Understanding Casino War: Concepts, Gameplay, and Mechanics

Before you even imagine military men throwing bombs at each other, shooting and even engaging in melee, casino war is actually a fun, exciting, and enthralling form of diversion with upscale and classy antics. The game however portrays a warlike environment since players technically announces war against each other in the hope of beating as many hands as possible. Players are pitted against each other, and everyone is a prospective enemy of the other. Because of these, many believe that a well-planned strategy will come in handy although the real advantage is gained from experience and mastery of the most basic principles governing casino war.

Humble Beginnings: The History of Casino War
Casino war is said to have originated from an ancient form of version by the Chinese which was referred to simple as “war.” The game – originally played by two players – was designed to utilize only a single stack of cards. Each player would receive only half of the stack as his personal deck. Then, the real war begins. Players must strategize of come up with a plan to beat all of the cards from the opposing player. Any player who can beat a higher number of cards automatically wins the round. The game slowly flourished and it even reached foreign countries a few years after its birth. Later on, modifications have been made to cater to more players. Hence, casinos added more decks and increased the number of players that can be accommodated in a single round. The game even had its name changed into “casino war” to denote that it is played in the casino and not as a favourite past-time anymore. Nevertheless the same gaming mechanics are still in use to this date.

Gaming Contraptions and Setting
The game can be played in any casino table since it does not necessarily require a specific one. In addition, the number of decks used reflect the number of players playing for a certain round. Most casino would even increase the decks they use per table so as to accommodate more players. However, more and more real-time casinos follow the trend of using only five decks of cards to limit the players involved as well as to minimize the chances of botching services. Since there are five decks, casino tables are equipped with shuffling machines to speed up the pacing per round. For most casinos, casino war tables are designed to have wagering circles, the designated area where players can put their bets. Finally, there is a moderator for every table, the dealer who is apparently in charge of the gaming flow as well as the pacing of each round.

Gaming Mechanics – Playing Casino War
Casino war has a rather tedious and gruelling mechanics despite its simple gameplay. For every round, the dealer will be handing each player with a single card, face-up. The dealer will also place one card in front of him. After which, players are expected to place their bets on their respective wagering circles. Players whose cards have higher values compared to those of the dealer automatically wins. Otherwise, the player will lose. In this round, the player will be receiving an equal number of chips to the ones he has wagered.

Based on the first round, beginners and newbies to this game may readily infer that casino war is a very simple game to play and conquer. Nevertheless, the game is actually trickier than it sounds. The tricky part begins when there is a tie. During this case, the succeeding round will become a “double gamble” round for the player. Prior to the tie, the game may be considered as break-even. On the other hand, after the tie, the player will be put in an edgy situation, granting that he is to double up his wager for a single round. This shows that he has less odds of winning big and greater chances of losing more. Aside from this, the rule will be changed. Winning players will only be receiving pay-out that is equivalent to a single bet and not for the doubled wager. However, once he loses, he will lose twice of what he has initially wagered.

Despite this tricky mechanics, casino war has other potentially useful options that players can enjoy. The most common option is separate incentive or tie wager. Tie wager is an option that can be used in the initial round. This allows players to collect a 10:1 pay-out if he lands to a tie victory along with the dealer.

Value System
Casino war does not follow a hierarchy of casino cards. Players can use them based on their face values. Nevertheless, the obvious distinction of this game over the other casino cards gambling is the fact that the ace cards are taken as the highest ranking cards.