Short answer
You and the dealer each get one card, and the higher card wins even money. On a tie you either surrender half your bet or go to war by adding a second bet equal to the first. Going to war is the cheaper choice. At the Australian tables whose rules we read, if you always go to war the house keeps about 2.33% of your first bets over time, A$0.23 per A$10 round on average; if you always surrender, about 3.70%, or A$0.37. The separate tie bet pays 10 to 1 and keeps about 18.65% of every tie bet. These figures assume six decks and the Crown Melbourne, Casino Canberra and The Star Brisbane rules; other tables differ.
How a round of casino war is played
A round takes one card each and, at most, one decision from you.
- You place the main bet. You can also place a tie bet: the Crown Melbourne rules let you place either or both, and The Star Brisbane caps the tie bet at three times your first bet.
- You and the dealer each get one card.
- The higher card wins. Ace is the highest card and two the lowest; the Crown Melbourne, Casino Canberra and Crown Perth rules say all suits rank the same.
- If your card is higher, the main bet pays 1 to 1. If it is lower, you lose the bet.
- If both cards have the same rank, it is a tie, and you choose to go to war or surrender.
The rules set the number of decks: four to eight at Crown Melbourne, six to eight at Casino Canberra, and four, six or eight at Crown Perth. The Star Brisbane guide does not give a number. At Crown Melbourne and Casino Canberra, staff will not tell you what to do: their rules bar employees from advising a player how to play, except to keep the game within the rules.
What happens on a tie: go to war or surrender
On a tie, going to war costs less over time than surrendering, at every deck count from four to eight. Surrender ends the round: you give up half your first bet. Under the Canberra rules, a player who does not choose when the dealer asks is treated as having surrendered.
To go to war, you add a second bet equal to the first, and you and the dealer each get one more card. What happens next:
- Your second card is higher. The war bet pays 1 to 1. Your first bet is a stand-off: it comes back without winnings, which is why a won war pays only the raise.
- The second cards tie. Crown Melbourne and Casino Canberra pay both bets 1 to 1. The Star Brisbane pays the war bet 2 to 1 and returns the first bet. Both come to a win of two bets.
- Your second card is lower. You lose both bets.
That win of two bets on a second tie is the bonus that lowers the cost. With six decks, always going to war at these tables leaves the house about 2.33% of your first bets, or A$0.23 per A$10 round on average. Always surrendering leaves it about 3.70%, or A$0.37. At a table that pays only the raise on a second tie, always going to war costs 2.88% (A$0.29), still less than surrender.
These are long-run averages measured on the first bet, not the cost of one tie. They do not cover Crown Perth: the text of its rules we could extract does not show what a second tie pays. Burning cards does not change them. The Melbourne and Canberra rules deal the war cards with no burn, and Crown Perth burns three cards first; burned cards are unseen, so the odds of the next cards stay the same. How the cost moves with the number of decks is on our page on what each choice costs.
Casino war payouts by bet
Each bet has its own payout and its own cost, and the cost is measured on different stakes.
| Bet or choice | Pays | House edge, six decks | Share of | Rules behind it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main bet, always go to war, both bets paid on a second tie | 1 to 1; a won war pays the raise only | 2.33% | First bets | Crown Melbourne, Casino Canberra, The Star Brisbane |
| Main bet, always go to war, raise only on a second tie | 1 to 1; a won war pays the raise only | 2.88% | First bets | Tables without the bonus (Wizard of Odds base game) |
| Main bet, always surrender | 1 to 1; a tie loses half the bet | 3.70% | First bets | Crown Melbourne, Casino Canberra, The Star Brisbane |
| Tie bet at 10 to 1 | 10 to 1 | 18.65% | Tie bets | All four; Crown Perth “where available” |
| Tie bet at 11 to 1 | 11 to 1 | 11.25% | Tie bets | Habanero software, according to Wizard of Odds |
| Live “War” (Evolution) | Tie side bet rising 10, 25, 50 and 200 to 1 with ties in a row | Not stated by the provider in what we could read | — | casino.org and casinos.com, not confirmed by Evolution |
With four to eight decks the figures move to 2.31–2.34% (war with the bonus), 2.84–2.90% (war without it), 3.62–3.73% (surrender) and 17.83–20.29% (tie bet at 10 to 1). On an A$10 tie bet, 18.65% is A$1.87 on average. The percentages are our arithmetic from the rules; they match the Wizard of Odds table.
