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Sabacc has been a part of Star Wars lore for decades. It’s famously the game that Lando Calrissian lost the Millennium Falcon to Han Solo in, and inStar Wars Outlawsfans finally have a chance to try their hand at the galaxy’s favorite game of chance.
Considering that the rules were made up a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, it can be a little tricky for new players to wrap their heads around - especially when their hard-earned credits are on the line. With this guide, you’ll be a card shark feared from Mos Eisley to Coruscant.
Where To Play Sabacc
Sabacc tables can be found throughout the game, usually inmajor cities. Many of them are in syndicate territory, so you’ll need to be on good terms with whomever controls the cardroom if you want to be able to play. As long as you aren’t temporarily banned from a table (see below), you can playsimply by approaching the table and interacting with it.
Each table has a buy-inpaid in credits.The higher the buy-in, the more credits you’ll make if you win, but be warned; Sabacc is a zero-sum game.The winner takes all,while second place and below lose their buy-in andgo home empty-handed.
Unlike Earth games such as poker and blackjack, you can’t cut your losses and leave early if a game is going poorly; once you start playing Sabacc, you either win or lose.
The Rules Of Sabacc
Each player is dealta hand of two cards, which can be numbered from one to six; some cards have special abilities instead of numbers, as detailed below. Your objective each round is toget the cards in your hand to have numbers as close as possible, ideally matching.You have three turns per round, each of which is a chance todraw a cardin hopes of getting a better hand, orstand, keeping your current hand as it is. The player with the best hand at the end of the round is the winner of that round; all the other playersmust pay chips to remain in the game. If a player loses their last chip, they are out and cannot continue playing. Play continues until only one player has any chips left.
Each player starts with the same number of chips, regardless of the table’s buy-in. Chips don’t represent a value in credits, and are merely used to keep score during the game. The number of starting chips varies by table, with six being the standard.
Drawing A Card
Unless you think you have a winning hand, you’llprobably want to draw a card on most turns.Doing so costs one chip, which isplaced in your potuntil the end of the round. If you win the round, you get all the chips in your pot back; if you spend your last chip on a draw,you aren’t outuntil you’re forced to pay up at the end of the round.
You can choose to draw aSand card (tan) or a Blood card (red); both decks are identical with three copies of each card, but youmust have one card of each color in your hand at all times.Therefore, if you have a 1 of Sand and a 3 of Blood, it’s a good idea todraw from the Blood deckand hope to get a 1 of Blood.
You also have the option todraw the last card that was discarded from each color; if an opponent got rid of a card that you can use, grab it rather than trusting to luck!
After drawing, you can choose to eitherdiscard your previous card from that color, or the card you just drew. Pay attention to how your opponents react as they draw; you can see what they discarded near their nameplates at the top of the screen, and their body language can indicate whether they are happy with their hand.
Standing
If you have Sabacc (that is, a hand where both cards match), you’rebetter off choosing to Stand.You don’t get to draw a card, but you also don’t pay any chips into your pot. You aren’t entirely safe though, as some Shift abilities like General Audit can force Standing players to pay up.
How To Win A Round
The value of a hand isthe difference between the numbers on the two cards.If you have a five and a three, for example, your hand’s value is two. The winner of a round is the player with thelowest hand value.The best possible hand is aSabacc, with a value of zero since both numbers match. If more than one player has Sabacc, the player with thelowest numbers on their cardswins; for example, a hand of double ones beats a hand of double twos.
Every player that did not win the roundloses all the chips currently in their pot. Additionally, they mustpay chips equal to their hand value.This means that a bad hand can knock you out of the game in one go, and it also means thatlosing with Sabacc is still much better than having a non-Sabacc hand.Double sixes might not win the round, but it avoids that extra tax!
The numbers printed on the cards use the Aurebesh, the writing system of the Star Wars galaxy. They’re similar enough to Arabic numerals that you may probably piece together their meaning, but there’s auseful translation chart on Wookieepediaas well.
Impostors And Sylops
There are two special cards that can dramatically change the fortunes of the table;ImpostorsandSylops.The Sylop isthe best card to draw, as it changes its value tomatch the other card in your handwhen scores are tallied at the end of the round. That means that having a Sylop in your handguarantees a Sabacc.
A hand of two Sylops is rare, but unbeatable.
An Impostor, denoted by three matching symbols, is a risky card, but can steal a round out from under a confident opponent. When hands are revealed at the end of the round,anyone with an Impostorrolls two six-sided dice and chooses one of them; theImpostor becomes the number showing on the die.The probability of getting the number that matches your other card isn’t great, but it’s better than nothing. If nothing else, an Impostor can keep you in the game for one more round.
Shifts And Cheats
Each player is allowed to bring threeShiftsto the table. Shifts can be collected throughout the game, so keep an eye out for them if you’re serious about Sabacc. You can play a Shift on your turn,before declaring whether you will Stand or Draw.Each Shift can only be usedonce per game, so time them wisely.
Shifts typicallyalter card values, recover lost chips,orforce other players to pay chips. Your opponents will use them aggressively, so be ready to counter with your own Shifts if you want to stay in the game.
Cheats, such assending Nix to peek at opponents' hands, can get you key information to help you plan your strategy, but as their name implies, they’re not looked on favorably by your fellow gamblers. Using Cheats too many times at the same table willget you thrown out, causing you to lose the game. Worse, you won’t be able to return to that Sabacc table until some time has passed. Cheats are best used against advanced opponents - they’re probably fixing the deck anyway, the scoundrels.
