Introduction
Nowadays, people live their lives in close connection with their favorite franchises. Have you ever noticed how the audience reacts to an event in their favorite universe? If a popular character dies, it is a disaster for all the fans, and if the cute guy from the serials finds a girlfriend – the hearts of thousands of his young admirers are broken. I remember when I watched “The Phantom Menace” for the first time, I cried when Qui-Gon died. Prequels are obviously not the best part of the franchise, but compared to the original trilogy, they are much more emotional. Anyway, we just thought, if we get a chance to live in the Star Wars universe, what could we do there, where could we go? All of us have different hobbies and interests in real life. But are there any analogs in the Star Wars Universe? If you love racing – you can always visit Tatooine to take part in the Boonta Eve or Vinta Harvest on Malastere. Those who enjoy nightlife might go to Korusant and try some cocktails there. But what should do those who enjoy playing in Las Atlantis after work to raise some extra cash? Let’s look at the most popular casino venues and games in the Star Wars universe, and by the end of this article, you will decide where you would like to go and which game you would like to play. Maybe you will even try it in real life!
Oh, and by the way, we must remind you: it does not matter how great this fantastic world might seem – do not forget about your real life, your friends, and your loved ones – they also deserve your attention! Don’t get lost in the gambling world of Star Wars Universe!
Casinos
Canto Bight
Monaco, Las Vegas, and Monte Carlo of the Star Wars universe – Canto bight is located on Cantonica, a desert planet no one would visit if not for this. This place is for the elites, for the richest of the whole universe. At the same time, it is full of different types of vagabonds and tricksters, as money always attracts villains. The rich come to this city to spend some money and show off with their expensive suits, dresses, and star ships, the poor come here to cheat on the first ones.
Obviously, it is the first place everyone would recommend you to go if you ask someone, “where can I spend a couple of thousands of credits for a good game?” Although we mentioned above that Canto Bight is a luxurious place, everyone can find a gambling house here to their taste and pocket: from shiny casino castles to some poker tables somewhere in the basement. And by the way, wages in the latter might be much higher!
Daystar Casino
Located on Ahakista in a system with the same name, this casino fully belongs to the criminal world. A long time ago, it was one of the most famous casinos in the galaxy. But the Galactic Empire did not support the gambling industry there, and all the visitors decided not to do business with the authorities. That is when the leader of the underground brokering organization, Raze, appeared to save the situation. Under his patronage, Daystar casino turned into a venue attracting criminals of all stripes all over the galaxy to spend some money after successful deals and shoot some ammo in case of a loss. Better not come here if you do not know how to protect yourself and use a gun.
Aerie Casino
This is the place where everyone can go without any fear. Well, of course, we are hyperbolizing because casinos always attract hustlers. But the friendly environment of Padme’s home planet Naboo is definitely much more attractive than Ahakista and Cantonica. This casino became famous at the very moment it was opened for spectacular animal fights and the gala ceremony. As for traditional casino services – you can enjoy playing Sabacc, Lugjack, and Wheels there.
Club Vertica Casino
This is a very mysterious place, first of all, because of its owner. No one knows who opened this venue in the huge police of Nar Shaddaa. Only the cream of the nation was allowed to go there and try their luck. However, sometimes people saw some hustlers entering the casino from the back door. There were rumors that they were special guests of the mysterious owner, having some shady business with him.
Everything changed when the Cold War started. The Casino had to open its doors to the general public to be left standing. Many people started discussing that the owner had changed, but suspicious customers occasionally came to the back door. So, who knows, maybe its initial owner is still there?
Crimson Casino
The most chauvinistic casino in the galaxy, so if you do not look like a human being – better do not go there. If any problems arose – humans were always considered right, so aliens had no chance to win any argument there.
If you are of a human or human-like race and have enough credits on your account (not less than 10 000), you can enjoy your time there. Imperial soldiers are not allowed to enter the station, where the casino is located. All weapon is banned, so gamblers rely only on their fists there.
Games
Sabacc
Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games in the world. You have either to get exactly 21 points or get as close to this number as possible, not going over it. Sabacc has the same idea, but the number you need to aim for is 23. Up to 8 people can play this game, but the rules may vary a bit from planet to planet.
