One of the easier table games to learn, Casino War uses a standard 52-card deck and requires no skill to play. The game lets players bet on who will draw a higher card – the player or the dealer. Here’s how it works.

The object of Casino War is simple: players make a bet on whether their card will beat the dealer’s card. The player and dealer are each dealt a single card. Highest card wins. If both cards are equal, the player can choose “War,” and the player and the dealer will each get an additional card to compare.

The parts of the game

Casino War can be broken down into three parts: the bet, the deal and “War”. Beyond understanding these basic mechanics, no skill is required.

The bet

Before any cards are dealt, the dealer will call for bets. Players decide on the amount they’d like to wager, then place their chips in their betting space.

A dealer with a speech bubble that says “bets”

The deal

The dealer will place two cards face up on the table: a player card and a dealer card. The highest card on the table wins. Aces are the highest value cards and the suits—whether hearts, diamonds, spades or clubs—don’t matter.

An Ace of diamonds on top of a three of hearts

War

If both player and dealer draw the same card, the player has two options: wave the white flag and lose half their original bet or double up and go to War! If the choice is War, the dealer will deal out a new round of cards.

An Ace of spades next to an Ace of diamonds with the word War in between

How to Play Casino War in 4 Easy Steps

1

Set a budget. Simple, fast-paced play can make it easy to get carried away. Go in with a game plan and stick to it.
2

Follow the dealer’s lead. They’ll let you know when to place bets and when to decide on going to War.
3

Play a hand. The dealer will place two cards on the table. High card wins. A tie results in a choice: fold or battle it out in a round of War!
4

War! If you decide to go to War, you’ll need to double up your original bet before the dealer deals the new round of cards.

Simple, fast-paced play can make it easy to get caught up in the fun. Bring your play budget in cash and avoid spending more than you planned.

Your dealer is there to help things run smoothly. If you find yourself confused about how to place a bet, or which cards beat which, just ask. There’s no such thing as a bad question!

3. Play a hand

A round of Casino War is relatively straightforward. Here’s what to expect.

A. The dealer calls for bets.

B. Players place their chips on the table once they’ve settled on a wager amount.

A dealer with both his hands up and a speech bubble that says “no more bets”

C. The dealer will call “no more bets”, at which point players should no longer touch their chips.

A King of diamonds on top, a Tie bar in the middle and a ten of clubs at the bottom with a casino chip

D. The dealer places two cards face up on the table: a player card and a dealer card. The highest card on the table wins. If the player ends up with the low card, they lose their bet, and the round ends. If the player gets the higher card their bet pays even money and the round ends.

E. If both cards are the same, players have a battle on their hands and a choice to make:

Fold and lose half their original wager
Go to War!

4. War!

If War is chosen, the player will need to double their original bet. Meaning if the original bet was $10, it’ll need to be increased by an additional $10, for a total of $20.

The dealer will then discard the next three cards in the deck and pull the fourth one as the player card before discarding three more cards and pulling the final dealer card.

Tip

During War, the same rules apply as on the opening hand, with one exception: a tie means you keep your doubled bet and start over. You can’t go to War twice in the same round.

Highest card wins
Again, the highest card on the table wins. If the player wins, their doubled War bet pays even money, and their original bet “pushes” to the next round. This means that if a doubled bet was $10, the player pockets $20, and the original $10 bet stays in place for the next round.

What happens in a tie
If there’s a tie during War, the player keeps the extra bet they made on War, and their original bet is used for the next round.

A bar that says “Tie” with a casino chip

The Tie Bet
Casino War offers an optional Tie Bet. This is a side bet on whether the player and dealer’s War cards will match. Players can simply place their additional chips inside “Tie Bet” area when the dealer calls for bets.

Winning Tie Bets pay 10 to 1. Learn more about Casino War odds.

Tip

Higher payouts mean lower odds of winning, so placing Tie Bets to win back losses is not a winning strategy.

Find a casino near you open in a new window

SEE NEXT : ODDS