Play Casino War

The game of War has been around since the middle ages. Back then, people were often confined to their homes because of plague. People needed a simple game that could kill time and didn't require much to play.

War fulfilled both of those requirements. People only needed a deck of cards, which were slightly different from our 52 card deck but still very common.

The premise of the game was simple, keep flipping one card at a time. The higher card wins and both cards are taken by the winner. The object is to capture the entire deck.

When a tie (two cards of the same rank) happens, its called a War. Three cards are then dealt face down by both players and the four card is flipped up. The winner of that hand wins all the cards wagered. You can have multiple Wars in the same hand and the same rules apply.

Casino War is Created

Flash forward several centuries to the 1950's. A time of rapid expansion of gambling in Las Vegas. The casinos understood that since many people played War as a child, they might be wiling to bet on the game.

Hence, Casino War was born. The rules changed to give the casinos a house advantage. Out was the concept of capturing cards and in came betting on each flip of the card between you and a dealer.

There were a couple of other changes that have a profound change in the game:

1. Casinos didn't want people to try to count the cards so they made a six deck shoe common over a single deck.
    
2. The casino give the player an option to go to war or surrender. If you go to war, you must place a 2nd bet equal to your 1st. This bet will allow you to win back your original bet and the winnings from that bet. You are not getting doubled up on the war bet.
    
3. Some casinos offer a tie bet at 10 to 1 odds. This is a side bet and does not impact the hand.

Casino War Online

In the 1990s, as online casinos were being introduced, Casino War was added as a table game to most online casinos. It was one of the easiest games to create software for as the dealer does not need to act.

Although it isn't close to one of the most popular games, Casino War is nearly ubiquitous among online casinos. The chief reason is because it is another 50/50 betting game that has a significant house advantage.

Why would anyone want to play Casino War?

The best answer I can give you is that it's the fastest game to bet on, at the casino or online. The speed with which the game is played makes it much faster than say blackjack, roulette or craps.

The betting is as simple as it gets. Make a bet, turn the cards over, you win or you lose. At some casinos you can bet that you will tie for 10 to 1 odds. I recommend against this because the chances of a tie are 13 to 1, and even then I've seen stretches of more than 30 to 40 hands without a war.

There almost is no strategy and even a novice can play. The biggest decision you have to make is whether or not to go to war.