The first time I spotted the game of War at a casino, I had a few questions. Is it the same War I used to play as a kid? (Pretty much, yeah) And if so, how the heck does the casino make any money having a table game that takes hours to finish? Then I realized I’m an idiot. In the casino version of war, you don’t play an entire game to see who won. Instead, you place one wager per card. If your card is higher than the dealer’s, you win. If it’s lower, you lose. And of course if it’s a tie, then you go to War…just like when you played as a kid.
This game is fun both because it’s a bit of a retro novelty from childhood, and because it is absolutely, 100% mindless. There is no strategy and no skill. It’s just pure luck. Of course I like games that rely on nothing but luck sometimes, as proven by the fact that I’m happy spending an hour after a long poker game just drawing for high cards.
The gameplay is, as you would expect, super easy. Just place a bet, then deal the cards. The only other decision you have to make is when you and the dealer tie. In that case, you can choose either to fold your cards, or double your bet and go to war. If you do go to war, you each get three facedown burn cards (in the casino version, these cards are irrelevant) then a fourth card dealt face up. If yours is higher, you win. And if you happen to tie the dealer on this second card, you win too. So if you’re looking to test your luck, or enjoy a blast from the past, check out War now.