How the game runs
One card to the player, one to the dealer, from a six-deck shoe. The higher card wins even money and rank is all that matters; suits are irrelevant. Roughly 92.6% of hands end there.
The other 7.4% tie, and that is the only decision in the game. You may surrender, taking back half your stake, or go to war: match your original bet, the dealer burns three cards, and one more card goes to each of you. Win or tie that second deal and you take one unit. Lose it and you lose two.
Why surrender is the expensive option
Surrender guarantees losing half a unit. Going to war risks two to win one, on a proposition that is close to even money. Close to even money beats a certain half-unit loss, and the gap is the difference between these two figures:
| On a tie you | Exact edge | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Go to war | 142853/4965115 | 2.8771% |
| Surrender | 23/622 | 3.6977% |
Both figures are per unit of the original bet, which is the honest way to state them: going to war doubles your exposure on that hand, so the same percentage covers more money. That is the real cost of the decision and it is why the game is more volatile than its edge suggests.
Where it sits against the rest of the floor
At 2.8771% Casino War is more expensive than blackjack played correctly at about 0.52%, more than baccarat's banker bet at 1.06%, and more than single-zero roulette at 2.70%. It is cheaper than a double-zero wheel at 5.26% and very much cheaper than Big Six.
There is usually a tie side bet offering around 10 to 1. It is not priced anywhere near the roughly 13 to 1 the event is worth, and it is the one thing on this table worth avoiding outright.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Should you go to war or surrender in Casino War?
- Always go to war. It costs 2.8771% of the original bet against 3.6977% for surrendering, so the cautious-looking option is the more expensive one by nearly a percentage point.
- What is the house edge in Casino War?
- 2.8771% of the original bet on a six-deck shoe if you always go to war, and 3.6977% if you always surrender on a tie.
- How often do the cards tie in Casino War?
- About 7.4% of hands on a six-deck shoe. That is the only point in the game where you make a decision.
Every figure on this page is computed by
side_games_math.py at build time and checked against the
figures the industry publishes before the page is written. Where a
number depends on the casino's own pay table, that is said rather than
averaged away. Last computed August 2026.