How to play Casino War

Casino War is the card game you played as a kid, with a bet on it. You get a card, the dealer gets a card, higher card wins. That is the whole game until the cards tie, and the tie is where the only decision lives.

How a round works

1. Place your Ante.
2. You and the dealer each receive one card face up. Aces are high; suits do not matter.
3. Higher card wins and pays even money on the Ante. Lower card loses it.
4. On a tie you choose: surrender and lose half your Ante, or go to war.
5. Going to war: you add a second bet equal to your Ante, three cards are burned, then you and the dealer each get one more card. Win that card and you are paid even money on the war bet (the Ante pushes). Lose and both bets go.

Surrender or go to war?

Always go to war. It feels like doubling your risk, but surrendering gives up half your Ante for certain, while going to war wins more often than it loses once ties on the war card are counted. Over many hands, war costs you less than surrender.

Some tables offer a side bet on the first two cards tying. It pays about 10 to 1 and is the worst bet on the table; the real odds of a tie are closer to 13 to 1. Skip it.

What the odds look like

Tips

• There is no strategy to learn beyond "go to war on a tie". That makes it a good game for a quick few hands or for someone who has never sat at a card table.
• Bet flat. Nothing you saw in the last hand changes the next card.
• If you want more decisions, Blackjack sits in the same room and uses the same chips.

Play free

Casino War on All In is dealt on our server from a shuffled six-deck shoe, with virtual coins only. It shares a table with Blackjack, so you can switch between the two.