How To Play Casino War
A tutorial about how to play casino war, either online or in a traditional casino. Includes an analysis of the house edge, odds, and probability for the game. Casino War is undoubtedly one of the easiest card games to learn and play. Learn how to play BlackJack, when to Hit, Stand, Split, Double or Surrender.
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Casino War is a casino game based on the popular kids card game, “War”. The version players will find in casinos is modified than the one you played as a child, but you’ll recognize the format immediately. While casual players enjoy the nostalgia aspect of casino war, serious gamblers can appreciate that this game offers one of the best payout percentages among games that don’t require strategy. New casino visitors should know this means they’ll be as good as the 20-year veteran playing at the next table. Less experienced players might get the impression this game has no house edge, but it does exist, based on what happens when a tie occurs.
How to Play Casino War
The rules of Casino War are amazingly simple. Like blackjack, the game pits the player against the house (dealer). In most gambling establishments, the game is played with 6 decks. The hand ranks are the same as they would be in poker, though aces are always considered to be “11” and never “1”, though. Like in the original home-brew game, the suit of the card does not matter.
To start each hand, the player makes a wager. Once this happens, both the player and the dealer are dealt one card. The side which has the highest card rank wins. So if you’re showing a higher card than the dealer, you win the bet. If the dealer is showing a higher card, you lose the bet.
Ties
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Ties are handled somewhat differently than they are in the classic game. You might remember in the classic game, the players “go to war”. The tied cards are a push and become the pot in an additional winner-take-all hand. For instance, if you and your opponent each draw a “10”, the two tens go in a pile together on the side. You each receive another card. If you received an “8” and your opponent received a “7”, then you would win both the 8, 7, and two 10’s. In the casino version, nobody wins cards, but the bet would be a push and an additional card would be dealt to the two opponents. The winning hand would win the original bet, but with one major stipulation.
How the House Gets Its Edge
In the casino variant, the player must make an additional wager to continue in the hand and “go to war”, in this case an equal wager to the original bet. Let’s say you wagered $10 on the original hand and both you and the dealer received a “10”. You would have to make an additional $10 wager to continue in the hand. If you won, you would win even money (1:1) on the additional wager, though the original bet still would be a push. Therefore, you would wager $20 to win back $10 in return. The ties in casino war thus produces the house edge.
Second Deal
When you choose to play out the hand, the dealer burns three cards and then deals one card to you and one card to their hand.
Surrendering
The option to going to war is to surrender after a tie. In this case, you only lose half your original wager. If you wagered $10, then you would lose $5 and surrender the hand immediately, with no chance of winning.
Special Rules
In a handful of Las Vegas casinos, you’ll find special rules in case a second tie happens in one hand. Going back to the original scenario, if you each received “10” and chose to go to war, you might once again tie. Let’s say you and the dealer each receive an “8”. In this case, casino rules might pay out a special bonus to the player. In most cases, the bonus would be the amount of your original wager.
Tie Side Bet
Many gaming venues offer a side bet on the tie, too. In most cases, you would receive a 10:1 payout in the case of a tie. This sounds like a nice payout, but keep in mind there are 13 card ranks in a standard deck, so the odds are only 1 in 13 of being dealt a tie. As in most casino games, the side bet offers distinctly worse odds.
Odds, Probability, and the House Edge
How To Play Casino War Card Game
The house edge on casino war sits between 2.28% and 2.33%, depending on the rules being used. You can expect to lose between $2.28 and $2.33 of every $100 you wager playing this game. While casino war has a lower expected return than blackjack or video poker, both of those games require strategy knowledge to optimize those low odds.
Casino War is more like roulette, craps, or slot machines, because the results are totally out of your hands. In comparison to those games, the odds of casino war are better than European roulette, much better than American roulette, and (typically) better than the slots. Only traditional baccarat, European roulette played with “la partage” rules, and the best craps bets have a better house edge among the games with no strategy component.
Play Online Casino War for Real Money
Most online casinos offer the game in their basic software package. Though casino war is considered a kid’s game, it’s enjoyable enough for adult gamblers that a significant number enjoy playing it on the Internet. The online version is played in much the same way as the live version. In most cases, the software variants have the same house edge. Be warned that the game is played quickly, so you face the house edge many times per hour, if you play at top speeds. Don’t use the auto-play feature, because this burns your money quicker.
For those interested in trying out an electronic version of the game, several prominent sites offer casino war simulations. Also, several of the Facebook casino programs offer their version of casino war, so plenty of opportunities exist online to learn the game being playing for real money. Of course, anyone visiting a real money online casino can register for an account, download the software, and play for entertainment before making a money deposit. If any part of the instructions above are confusing, I suggest you do that before gambling on casino war.
There’s a good chance that most of our readers grew up playing War at the kitchen table with family and friends. If you fall into this category, then you should already know how to play Casino War. However, while the former is usually played for fun, the latter is offered at casinos and can result in sizable wins for players.
Casino War is one of the easiest games available on the casino floor or at online casinos. The rules of the game are not that different from the game you played at home during your childhood.
