If you know your Stars Wars origin stories, which we assume that you do, then you’ll know that it was at a game of ‘Corellian Spike’ Sabacc that Han went head-to-toe with Lando Calrissian and walked away the winner of the Millennium Falcon. The game plays out it all its nail-biting glory in the Solo movie, and ever since we saw it on screen, we’ve been obsessed by Sabacc.
Sabacc
Sabacc is a card game reminiscent of both poker and blackjack, but with dice thrown in to shake things up. The game is meant to be played with a specific deck of cards, but it is possible to play with a regular deck if you can’t get your hands on the Corellian version.
A Sabacc deck of cards contains 76 cards. The deck is split into four suits and two sets of 8 face cards. The suits are Coins, Staves, Sabers, and Flasks. Each suit is made up of 16 cards – 1 to 11 are number cards, and 12 to 16 are ranked cards with their own specific value (Commander 12, Mistress 12, Master 14, Ace 15 or 1). The eight face cards all have a negative value: The Star – minus 17, The Evil One – minus 15, Moderation – minus 14, Demise – minus 13, Balance – minus 11, Endurance – minus 8, Queen of Air and Darkness – minus 2, and Idiot – 0.
How to Play Sabacc with a Regular Deck of Cards
If you want to play with a regular deck of cards, all you need to do is combine two packs of identical cards to create one whole deck. All the black cards should be considered as having positive value and all the red cards as having negative value. Use the face cards to represent the ranked cards (black positive and red negative) and include the jokers to represent the 0 cards. People might want to do it online, however we haven’t managed to find such resource. There are printable solutions you can download from the Internet. Alternative are many Star Wars online slots in internet casinos, maybe not as intriguing as a game of Sabacc, but just as fun. If you want, you can get free spins for top games with Star Wars theme easily. Star Wars slots are especially popular in Europe, mostly played in Germany.
The Aim of the Game
The game is won by a hand that values 23, or by a hand that is closest to 23, which is similar to blackjack’s 21. However, the negative value cards in the deck mean that it is possible to end up with a hand that has a minus value. If your hand has a value that equals less than minus 23, it is considered a ‘Bomb’ and you will incur a penalty. The same goes for a hand that is over 23 or a hand that equals 0. If you get a ‘Bomb’, you will have to pay into the Sabacc pot. The amount that you pay has to be equal to the total amount in the Hand Pot.
In the game of Sabacc, there are two pots up for grabs. The first is the ‘Hand Pot’ and the second is the ‘Sabacc Pot’. The winner of a hand wins the ‘Hand Pot’ which is made up of the all the bets made in said hand. The ‘Sabacc Pot’ builds up over the course of the entire game and can only be won if you get what’s called a ‘Pure Sabacc’ which is a hand that equals 23 or minus 23.
How to Play
In order to play, each player must place an initial bet, or ante, into the ‘Hand Pot’ and the ‘Sabacc Pot’. The dealer then deals two cards for each player. Once the cards are dealt, each player gets a turn to place another bet. A player can choose not to bet, but if any other player chooses to bet, then all the other players must either match that bet or fold.
Once the bets are placed, the dice comes into play. The dice represents the ‘Sabacc Shift’. The dice are rolled by one of the players. If they land a double, every player must put their cards on the discard pile and receive a new hand from the dealer. If you happen to have had an excellent hand prior to the shift and you made a large bet based on said hand, you won’t be very happy if a shift occurs at this stage.
After the dice roll, players have a chance to obtain a new card and discard one from their hand. It is only possible to discard a card if you also pick one up. You can have more than two cards in your hand, but never less than two cards. At this stage, you can place one of your cards in what’s called ‘The Interference Field’. The card is placed face up in front of you and it remains there until you decide to add it to your hand. Any card in The Interference Field will not be affected by the Sabacc Shift.
The game continues in this manner for a minimum of four rounds. Each round consists of placing a bet, rolling the dice for the shift, and drawing/discarding cards. The winner of the hand emerges at the end of the rounds.