Casino War Online Casino Game, Rules and Strategy

How to Play

This is played in a casino with cards usually being drawn form a six-deck shoe. The player elects to an amount to wager, which is then matched by the dealer. The player has also the option of a 10:1 side bet that the two initial cards will tie. The player and dealer each get one card. If the player's card is better than the dealer's card, then the player wins even money. If the dealer's card is better than the player's card, the player loses.

If both cards are of equal value, then the player may either lose half his bet (surrender) or elect to go to 'war' against the dealer. If the player decides to go to war then they must make another bet equal to their initial wager to exercise the war option. The dealer also matches the player's initial wager and places it next to the player's wager. The dealer then burns, face down the next three (3) cards and deals the next card to the player, then burns three (3) more cards face down and then deals the following card to himself. If the player's card has a higher rank than the dealer's card then the player wins the "War". If the player's card has a lower rank than the dealer's card then the player loses. Either way, the winner of the war collects all the money in front of that player and the dealer starts a new game. If the dealer and the player cards are of equal rank after the player has exercised his/her option to go to war, the player automatically wins the war and is paid a bonus equal to their original war wager.

Odds of Winning

The game appears so simple and fair you may be asking yourself? What's in it for the casino? Surprisingly, the answer is not a lot. There is no house advantage until a tie occurs; the player and dealer are each as likely to win the bet. Once a player has gone to 'war' on ties there is a minimal house advantage. However the house advantage is greater if a player surrenders on a tie, or bets beforehand that there will be a tie.

House advantage

• Go to war on ties: 2.88%
• Surrender on ties: 3.7%
• Bet on ties: 18.65%

Basic Strategy

Apart from not betting on ties or not surrendering when a tie occurs there is very little strategy that can be employed in casino war. Card counting is not really an advantage as the player's aim is simply to beat the dealer, not to make the dealer go bust. Overall casino war is fun game and if you want to play something simple with a lower house edge than games such as slots, casino war would definitely be worth a try. Have Fun!