Evolution War Live is a live dealer card game based on the classic Casino War. It largely plays like a usual “Hi-Lo” or Top-Card style of betting game, but with an expanded bonus round in case the result is a tie. Besides that, it’s a simple game about guessing which of two cards will be higher after the dealer flips them. The game offers an RTP of 92.05-96.27%, depending on your decisions.
Overall, War offers a straightforward but fast-paced and enjoyable experience. If you’re a fan of games like Dragon Tiger or classic Casino War, you’ll love Evolution’s rendition as well. This review explains how Evolution War works, how the War bonus round takes place, and everything else you should know about the game before playing.
Game Specifications | |
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Game name | Evolution War Live |
Game provider | Evolution |
Game type | Specialty Games |
Streaming from | |
RTP | 95.56% |
Bet range | €0.10 - €1,000 |
Max win | 200:1 |
Side bets | No |
Supported platforms |
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Supported OS |
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Languages |
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Most of Evolution’s releases in early 2025 seem to be simple ideas improved by Evo’s unique touch and sense of style. The same can be said about War Live, a unique card game that hit the casinos in March 2025.
The idea behind War Live is as old as playing cards themselves. A dealer flips two cards, and your job is to predict which of them will be higher. However, Evolution’s take on the idea also throws in a special round that takes place in the event of a Tie. The bonus round mostly works the same way as the bonus game – the dealer draws cards, and players get a favorable result if they draw higher. However, the round’s unique rules also allow you to win up to 200:1 if you predict three Ties in a row, which is an interesting incentive to play the often ignored wagers.
Naturally, the game’s studio and presentation offer the typical Evolution flair. It’s another purpose-built studio made to look like a military submarine, complete with flashing lights and alerts during the War event. However, it’s still played on a classic card table, so it’s not just a typical entertainment-style game show.
If you’re familiar with Evo’s back catalogue, you may remember that the provider offers a much older, but fairly similar game called Football Studio. War Live and Football Studio are similar in many ways, as they are both top-card guessing games. However, War introduces the special Tie event and doesn’t connect to sporting news the way Football Studio does.
It seems that simplicity is the main feature of this game. Even the otherwise easy game of Hi-Lo has been streamlined into just two betting positions, so even complete beginners can easily understand what’s going on.
War Live is played using 8 standard decks of playing cards. The cards are all real and streamed from a real-life studio, so there’s no RNG invovled.
Every round starts with a 12-second betting period. During this time, you can bet on one or both of the following positions:
Cards are ranked from 2 to Ace, with 2s being the weakest and Aces being the strongest.
Once the betting period ends, the dealer hands one card to the player and one to the casino. All players share the same Player card, which means everyone with an active bet either wins or loses together.
The possible outcomes are as follows:
If you placed a Main bet and the result is a Tie, a special round called War triggers. You are presented with two options:
If you choose to Go to War, the results of the event are determined based on another set of cards.
First, the dealer “burns” three cards from the top of the card shoe. This means these cards are simply discarded.
Then, they reveal a new card and place it on the table face up. That’s the Player card for the War event.
Next, the dealer repeats the process for the Casino’s card. They burn three cards and place a fourth one face-up on the table, which is the card used to determine the outcome.
The two cards are then compared.
Keep in mind that you only have one chance to decide whether to Surrender or Go to War. If you decide on the latter, you can’t change your decision in the current round no matter how many Ties happen.
As you’ve probably noticed by now, Evolution War Live is so simple that it leaves very little room for strategy. However, the game’s RTP can tell us a bit about the game’s statistics, which can help guide your decisions.
Here are the main takeaways of the statistics of War Live by Evolution:
No, you should probably completely avoid this wager. It’s incredibly risky while offering a limited payout, which means the Surrender bet has a high house edge.
Now you’re probably thinking – but 200:1 is a very solid payout, why not take a chance on it?
Let’s illustrate this way. Every round of War live has a 5.88% chance to result in a Tie. That’s a relatively plausible outcome, but the base payout of the Tie bet is too low to make the risk worthwhile.
Drawing more than one Tie in a row is an astronomically unlikely event. By our calculations, hitting the 4 consecutive Ties needed for a 200:1 payout is barely over 0.001%. In other words, you could play a thousand rounds of War Live and never see a 200:1 payout even once. Considering the bet’s low RTP, you would lose a lot of money if you tried as well.
Pros | Cons |
✅ Enhanced version of simple Hi-Lo gameplay ✅ Straightforward, laid-back live casino experience ✅The Main bet has a decently high RTP rate of 96.56% ✅ Professional and charismatic presenters ✅Unique War event triggers during Ties ✅ Tie bets can win up to 200:1 through consecutive Draws ✅ Low minimum bet at just $0.1 ✅ High availability at popular casinos ✅ Live chat for easier in-game communication |
❌ Only two betting options ❌ Repetitive gameplay with no real depth ❌Low RTP for the Tie bet ❌ Increased Tie bet payouts are extremely unlikely ❌Choosing to Surrender during War lowers RTP to 96.27% |
The gameplay guide we provided above pretty much covered all of the possible payouts in Evolution War Live. We’ll also present them in the table below for easy reference.
The Main bet in this game pays Even Money while offering a probability of winning of just under 50%. As you may have guessed, the game is a straightforward 50/50 shot, minus a 3.64% house edge.
The table also includes the RTP rate for every possible bet.
Bet (decision) | Payout | RTP | |
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War Live Paytable | |||
Main Bet (Go to War) | 1:1 | 96.56% | |
Main Bet (Surrender) | Half your stake returned | 96.27% | |
Tie Bet Payouts | |||
Tie | 10:1 | ||
2 Consecutive Ties | 25:1 | ||
3 Consecutive Ties | 50:1 | ||
4 Consecutive Ties | 200:1 |
We’ve already mentioned the main bet’s RTP of 96.56%. However, we should note a few things about it.
This RTP rate remains consistently the same if you choose to Go to War. That’s because the War round is essentially just a repeat of the main game. The Player card has the exact same chance of being higher than the Casino card whether it’s in the base game or the War event, while the ratio of risk vs. reward remains the same (i.e. the payout is 1:1).
Therefore, the optimal way to play War Live is to just place Main bets and always Go to War.
If you choose to surrender, the RTP of your overall betting for that round decreases to 96.27%. That’s because having a chance to win 1:1 is worth the risk, moreso than Surrendering and taking half your stake back.
Make sure to choose the game that suits your taste and budget. For more extensive guides on live casino games, check out this page.
The game’s interface is as streamlined as its rules: you have two buttons that correspond to two bets, and that’s pretty much it. It’s all the game offers, and it’s all the game needs.
The only other notable UI element is the pop-up box that shows up whenever a Tie occurs. This box presents you with the options to Surrender or Go to War. You won’t be able to see it during regular gameplay, which makes everything clearer and more intuitive.
Beyond that, the usual options for video/audio settings, languages, and other details are arrayed at the top of the screen. That’s where you’ll also find the live chat you can use to communicate with the dealers and other players.
The studio for War Live by Evolution was inspired by the interors of military vessels – battleships, submarines, or what have you. Personally, we think it looks like one of those “command bases” from cheezy Cold War-era war movies. Either way, it’s a nice touch to set War Live apart from other games, but it’s nothing breath-taking.
As for the stream itself, it’s up to Evolution’s usual standards. That means the video and audio broadcasts are constant, consistent, and with no technical issues or lagging. OF course, mileage may vary depending on your device hardware and connectivity, but we dare say it looks quite good.
The thematic studio and visual effects are all constrained to the background. The foreground of the visuals is just a classic felt card table, which we’re quite fond of as casino fans.
What we’re trying to say is that this game is not an entertainment-style game show, despite the theme and visual effects. The presenters act more like classic casino croupiers and are mostly focused on the cards. The experience will obviously appeal to fans of classic casino games, though the toned-down style of presentation sometimes highlights the game’s fundamental simplicity. Not a lot happens during a round of War Live – not even if the War event is triggered by a tie. It’s a laid-back experience for those who don’t like debating every decision, which is a large audience.
Our game reviews and ratings are based on a strict set of standards. These standards were developed over many years of playing and analyzing live dealer games of all sorts. Here are some of the key factors we consider before giving our recommendation:
It’s always fun to explore new live casino games like War Live, but it’s incredibly important to always gamble responsibly. Games like these are relaxing and repeative, which can lull you into a falls sense of security.
Keep the dangers of gambling in mind at all times. Remember to control your bankroll, don’t go over the budget you set up at the beginning of the game, and take regular breaks so as not to damage your health.
Check out this page to find more information about responsible gambling and useful tips on how to avoid problem gambling and control your spending. If you suspect you may be developing symptoms of problem gambling, we recommend contacting such organizations as: