War uses a standard 52-card deck. Shuffle the cards sufficiently before playing, especially if the deck is brand new. Either player can be the dealer or a third person. Deal cards back and forth so that each player has 26 cards. Do not look at your cards.
To play, count down from 3 and flip cards at the same time so that they are face up. Only flip the top card, no peaking! Other cards must remain secret. The player with the higher card wins and collects both cards, returning the cards to the bottom of their personal deck. If players flip the same card, the war begins.
During a war, each player places three more cards, face-down, on the table and after, flip over a fourth card so that it is face up. Whoever’s card is the highest is the winner, they collect all the cards, 10 in total, and the next round begins. If the fourth cards are also the same, repeat the previous instructions until there is a winner.