War

War

War is a 2-player card game of pure chance — there are no decisions to make. It is one of the most widely known card games in the world, particularly among children.

Setup

Shuffle a standard 52-card deck and deal all 26 cards face-down to each player. Neither player looks at their cards. Card values, lowest to highest: 2 through 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace. Suits do not affect the outcome.

The Turn

Both players simultaneously reveal the top card of their pile. The player whose card has the higher rank takes both cards and places them at the bottom of their pile.

War

If both revealed cards have the same rank, War occurs:

1. Each player places 3 cards face-down
2. Each player reveals 1 card face-up
3. The higher face-up card wins all 10 cards
4. If the face-up cards also tie, War repeats from step 1

Winning

The player who collects all 52 cards wins. If a player runs out of cards mid-War (unable to play the required cards), they lose immediately.

Notes

War is a pure luck game; no strategy exists. A game can last indefinitely due to card cycling. Many players set a time limit and award the win to whoever holds more cards at that point.