Play War

How to play

War is perhaps one of the the most simple casino card games ever. This easily understood casino table game is also the one with the largest house edge. The large house edge however doesn’t stop this game from being one of the most popular in its genre. If you think that you don’t know how to play this game, in all likelihood, you would be mistaken. Everyone has played War in some way or the other, most likely in their childhood.

The game is usually played with six decks to check card counting. A single card is dealt to both the dealer and the player. Whoever gets a card of higher value, wins.

Valuation of Cards

Cards 2 through 10 are valued on their face value. The Jack is 11 points, Queen is 12, King is 13 and Ace is 14.

War

If the player and the dealer, both have a card of the same rank, the player has the option to go to War. In case of War, the player has to up the stake by an equal amount as the initial bet. Three cards each are dealt to both player and dealer face down (Burn Cards) and a fourth card each is dealt face up. Who ever has a higher valued fourth card wins. The payout in case of war is simply 1:1, so the player gets even money and recoups the raise amount.

Fold

In a tie situation, you can choose not to go for War and just Fold. If you fold your cards, you forfeit the game and the dealer gets the money. You might decided to fold if your initial wager is quite large and you don’t want to risk the wager and the equal amount raise that you will have to make if you decide to go to war.

Additional Rules

If you have declared war and the fourth card that you and the dealer get are also a tie, you will win and get the Ante, Raise and your even money payout.

Strategy

War is a simple casino table game. The only optimal strategy that can increase your chances of winning in this game comes only when there is a tie and the player needs to take a decision to either fold or go on war with dealer. The decision made by the player here can make all the difference.

If you decide to fold, you lose your bet. But don’t forget that when you fold you are actually surrendering your entire bet to the casino thus giving them the chance of making more money.

Well the best trick is to go to war with the dealer in the event of a tie because if you win you’ll not only get back your raise and ante but will also get a 1:1 bonus payout on your bet amount.

Let’s assume that you bet with $5 and there is a tie. If you decide to fold, you will loose your $5 bet. But if you decide to go to war with the dealer and manage to win, you’ll get $15 return that includes your $5 ante, $5 raise and $5 win.

There is a risk involved in raising your bet but this risk is worth it when you get to win a $5 bonus on your bet.

CoolCat Casino doesn’t vouch for this trick of raising your bet on a tie. As luck is involved in getting you a win on a tie, this trick might work for some and may fail for others. In which case the only tactic that would stand you in good stead is to play with a healthy gambling attitude. In the game of online casino War, you may lose at one time and win the next. Try to accept your losses gracefully. Be patient when you lose because you still have the hope of winning in the next few games of War. Remember…if you can’t win all the time, you cannot always lose either.

Tips

Do Not Fold

If you tie with the dealer in this game, you must decide whether to go to War or fold. If you fold, you lose all your bet. In theory the fold option is to minimize your risk. However, if you don’t take the risk, you are eliminating your chances of winning too and giving all your money to the casino without a fight. The best War strategy is to raise in the event of a tie and go to War. The House Edge in this game is considerable. Here’s a quick look on the number of decks played and the house advantage on each.

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History

Glossary

Ace: The highest or lowest value card in the deck.

Ante: Initial bet in table games that may be followed with additional bets.

Burn Card: Any card placed in the discard rack without being entered into play.

Card Counting: A system keeping track of the percentage of high to low cards since the last time the deck was shuffled. This system can be used to reduce the house advantage by placing larger bets when the deck is in the players favor.

Dealer: Casino employee who deals the various table games.

House Edge: The advantage that the casino has on any given wager.

Even Money: A bet that pays you back the same amount you wagered along with your initial wager.

Face Down: Cards dealt so that only the player can see them.

Fold: The withdrawal of a player from a hand.