How to Play Casino War: Rules, Strategy & Odds

War is one of the oldest games in the books, and certainly one of the easiest as well. Many of us consider it to be a child’s game, no doubt one that the majority of our readers played when growing up. However, both land-based and online casinos have embraced this youthful favorite and turned it into the exciting gambling amusement we know today as Casino War.

The object of the game is simple ““ one card each; high card wins. But there’s a little more to it than that. If the player and dealer happen to tie, the stakes can double and the two hands will go to “war”?. There’s also a chance to win 10 to 1 on a side bet that the first two cards dealt will tie.

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of Casino War for any serious gambler is that they have a 50/50 chance of winning every hand. A casino offering even odds on any game is virtually unheard of.

How to Play Online Casino War
Casino War starts out like any other player-vs-dealer card game. The player makes an initial bet, in this case an Ante bet. There’s also the side bet option, but we’ll get to that in a moment. The dealer then gives the player and himself one card each.

If the player’s card is higher than the dealer’s card, the player automatically wins a 1 to 1 payout on the Ante bet and the game is over. If the dealer’s card is higher, the dealer wins the Ante bet and the game is over.

Should the player and dealer cards tie, the player is given two options. They may choose to Surrender their hand, forfeiting only half of the Ante bet and retaining the other half, or they may choose to go to war. There is no point in Surrendering at this point as it guarantees a loss, while continuing with the hand still carries a 50/50 chance of winning.

When a player chooses to battle it out, a second bet is placed, equal to the Ante bet. This is called the Raise bet. The game essentially starts anew at this point. The dealer gives the player and himself one more card. This time, if the player’s card is higher, the player wins both the Ante and Raise bet, paid at 1 to 1 on each. If the dealer has the higher card, both the Ante and Raise bets are lost. If the two new cards result in a Tie once more, the player’s Raise bet is a push, but the Ante bet is paid a bonus of 2 to 1. The end result is basically a win of 1 to 1 on both bets.

Casino War Side Bet
In online Casino War, there is an option to place a side bet on the possibility of the first two cards dealt tying. Essentially, the player can bet that they will be going to war (or surrendering) the upcoming hand. A winning Tie bet pays 10 to 1, which can be very tempting, but it is this particular wager that gives an online casino its edge in the game.

The probability of winning a Tie bet is about 13 to 1 in Casino War. With a payout of 10 to 1, the odds are obviously against the player in this bet. It does happen somewhat frequently, less Casino War wouldn’t be all that exciting to play, but statistically a player who bets on the Tie every hand will lose more than they gain.