Atlassino Academy · Other tables · Lesson 12
War: one card each, and what a tie costs
War is one card each against the croupier, under the national catalogue of games. Here are the order of the cards, the tie bet, and what each choice costs when the cards are equal.
Your card and the croupier’s card are both queens. Do you give up half your bet, or put up a second one?
The short answer
Put up the second one. In War, equal first cards leave you two choices: surrender, which costs half the first bet every time, or go to war with a second bet the size of the first. By our count, with the payouts the national catalogue of games prints for the war, going to war averages +22.19% of the first bet with six decks, against −50.00% for surrendering.
Leoformer dealer · rules and maths
War is the shortest game in the room: one card for you, one for the croupier, and the higher card is paid. The one moment that needs thought is when the two cards are equal, and that is what this page is about.
One card each
The Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego lists War among the card games a casino may run, and its national catalogue of games sets the rules. The players bet against the croupier on who gets the higher card: the croupier deals every player one card face up, then one face up for the croupier, and the cards are compared.
The table has six seats, the shoe holds six to eight decks of 52 cards, and every player plays one box only.
| Card | Counts |
|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | Its number |
| Jack | 11 |
| Queen | 12 |
| King | 13 |
| Ace | 14, always the higher card |
The ace is always the higher card, so a king loses to it.
The bets, and what they are paid
Before the first card, a player bets on War, or on War and the tie. The tie is an extra bet that your first card will be of the same value as the croupier’s.
Bets
A bet on War, or on War and the tie, before the first card is dealt.
One card each
Every player gets one card face up, and the croupier takes one face up.
Settled
The higher card is paid one to one; the lower card loses the bet.
Equal cards
The tie bet is paid 10 to 1; a player without it surrenders or goes to war.
A higher card is paid one to one; when the croupier’s card is higher, the croupier takes the bet at once. A bet stays where it is once the cards are dealt: it cannot be taken back. The amounts that can be bet at each game have to be posted in the room.
Equal cards: surrender or go to war
When the two cards are equal and you have no tie bet, you have two choices, “rendirse” or “ir a la Guerra”: surrender, or go to war. Surrendering loses half of your first bet, and the other half comes back.
Going to war means a second bet the same size as the first. The croupier burns three cards and deals you one face up, then burns three more and takes one face up.
| Your war card is | What the catalogue says | On 10 units and 10 units |
|---|---|---|
| Higher | Both bets paid one to one | 20 units paid |
| Lower | The croupier takes everything bet | 20 units lost |
| Equal again | Both bets paid one to one, plus a bonus the size of the first bet | 30 units paid |
When your war card is higher, the catalogue pays everything you have bet, the first bet and the war bet, both one to one. When the croupier’s war card is higher, the croupier takes everything bet. When the war cards are equal again, you are paid everything bet one to one, and a bonus the size of your first bet as well.
What equal cards cost
The catalogue prints the payouts, not a price. The table below is our own exact count: the war cards are any two cards left in the shoe, as the burnt cards are never seen, and each choice is priced by the payouts above.
| At equal cards | Six decks | Eight decks |
|---|---|---|
| Surrender | −50.00% | −50.00% |
| Go to war | +22.19% | +22.41% |
Surrendering costs half the first bet, every time. In the war, a higher card and a lower card are equally likely, and they pay and take the same two bets, so on average they cancel; what is left is the case of equal cards again, which the catalogue pays three times the first bet and which comes up in 7.40% of wars with six decks. That is why going to war costs less than surrendering at every number of decks the catalogue allows.
Leoformer dealer · rules and maths
Going to war puts more money on the table for one card. Decide before you sit down whether your money for the evening has room for a second bet, because equal cards come when they come.
The tie bet
The tie bet is paid 10 to 1 when the first cards are equal. With six decks, equal first cards come up on 7.40% of deals; with eight, on 7.47%. Paid 10 to 1 on that share, the tie bet costs 18.65% of itself on average with six decks, and 17.83% with eight, by our count.
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
Ten to one sounds generous, and that is the trap: the tie bet costs far more of each bet than anything else at this table. Decide the money and the time at home, and leave the seat when either runs out.
If the evening stops feeling like an evening out, self-exclusion and the regulator’s line are just below.
If it stops being fun
If gambling stops being fun, the SCJ self-exclusion applies in every casino in the country. Minimum entry age: 18 (age of majority under Law 19.221; Law 19.995 bars minors from gaming rooms). The casino may ask for an official ID. More on responsible gaming.
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Practice: settle the first cards, pay the war
Level 1 shows both first cards and asks what happens to your bet of 10 units on War. Level 2 shows the war cards and asks what is settled, and what surrendering costs. The 10 units is an example bet, not a suggested bet.