In the beginning, each player has 2 cards. As we have mentioned above, each player aims to get 23 points. However, some cards decrease the number of points you have (in blackjack, all cards have positive value). It can be said that this game turns into poker when you remember all the cards and start seeking combinations. Thus, players sitting at the table should not only work on reaching the desired 23 points but also bluff and confuse others. And each of them is trying to get the best hand possible.
Lugjack
Slot lovers should pay attention to this game. Basically, there is nothing much to say about it, as it is literally a slot. People can throw a coin in it and enjoy massive payouts. Well, it depends on your luck, of course, and symbols appear on the screen. Usually, people having a lot of money or free time succeed in such slots because if you can spend 10 hours playing Lugjack, you have much more chances to win a lot of money than someone spending only an hour.
Chance cube
It is the most accessible game to play as people only need a couple of small objects, usually of a cubical shape, with two different colors or pictures on different sides. This game is very similar to flipping a coin; however, there are not two but six sides in this case. This game is often used to make bets, spend some time on a trip, or wait for something.
You have definitely seen Qui-Gon playing this game on Tatooine with Watto, betting on Anakin’s freedom. Interestingly, this game is straightforward to cheat in. Players often used the cubes with 5 sides of one color and only 1 side of a different color. Obviously, they were betting on the most possible color. Only 5 sides are shown in the movie: 3 red and 2 blue. Based on Watto’s reaction when he loses, it makes sense to suppose that the 6th side was also red, and he did not expect to lose. As you can see, cheating always exists shoulder to shoulder with gambling, even in the Star Wars universe.
Pod Racing
We have already mentioned Pod Racing in the introduction, but not only the racers can enjoy it. Those who love feeling spicy and losing hundreds of thousands of credits can bet on Pod Racing and enjoy huge wins or huge losses. In fact, Pod Racing is one of the most popular gambling activities in the universe, despite being illegal in many places. The fact that no one knows who wins till the very end and that it can be closed anytime by the soldiers made Pod Racing even more enjoyable for gamblers to bet.
Jubilee Wheel
This game is very popular on the planet Spira and is basically a Star Wars version of roulette. There are 100 numbers on a giant wheel, and players must guess what number would appear after spinning. A player betting on the winning number gets the pool. Unfortunately, if several players bet on the winning number – they share the pool. Fortunately, if you bet on a number up to 5 numbers away from the winning number and no one guesses the winning one – you get half of the pool, and the house takes the rest.
Jubilee Wheel is a very nice game for those who want to play with fate rather than thinking about combinations, sides, and so on. A perfect choice for those who want to relax after a long working day.
Hintaro
It is a more complicated version of chance cubes, however, professional Hintaro players would kill me for such words. In some way, it can be called dice poker, as a player has to get a winning combination by throwing the dice. There are two types of dice: the normal ones – each player gets two. The main goal of each player is to get a pair of the same symbols, and each play has the right to reroll one dice once. When all the dice are rolled, and decisions are made, the second dice comes into play and has a different symbol on its sides. Players check the combinations they got on their dice combined with the unique dice, and whoever gets the better combination wins. Doesn’t it look like a normal poker game?
Conclusion
It may seem that gambling in the Star Wars galaxy is very different from what we have in real life. But those who enjoy going to the casinos know how tricky and dangerous this world is. Basically, in terms of security, it is not very different from what we have in the Far Far Galaxy: winning a big sum of money, one should be very careful going home. Moreover, movies show us that casinos often become venues where the mafia does its business. Remember the first movie with Daniel Craig as James Bond – “Casino Royale”? Mafia bosses from all over the world met at the poker table to decide who would rule the world.
In terms of safety, online casinos are a real savior nowadays: is there any other place safer than your own house? Well, realistically speaking, no, because you will hardly ever get to a Pentagon military base, for example. Thus, safety and staying at home instead of traveling to the venue make online casinos a tasty piece of cake. Getting your win directly to your bank account is a very nice addition to this.
Nevertheless, we are lucky that there are no online casinos in the Star Wars universe. Well, at least we do not know about them. If there were, Han would have never met Lando, as both of them would just stay at home at play slots or blackjack online. Anakin would have never won Boonta Eve, as all the participants would prefer online roulette. Casinos give people a chance to comply with their love of adventures and get the required adrenaline rush at home.