Casinos offer Kitchen Table Kid’s Game
Dear Mark,
What do you know about a game called Battle Royale? Is it the same game
and odds as the game of War that I’ve seen offered in the casino? Kevin
T.
Yes, Kevin, Battle Royale, is a variation of the same game that you
played as a youngster at the kitchen table and analogous to the game of
War offered in some casinos.
With War, you and the dealer receive one card each, and the high card
wins. If there’s a tie, you MUST double your initial bet, and two more
cards are dealt. Again the high card wins. However, if you win, you get
only your original wager. This is how the casino pillages your wallet.
The house advantage from this one rule change is upped to 7.14%. With
Battle Royale, the rules offer the player a surrender option, making
the casino advantage much lower than in the game of War.
Like casino War, Battle Royale is a contest between player and dealer,
one card being dealt face up to the player, one card dealt face up to
the dealer. Your object remains the same: draw a higher card than the
dealer’s. Cards are ranked as in poker; twos are low and aces are high.
Suits do not matter in Battle Royale. High card always wins until a tie
occurs.
When a tie intrudes, the dealer will ask if the player would like to go
to battle or surrender. If the player chooses to surrender, the dealer
will take half of the player’s original wager and deal a new hand. If
the player elects to go to battle, the player must raise his or her bet
by an amount equal to the original wager (the dealer does the same, but
only for show), then after the dealer burns three cards, an additional
card is dealt to both player and dealer. If the dealer has high card,
the player loses both bets. If the player wins, the win is only for
even money on the battle bet, while the original wager remains a push.
However, if a second tie occurs during the battle, the player is paid
out at a rate of 3:1.
As for a playing strategy, Kevin, there isn’t much of one, except for
the decision of either surrendering or battling when you and the dealer
tie. I recommend that you always go to war with the dealer when you
have a tie. At first glance, it might seem illogical to risk twice your
bet in hopes of winning back only your original wager; but the house
edge is 2.68% when you go to war versus 3.7% if you forfeit your
original wager without a fight.
The player also has the option of placing a side bet on a Tie before
the new hand is dealt. Though it pays a dazzling 10 to 1, it is a
sucker bet that has an enormous house advantage of 18.65%. A crunching
no-brainer, Kevin, so don’t play it.
The skinny, Kevin, is that although Battle Royale compromises my
principle of only making wagers that have less than a two percent
casino advantage, so long as you battle the dealer rather than
surrender, the house edge of 2.68% won’t pickpocket your billfold all
that much.
Gambling quote of the week: “One should always play fair when one has
the winning cards.” Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
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