Nothing is bet here, and nothing is random. Each question is a set picture of cards, and the answer is worked out from the same rules as the rest of the page.
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The practice table needs JavaScript. Here is one question from it, with the answer.
CROUPIER
YOU
- You 2
- Croupier ace (14)
You have a bet of 10 units on War and no tie bet. What happens to it?
- 10 units paid Not here. The croupier’s ace (14) is higher than your 2: the croupier takes your bet at once.
- The bet is lost The croupier’s ace (14) is higher than your 2: the croupier takes your bet at once.
- Equal cards: surrender or go to war Not here. The croupier’s ace (14) is higher than your 2: the croupier takes your bet at once.
The higher card is paid one to one, and the lower card loses the bet. The cards rank from 2 up to 10 by number, then jack 11, queen 12, king 13 and ace 14: the ace is always the higher card. Equal cards open the choice: surrender, or go to war.
CROUPIER
YOU
- Your war card 9
- Croupier’s war card 9
Your first bet was 10 units, and you put up another 10 units to go to war. What is settled?
- 20 units paid Not here. Equal cards again: both bets are paid one to one and a bonus the size of the first bet is added, 30 units in all.
- 20 units lost Not here. Equal cards again: both bets are paid one to one and a bonus the size of the first bet is added, 30 units in all.
- 30 units paid Equal cards again: both bets are paid one to one and a bonus the size of the first bet is added, 30 units in all.
In the war, the catalogue pays both bets one to one when your card is higher, takes both when the croupier’s card is higher, and when the cards are equal again pays both bets one to one plus a bonus the size of your first bet. Surrendering instead costs half the first bet.
Every question in the practice run is worked out the same way: the cards are put through the same rules and the same count as the rest of the page, and the answer comes out of that, not out of anybody’s memory.
How the practice run works
Where the questions come from. Every answer is worked out when the page is built, from the order of the cards and the payouts of the national catalogue. The wrong answers are named mistakes: a picture card taken for the highest card, equal cards taken for a stand-off, and a war paid on the second bet only.
One strip, and no rounds. Every square on the strip is one question of this lesson, and all of the squares are there from the start. Your first answer fills the square it belongs to; when the squares of one level are full, the next level begins by itself. Practising a question you got wrong turns its cross into “fixed in practice” and does not change the count, because only first answers count.
Your progress stays in this browser, and nothing is sent anywhere.
Check yourself
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
Four quick ones. Pick an answer, then check it. No timer, no points: just whether it stuck.
Back to the question we opened with. Put up the second bet. Surrendering costs half the first bet for certain; going to war, priced by the catalogue’s own payouts, costs less, at six decks and at eight.
Where to go next, and further reading
18+ across Chile · Play responsibly · help is further up this page
Further reading
- Catálogo de Juegos (War) · Superintendencia de Casinos de JuegoThe regulator’s rules for the table: one card each, the order of the cards, the tie bet, and surrendering or going to war.
- Funcionamiento de los juegos: Juegos de cartas · Superintendencia de Casinos de JuegoThe regulator’s plain-language page on card games, with War among them.
How it’s worked out
Rules, numbers, sources and hosts
Where the rules come from. Everything on this page follows section III.4 of the Catálogo de Juegos of the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego, the national catalogue of the games a casino may run, in its March 2023 text, pages 149 to 155. The catalogue says which games a casino is allowed to run, not which tables a given casino has.
Numbers. Every amount comes from the payouts of the catalogue, applied by our War engine. Every share and price is counted exactly over a fresh shoe of six or eight decks: the share of equal first cards, the share of equal war cards with the two tied cards out of the shoe, and the average of each choice. Nothing here is typed in by hand.
What the count leaves out. The count is for one player alone at the table with a freshly shuffled shoe; cards already dealt to other players change the chances a little, and we do not count that. The catalogue does not say what happens to the War bet of a player who also bet the tie when the first cards are equal, so the tie bet is priced on its own. There is no price of the whole game here: it rests on how a war is paid, and for that we have only the catalogue’s own sentences. No document we could read prints how many deals an hour a table plays, so there is no price of an hour here.
Our readings. The catalogue writes the war twice, in the rules of play and again under the payment of bets, and both times a war your card takes pays both bets one to one, and equal war cards add a bonus the size of the first bet. We price the choice at equal cards with those payouts, as printed. Read that way, the War bet as a whole would carry no price for the player at all; we have read no casino’s own rules for the game, so this page prints no price for the whole game. Before you sit down, ask the croupier how a war is paid.
