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A live card game by Gold Tier Games
One card for the Player, one for the Dealer, from a six deck shoe: back the higher card or a War, with odds that move as the shoe is dealt.
By Tum
Last reviewed
- • Six deck shoe
- • Two betting rounds
- • 95% stated RTP
Play at Bovada · 4.5/5
18+ · T&Cs apply · Play responsibly
Decks
6
Shoe changed below 40 cards
War chance
7.40%
First round of a fresh shoe
Stated RTP
95%
From the game rules
Betting rounds
2
Before the cards and after the Player's card
Should you play it?
A fast, readable card game priced to return 95%. On a fresh shoe Player and Dealer each win 46.30% of rounds and a War comes up 7.40%; because the odds are reset from the cards left in the shoe before every round, keeping track of the cards gains you nothing.
Play it if
- You want the simplest card game there is: higher card wins
- You like a second chance to bet after the Player's card is shown
- You are happy with a 95% return
Skip it if
- You hoped to count cards: the odds already follow the shoe
- You want to make decisions that change the outcome
- You want a lower house edge than 5%
Variance profile
LowMediumHigh
Low. Player or Dealer wins nearly half the rounds at short odds. The War, about one round in 13.5, is the long shot.
Bets and payouts
Main bets
Odds are set before each betting round. Chances are for the first round of a fresh six deck shoe; they move a little as cards leave the shoe, and the odds move with them.
| Bet | When it wins | Chance per round |
|---|---|---|
| Player wins | The Player's card is higher | 46.30% |
| Dealer wins | The Dealer's card is higher | 46.30% |
| War | Both cards have the same rank; Player and Dealer bets lose | 7.40% |
Card bets
On the Player's card before it is dealt, or the Dealer's card in either round.
| Bet | When it wins | Chance per round |
|---|---|---|
| Red or black | The card is the color you pick | 50.00% |
| Suit | The card is the suit you pick | 25.00% |
| Face card | The card is a jack, queen or king | 23.08% |
| Number card | The card is an ace or a two to ten | 76.92% |
The game rules state a 95% return across all bets. Each price is set from the exact chance in the shoe at that moment.
Odds are set before each betting round from the cards left in the shoe, so the price for the same bet changes from round to round. RTP is the share of all money bet that comes back over a very long run; house edge is the rest. Neither predicts a single session.
Where to play War of Bets
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Claim BonusHow War of Bets works
War of Bets is a spectator card game. The dealer deals one card face up to the Player and one to the Dealer, and you bet on the result rather than playing a hand.
1
Round 1
Bet before any card
Back the Player, the Dealer or a War, or bet on the color, suit or type of either card.
2
Round 2
Bet again after the Player card
The Player's card is dealt face up and every price is updated. You can bet again on the same or different outcomes.
3
Result
The Dealer card decides
The higher card wins, aces high and twos low. Equal ranks make a War: War bets win, Player and Dealer bets lose.
Higher card wins
The Player always gets the first card and the Dealer the second. Aces are the highest card and twos the lowest; suits do not rank. If both cards have the same rank the round is a War, which is its own bet: anyone who backed the Player or the Dealer loses.
On a fresh six deck shoe, after the first card there are 23 cards of the same rank left among the other 311, so a War comes up 7.40% of the time. The rest split evenly: Player and Dealer each win 46.30%.
Odds that follow the shoe
Six decks are dealt from a shoe, and the shoe is replaced once fewer than 40 cards are left. Between rounds the game recalculates every price from the cards still in the shoe, then applies the house margin. After the Player’s card is shown the prices change again: a Player ace makes the Player a strong favorite, a two makes the Dealer one.
That is what makes the game different from casino war at a table. The prices already know what has left the shoe, so tracking high and low cards cannot find you a bet the game has mispriced. The game rules state a 95% return.
Side bets on the cards
You can also bet on the color, the suit, or whether a card is a face card (jack, queen, king) or a number card (ace to ten), for the Player before it is dealt and for the Dealer in either round. On a fresh shoe a color is an even chance, a suit one in four and a face card three in thirteen.
Is there a War of Bets strategy?
No. The game resets every price from the cards left in the shoe before each betting round, so there is no shoe position, streak or card count that finds a better bet.
Waiting for the Player card does not help
The second round prices are recalculated with the Player card in view. A Player ace makes the Player bet very likely to win and very cheap; the margin is built into that price just as before.
The War is not a bargain
It is the long shot, about 7.40% on a fresh shoe, but its price is set the same way as the main bets. A big payout is not a better return.
What you can control
Keep stakes small and steady
Rounds are quick and the results are close to coin flips. A fixed small stake per round keeps the session long and the losses slow.
Decide your stop point first
Choose a loss limit and a time limit before the first card is dealt.
Play for fun, with money you can afford to lose. Set a time and money limit before you start and keep to it. If gambling stops being fun or you feel the urge to chase losses, take a break and get support: see our problem gambling help page.
Full game specifications
🎰 Game specifications
- Format
- Live card game: one card each to Player and Dealer, six deck shoe
- RTP stated by the studio
- 95% (whole game, game rules)
- Cards
- Six standard 52 card decks in a shoe; 3 to 6 cards burned after a shuffle
- Ranking
- Aces high, twos low; suits do not rank
- War
- Equal ranks; War bets win, Player and Dealer bets lose
- Betting rounds
- Before the deal and after the Player card
- Bet limits
- Set by each casino
War of Bets FAQ
How does War of Bets work?
The dealer deals one card to the Player and one to the Dealer from a six deck shoe. The higher card wins, aces high. Equal cards make a War, which pays only bets placed on the War.
What is the RTP of War of Bets?
The game rules state 95%. Every price is recalculated before each betting round from the cards left in the shoe, with the margin built in.
What happens to my Player bet in a War?
It loses, and so does a Dealer bet. Only bets on the War win when the two cards match in rank.
Can you count cards in War of Bets?
Not to any effect. The odds are worked out from the cards still in the shoe before every round, so the price already reflects anything you could track.
How often is there a War?
On a fresh shoe about 7.40% of rounds, or about one in 13.5. The exact chance moves a little as the shoe is dealt.
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