In this article, we’ll examine the rules of the game, as well as look at the house edge under a number of circumstances. By the time you’ve finished reading, you should be more than prepared to play for real money.
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Comparison of Top US Gambling Sites
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Rules of Casino War
Casino War is a one-on-one contest between the dealer and a player. Any number of players may sit at a table and participate, but their objective is always to beat the dealer (not each other). This game is popular among casual gamblers, as the rules and betting structure are fiendishly simple to learn.
The game is played with six 52-card decks. The suit of the cards is irrelevant, and they’re ranked the same as in a game of poker. The ace is always counted as the highest possible card.
In order to begin, the player makes a wager. The minimum and maximum amount for the wager is determined by the casino, and this can vary from one table to another. It’s always wise to check on betting limits offered by the casino before play begins sitting down to play real money.
After the initial wager has been taken care of, both the dealer and player receive one face-up card. The value of the two cards are then compared. If the dealer’s card is higher, the player loses their wager. If the player’s card is higher, they win an amount equal to their wager (even money).
In the case of a tie, the player must choose between two options. The first choice is to surrender, which results in the player losing half their initial wager. The second option, and the source of the game’s name, allows the player to go to war with the dealer.
When war breaks out, the player must put another wager into the pot equal to his/her initial bet. The dealer “burns” (discards) the top three cards on the deck, and then both the dealer and player receive another face-up card.
If the dealer’s second card is higher, then the player loses both their wagers. If the player has the superior card or ties the dealer, then they push (get their money back) on the first wager and receive an even money payout on the raise.
Some casinos offer additional wagers and bonuses. One example is a tie bet, which pays 10 to 1 odds if the player ties the dealer on their initial cards. Another involves two consecutive ties, which pays an even money bonus on the initial wager.
House Edge
Under the harshest casino rules, the house edge for Casino War usually works out to 2.87%. More liberal guidelines (including a bonus for two consecutive ties) lower the edge to 2.33%, while the most player-friendly rules reduce it even further to 1.23%. The latter is unlikely to be found at land-based casinos, but online casinos may offer it.
If you have the option to wager on a tie, I suggest avoiding it. This is a sucker bet, with the house edge ranging from 17.83% to 35.29% (depending on the rules, payouts, and number of decks). Side bets are usually a bad idea when playing casino games and it is the case once again with Casino War.
Winning Strategies
Casino War is largely a game of luck, with both the player and dealer having about a 46.3% chance of winning once the first cards are dealt. The only real strategy comes into play during a tie, when the player is forced to choose between surrendering and declaring war on the dealer.
Assuming that a bonus payout is offered, the player increases the house edge if they choose to surrender after a tie. Due to this fact, it’s always advisable to go to war.
Unfortunately, that’s about the extent of the strategy that can be employed during the game. Keep in mind that Casino War is an adaptation of a children’s card game, so it’s probably unrealistic to expect a number of complex tactics to be available.
Playing Casino War for real money
You will be hard pressed to find a casino which does not offer Casino War on its gaming floor. The game is certainly not as popular as Blackjack or Roulette but being so easy to play, it remains a favorite of many players, especially the less experienced ones.
Depending on the region where you live, you might not be able to visit a casino very often but lucky for you, Casino War is offered for real money in almost every online gambling sites.
The name of the game might change a bit but you will always find a variation of Casino War available to play online, for real money or as a demo version.
If you are looking for an online casino where to play real money Casino War, we can confidently recommend the sites listed on the pages of this website. We have reviewed dozens of options and recommend only highly secure and enjoyable online casinos. All casinos recommended on this page offer real money casino war and they even go so far as offering bonuses to play it!
Casino War bonus play
Most online casinos, and all those that we recommend throughout this site, offer a sign up bonus and other offers to players who play for real money.
These bonuses usually take the form of a match of whatever real money you deposit. For instance, make a deposit of $50 and get another $50 in casino bonus to play with.
How To Play War At The Casino
Some casinos may have rules surrounding the use of these bonuses but they generally allow playing real money Casino War with these funds and that can help turn a boring evening into a winning one.
Of course some rules apply to the casino bonus and you will usually not be able to wager over $5 per hand of Casino War if you play with a bonus rather than with only real money that you deposited. You will also normally have to wager a certain amount before you can withdraw your winnings, which is known as the rollover or wagering requirement.
Note that playing on slots might allow you to complete the wagering requirement faster but usually Casino War still contributes to the meeting of this rule.
Deciding to play Casino War with a bonus is a personal choice. If you play with a bonus, you will have more chips to play with and therefore maybe a better playing experience and more chances to win. You have however to follow the casino rules, including the wagering requirement, and therefore some people prefer to play only with real money, to not be bound by rules.
How To Play War Casino Game
Regardless of your choice, rest assured that the online gambling sites we recommend on this page all offer fair and easy to understand rules with their casino bonus. Therefore playing with or without a bonus is a safe choice at these casinos and the only deciding factor should be your preference.