Sources. Every rule on this page carries a button with the sentence it rests on, in the catalogue’s own Spanish, the publisher who wrote that sentence and the date we read it.
Hosts. Leo and Maya are illustrated characters. Their backstories, a former dealer and a former floor supervisor, are written for the course: neither is a real person, and neither speaks for any casino. The rules and numbers on this page come from the sources it cites, not from their experience.
No promise. Choosing the cheaper option at equal cards changes what that moment costs on average; nothing on this page changes which cards come out of the shoe, and nothing here says how an evening at the table would end.
The order of the cards
Ganará el jugador que obtenga una carta mayor a la del croupier. Cada carta mantendrá su valor, del 2 al 10 por su número, el Jaco (J) tendrá el valor de 11, la Quina (Q) de 12, el Rey (K) de 13 y el As (A) de 14. El As siempre será considerado como carta mayor.Free translation: The player who obtains a higher card than the dealer's shall win. Each card keeps its value, from 2 to 10 by its number; the Jack (J) has a value of 11, the Queen (Q) 12, the King (K) 13 and the Ace (A) 14. The Ace shall always be considered the highest card.
Section III.4 War (págs. 149–155)
Surrender
Si el jugador opta por rendirse, perderá la mitad de su apuesta inicial (50 %).Free translation: If the player chooses to surrender, he or she will lose half of the initial bet (50 %).
Section III.4 War (págs. 149–155)
When your war card is higher
Si se produjo un empate en la fase inicial y el jugador optó por ir a la guerra y su carta para esa fase supera el valor de la carta del croupier, el jugador gana todo el dinero apostado, por ambos (su apuesta inicial y la apuesta de guerra, ambas pagadas 1 a 1).Free translation: If a tie occurred in the initial phase and the player chose to go to war and the player's card for that phase exceeds the value of the dealer's card, the player wins all the money wagered on both (the initial bet and the war bet, both paid 1 to 1).
Section III.4 War (págs. 149–155)
The tie bet pays
Cuando el resultado del pase en la fase inicial es empate (Tie) se pagarán las apuestas a los jugadores que apostaron al Tie, pagando 10 a 1 la apuesta.Free translation: When the result of the hand in the initial phase is a tie (Tie), the bets of the players who bet on the Tie shall be paid, the bet paying 10 to 1.
Section III.4 War (págs. 149–155)
A game of the catalogue
Omaha Poker) War o Guerra, Treinta y Cuarenta.Free translation: Omaha Poker) War or Guerra, Treinta y Cuarenta.
Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego (SCJ) · Funcionamiento de los juegos: Juegos de cartas · read
One card each
El War o Guerra es un juego de cartas en el cual los jugadores apostarán contra el croupier a quien obtiene una carta mayor.Free translation: War or Guerra is a card game in which the players bet against the dealer on who obtains a higher card.
el croupier reparte una carta descubierta a cada jugador, comenzando desde la izquierda hacia la derecha de la banca, luego de esto se entrega una carta descubierta para sí mismo.Free translation: the dealer deals one face-up card to each player, starting from the left and moving to the right of the bank, and then deals one face-up card to himself or herself.
Section III.4 War (págs. 149–155)
The table
Se usan de 6 a 8 barajas americanas de 52 cartas cada una, todas las cuales deben tener el mismo dibujo en su reverso (filigrana).Free translation: From 6 to 8 American decks of 52 cards each are used, all of which must have the same design on the back (filigree).
Se usa una mesa con forma de media luna, cubierta por un paño en el cual van demarcados los puntos de apuesta para seis (6) jugadores sentados, además del puesto destinado al croupier.Free translation: A half-moon-shaped table is used, covered by a cloth on which the betting positions are marked for six (6) seated players, in addition to the position reserved for the dealer.
Ningún jugador puede apostar en más de un lugar por pase, en consecuencia, no puede jugar más de una mano por pase.Free translation: No player may bet in more than one place per round and, consequently, may not play more than one hand per round.
Section III.4 War (págs. 149–155)
The order of the cards
Ganará el jugador que obtenga una carta mayor a la del croupier. Cada carta mantendrá su valor, del 2 al 10 por su número, el Jaco (J) tendrá el valor de 11, la Quina (Q) de 12, el Rey (K) de 13 y el As (A) de 14. El As siempre será considerado como carta mayor.Free translation: The player who obtains a higher card than the dealer's shall win. Each card keeps its value, from 2 to 10 by its number; the Jack (J) has a value of 11, the Queen (Q) 12, the King (K) 13 and the Ace (A) 14. The Ace shall always be considered the highest card.
Section III.4 War (págs. 149–155)
The bets
Las apuestas iniciales a realizar serán las correspondientes a War y a War más Tie.Free translation: The initial bets to be placed shall be those corresponding to War and to War plus Tie.
El Empate o Tie es una apuesta adicional en la cual el jugador apuesta a que su carta inicial será del mismo valor a la carta inicial de la banca. Esta apuesta debe realizarse antes de que el croupier reparta la primera carta.Free translation: The Tie is an additional bet in which the player bets that his or her initial card will be of the same value as the bank's initial card. This bet must be placed before the dealer deals the first card.
Section III.4 War (págs. 149–155)
Higher and lower
El pago de las apuestas ganadoras en la fase inicial se pagará en proporción de uno a uno.Free translation: Winning bets in the initial phase shall be paid at a ratio of one to one.
Cuando el puntaje del croupier sea mayor que el del jugador, éste último perderá su apuesta, la que será retirada inmediatamente por el croupier.Free translation: When the dealer's score is higher than the player's, the player will lose the bet, which will be immediately removed by the dealer.
Section III.4 War (págs. 149–155)
No taking a bet back
No puede retirar su apuesta una vez que ha recibido las cartas.Free translation: The player cannot withdraw the bet once the cards have been received.
Section III.4 War (págs. 149–155)
Limits in the room
Los montos de las apuestas de cada juego deben ser informados en las salas de juego.Free translation: The bet amounts for each game must be posted in the gaming rooms.
Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego (SCJ) · Funcionamiento de los juegos: Juegos de cartas · read
Two choices
En caso contrario, el jugador tendrá dos opciones: “rendirse” o “ir a la Guerra”.Free translation: Otherwise, the player will have two options: "surrender" or "go to War".
Rendirse: corresponde a la opción de abandonar el juego en el caso de un empate, en el cualFree translation: Surrender: this is the option of abandoning the game in the case of a tie, in which
Section III.4 War (págs. 149–155)
Surrender
Si el jugador opta por rendirse, perderá la mitad de su apuesta inicial (50 %).Free translation: If the player chooses to surrender, he or she will lose half of the initial bet (50 %).
Section III.4 War (págs. 149–155)
Going to war
si el jugador decide ir a la guerra, deberá efectuar otra apuesta igual a la inicial, caso en el cual el croupier quemará tres cartas y le dará una carta descubierta al jugador, luego quemará tres cartas y se dará una carta descubierta para él.Free translation: if the player decides to go to war, he or she must place another bet equal to the initial one, in which case the dealer will burn three cards and deal one face-up card to the player, then burn three cards and deal one face-up card to himself or herself.
Section III.4 War (págs. 149–155)
When your war card is higher
Si se produjo un empate en la fase inicial y el jugador optó por ir a la guerra y su carta para esa fase supera el valor de la carta del croupier, el jugador gana todo el dinero apostado, por ambos (su apuesta inicial y la apuesta de guerra, ambas pagadas 1 a 1).Free translation: If a tie occurred in the initial phase and the player chose to go to war and the player's card for that phase exceeds the value of the dealer's card, the player wins all the money wagered on both (the initial bet and the war bet, both paid 1 to 1).
Section III.4 War (págs. 149–155)
When the croupier’s war card is higher
Si la carta del croupier es mayor que la del jugador, éste retirará todo lo apostado y recogerá las cartas.Free translation: If the dealer's card is higher than the player's, the dealer will take everything wagered and collect the cards.
Section III.4 War (págs. 149–155)
Equal cards again
si la carta del jugador y la del croupier son de igual valor, el jugador gana todo el dinero apostado y, además, se le paga un bono de igual valor al de su apuesta inicial.Free translation: if the player's card and the dealer's card are of equal value, the player wins all the money wagered and, in addition, is paid a bonus equal in value to the initial bet.
Finalmente, cuando el resultado en la fase de guerra es empate (Tie), el jugador ganará todo lo apostado, pagándose 1 a 1, más un bono equivalente a su apuesta inicial.Free translation: Finally, when the result in the war phase is a tie (Tie), the player will win everything wagered, paid 1 to 1, plus a bonus equivalent to the initial bet.
Section III.4 War (págs. 149–155)
The tie bet pays
Cuando el resultado del pase en la fase inicial es empate (Tie) se pagarán las apuestas a los jugadores que apostaron al Tie, pagando 10 a 1 la apuesta.Free translation: When the result of the hand in the initial phase is a tie (Tie), the bets of the players who bet on the Tie shall be paid, the bet paying 10 to 1.
Section III.4 War (págs. 149–155)