to never surrender, as doing this will increase the house edge by almost one whole percent.  Every time you go to war and the new cards are dealt, the player will positively affect the return to player percentage.

If you are trying to stay on top of the game and gain a statistical advantage, Tie bet should be avoided at all costs since the house edge is unbelievable – over 18%.