Highest card wins. Tie? Go to war. Simplest casino game ever made.
Casino War is the simplest casino game in existence. Dealer deals one card to you, one to herself. High card wins, full stop. Aces are high. If you tie, you can either surrender (lose half your bet) or "go to war" (double your bet, dealer burns 3 cards, deals one card each — high card wins; if war ties, you win 2x your war bet).
It exists because slots-only players sometimes want to try a table game without learning blackjack or 21's subtle decisions. The math is unforgiving — house edge is 2.88% if you always go to war, and a punishing 3.7% if you always surrender on tie.
The "tie" bet on the side, which pays 10:1 if you tie the dealer, has an 18.65% house edge. Don't take it.
| Win the initial card | 1:1 (you win this ~46.3% of the time) |
| Tie + go to war + win | 1:1 on the war bet, push on initial bet |
| Tie + go to war + tie again | 2:1 on war bet (rare — 0.06%) |
| Tie + surrender | Lose half your bet |
| Tie side bet | 10:1 (18.65% house edge — sucker bet) |
Always go to war on a tie — never surrender. Skip the tie side bet. The game has nothing else to learn.
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Casino War is the simplest game on the floor — you and the dealer each get one card, high card wins, ties go to "war." Despite the simplicity, the house edge of 2.84% is significant and a Tie bet (17:1) carries an absurd 18.65% house edge. Casino War is a tourist game; it's listed here for completeness but it shouldn't be your primary play.
You and the dealer each receive one card from a standard 52-card deck (typically dealt from a six-deck shoe). Aces are high. Higher card wins, paying 1:1. If both cards have the same rank, you have two choices: surrender (forfeit half your bet) or go to "war" — place an additional bet equal to your original, the dealer "burns" three cards, and you each receive one more card. On war, your war-bet pays 1:1 if you win, but your original Ante pushes — meaning a war win only pays 1x your Ante even though you've doubled your exposure. War losses cost you both bets.
Always go to war on a tie; never surrender. Going to war has a slightly lower house edge (~2.88%) than surrendering (~3.7%). Avoid the Tie side bet (which pays 10:1 or 17:1 depending on the casino) — its house edge is over 18% in most paytables, among the worst in the casino. There is no other meaningful strategic decision; the game is otherwise pure luck.
Casino War is a binomial game with three outcomes: win (47%), lose (47%), tie (6%). On a tie, the war resolution roughly splits 50/50, but the "burn three cards" mechanic and the asymmetric payout on war (you only collect 1x Ante on a war win) build in the house edge. Variance is low and the game is fast — typically 70-100 decisions per hour, making bankroll burn aggressive even at modest stakes.
Casino War debuted in the mid-1990s as casinos searched for simple, low-skill table games to attract slot players. It descends from the children's card game "War" but with a casino-favorable resolution to ties.
| Bet | Payout | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Win (high card) | 1:1 | Standard win |
| War — Win | 1:1 on war bet, push on Ante | Asymmetric — house edge mechanism |
| Tie side bet | 10:1 or 17:1 | ~18% house edge — skip |
Every game on placebets.ai uses virtual chips that reset whenever you clear browser data. There is no signup, no deposit, no withdrawal mechanism, and no monetary value attached to the chips shown on screen. Use the practice environment to drill casino war's math and strategy without risk. Decide for yourself whether you ever want to play for real money — we'd statistically rather you didn't.