I Love Casinos: Game

Casino War is a classic card game, where you simply have to obtain a card with a higher face value than your opponent.

The Casino War is without doubt the simplest card game available in the casino, but its simplicity doesn’t make it less interesting. If as a kid or teenager, you ever played War or placed bet on the highest card value, then the Casino War will seem immediately enjoyable and familiar.

Casino War is a casino card game but one that could be played easily by any person familiar with bets on drawing the highest card. Casino War is based on the ‘War’ game played by children. Even though playing it is easy, you should not forget that the casino house would be having a very big edge over you, compared to other casino games. If you are new to the game, we advise you to start off with moderate amounts until you get fully familiarized with it.

This game is played with six decks of 52 cards each. The ranking of the cards is very much like the ranking in poker games but the aces are given the highest ranking in Casino War. Procedure of playing Casino War is as follows:

The dealer and the player get one card each. If the player gets a higher card, the bet is won and an equal amount (2:1) of the bet is handed over to the player. If the dealer gets a higher card, the player would stand to lose the bet.

If the player and the dealer have cards with the same ranking, then it is termed as a tie. In such a situation, the player could opt to surrender and lose half the bet. Otherwise, the player could declare war and place an additional bet (raise bet) that has to be of the same amount as the original bet.

If War were declared, then the dealer would discard three cards before dealing with additional cards to the player and the dealer. If the player gets a higher rank card, then the player would be a push (money returned to you with no win or loss) on his original bet and he would win even money (2:1) on the raise bet. If the dealer receives a higher ranked card, then the player would lose the original bet amount and also raise bet.

Some casinos offer bonus in case a tie results in another tie. The bonus usually equals to the amount of the original wager.

Now, over to some good Casino War strategies that you may implement when you play the game.

Never Surrender in Casino War

If you and the dealer are dealt two similar cards (a tie), always go to War and never surrender. Even though you surrender, you are still going to lose half your bet (don’t let the house win if you don’t have to!). Although surrendering may seem to be the safest option at first, it is better to risk twice your bet in hope of winning your first bet (2.33% house advantage) than it is to give up your first bet without a fight (3.7% house advantage).

Work the odds out for yourself and you will see that your odds of coming out ahead are higher when you don’t surrender. As always in gambling, there are elements of luck and risk involved. Remember, you can’t win anything if you don’t gamble.

Keep Your Eyes Out For Aces

Just like the classic card game Black Jack, the Ace is regarded the highest and therefore the best card. Keep a close eye on the Aces and how many times they’ve been played. Then you can calculate the probability of an Ace turning up.

Casino War Tie Bet (10-1 Payout)

Several casinos offer an optional side bet referred to the Tie Bet. This bet is independent of your bet that you place for the actual Casino War game. If you and the dealer are initially dealt two identical cards then you automatically win 10 times (10:1) the amount you bet. So if you win it could be quite rewarding.

The odds are against you when playing the Tie Bet. Statistics show that the casino has huge house advantage of 18.65%. For this reason, it’s advisable that you stay away from the Tie Bet. If you still want to wager on it, you should only do it on few occasions as added excitement or fun when you feel a tie is bound to happen. Just don’t use the Tie Bet as your main strategy to win money.