Where casino war is played in Australia
We read casino war documents from four Australian casinos; in three of them a second tie pays a win of two bets.
| Casino | Document | Decks | Burn before war | Second tie pays | Tie bet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crown Melbourne | Casino War Rules, Version 5.0, approved by the VGCCC on 27 April 2022 | 4 to 8 | None in the war rules | Both bets 1 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| Casino Canberra | Casino Control (Casino War) Approval 2018 (No 1), NI2018-567, in force, notified 18 October 2018 | 6 to 8 | None | Both bets 1 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| The Star Brisbane | The casino’s guide “How to play Casino War”, not approved rules; filed in a 2024-08 folder | Not stated | Not stated | War bet 2 to 1, first bet returned | 10 to 1, up to three times the first bet |
| Crown Perth | Rules of the Authorised Game of Casino War, updated by RAG 599 on 19 December 2025 | 4, 6 or 8 | 3 cards | Not established from the text we could read | 10 to 1, where available |
A rules document shows how the game must run, not whether a table is open on a given day; we did not check that. None of the four documents gives bet limits in numbers. The Star guide asks players to check the sign at the table.
Online, ACMA lists “casino-style games (like poker, blackjack and roulette)” among illegal online services. Casino war is not named in that list. Our page on Australian online gambling law covers the detail.
Online and live versions
We have no dated rules for online versions, so check the game’s help screen before the first bet. Two game sites, casino.org and casinos.com, describe a live “War” table from Evolution with eight decks and a tie side bet that climbs from 10 to 1 to 200 to 1. They give its return as 96.56% for going to war and 96.27% for surrendering. For the tie bet, casino.org gives 92.05% and casinos.com 92.50%.
We could not confirm these figures: a search on evolution.com on 5 November 2026 did not show the game, and two likely addresses returned errors. That means we did not find the rules, not that the game does not exist. The questions to check in any version are the same: what a second tie pays, and what the tie bet pays. More on live tables is in our live casino games guide.
Is there a casino war strategy?
The only choice in casino war is what to do on a tie, and going to war is the cheaper one at four to eight decks, with or without the bonus. The Star Brisbane guide gives the house edge as approximately 2.33% when the game is played to optimal strategy. The tie bet costs about 18.65% of each tie bet, against about 2.33% of first bets on the main game. Beyond the tie decision and whether to place the tie bet, the cards decide. Baccarat has a similar side bet on a tie, covered in our baccarat guide.
Safer play. ACMA gives the national gambling helpline as 1800 858 858. BetStop lets you exclude yourself, free, from all licensed Australian online and phone gambling providers, for 3 months up to a lifetime, at betstop.gov.au. It does not apply to online casino games illegally provided in Australia. You must be 18 or over. More contacts are on our support resources page.
Casino war FAQ
What happens if you tie in casino war?
You choose: surrender half your first bet, or go to war by adding a second bet equal to it. If you win the war, only the second bet pays; if you lose, both bets go. At Crown Melbourne and Casino Canberra a second tie pays both bets; The Star Brisbane pays the war bet 2 to 1. With six decks, always going to war costs about 2.33% of first bets over time, against 3.70% for always surrendering.
How many cards are burned in casino war?
It depends on the table’s rules. The Crown Melbourne and Casino Canberra rules deal the war cards with no burn, while the Crown Perth rules burn three cards first. Burned cards are unseen, so the number does not change the odds.
What does the tie bet pay in casino war?
It pays 10 to 1 at the four Australian casinos whose documents we read; Crown Perth offers it “where available”. With six decks the house keeps about 18.65% of every tie bet over time, A$1.87 per A$10 tie bet. According to Wizard of Odds, online casinos using Habanero software pay 11 to 1, which lowers the edge to 11.25%.
Can you play casino war online in Australia?
ACMA lists “casino-style games (like poker, blackjack and roulette)” among illegal online services; casino war is not named in that list. Game sites describe a live version, but we could not read the provider’s own rules. Our page on Australian online gambling law covers the detail.
Sources and method
- Crown Melbourne, Casino War page and its Casino War Rules, Version 5.0, VGCCC approved 27 April 2022 (decks, ranking, payouts, surrender, burning, staff advice), read 5 November 2026
- ACT Legislation Register, Casino Control (Casino War) Approval 2018 (No 1), NI2018-567 (Casino Canberra rules, status in force), read 5 November 2026
- The Star Brisbane, How to play Casino War (guide: payouts, tie bet limit, ranking, house edge), read 5 November 2026
- Crown Perth, 2015 Rules of the Authorised Game of Casino War, updated by RAG 599 on 19 December 2025 (PDF: decks, burning, payouts), read 5 November 2026
- Wizard of Odds, Casino war (house edge with and without the bonus, surrender, tie bet, 11 to 1 at Habanero), read 5 November 2026
- casino.org, War Live, and casinos.com, War (live version: decks, tie ladder, return figures), read 5 November 2026; Evolution, site search for “war”, 5 November 2026
- Australian Communications and Media Authority, Protect yourself from illegal gambling operators and BetStop (helpline 1800 858 858); About BetStop (scope and period), read 5 November 2026
- House edge percentages and A$ examples are our arithmetic from the payout rules above, on the first bet or the tie bet as marked; they match the Wizard of Odds table
Written by: Helene Berner · First published: