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 2% 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)
