Sabacc will be your new obsession in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. If you’re just starting out on Kay and Nix’s adventure, you’re already familiar with the card game known throughout the galaxy. However, the in-game tutorials and the introductory gameplay during the Shadows of Deceit quest aren’t very helpful in explaining the game.
That’s why we’ve broken down everything you need to know about Sabacc in this guide. From the general rules to the different pairs of cards that make up a Sabacc to the Shift Tokens you can collect, here’s everything you need to know and some answers to some important questions.
“Star Wars: Outlaws”: Sabacc reigns
Sabacc is a card game where you play against three other opponents over several rounds, with each round consisting of three moves. During the game, you bet chips and the last person with chips left in their supply wins.
During the round, you are dealt two cards, one from the sand pile and one from the blood pile between the numbers one and six. The goal is to match your numbers so that when you subtract them from each other, you get a score of zero. Or you can try to get as close to zero as possible by subtracting the two numbers from each other, for example if you have a five and a four – which gives you a one at the end of the three rounds.
The goal for your hand is to reach a value of zero. This is called Sabacc. With a Sabacc, you automatically beat players who do not have a Sabacc.
However, the lower the numbers of the two matching cards, the stronger your Sabacc hand rank is. So if you have a three and a three and your opponent has a one and a one, he wins the round because he has minimized his score more than you.
During a round, you are dealt two random cards to start with. You can then draw a card during each round by betting a chip. You can either draw a random card from the sand or blood pile, or choose the last card another player discarded (since you can only hold two cards). For example, if they swap a five for a two in the sand pile, you can take that five from the sand pile instead of choosing a random card if you think it will get you closer to a sabacc.
In addition to drawing a card, you can also stand on any turn, which is effectively the same as passing. This is especially useful for saving chips or if you happen to have a good Sabacc hand at the start of a round. When all players stand, the cards are revealed and the best hand wins the round.
If no one has a Sabacc hand, the hand with the lowest value (the difference between the two cards) wins. The winner gets back all the chips they invested in the round. The others are deducted an amount of chips equal to the difference between your card values. So if the difference between the two cards is three, you are deducted three chips. Deducted chips are completely lost and cannot be recovered.
When a round ends and you run out of chips, you are eliminated from the game.
Star Wars: Outlaws Sabacc Sylop and Imposter Cards
In addition to the regular numbered cards, the Sand and Blood decks have two additional card types: Sylop and Imposter.
Sylop cards are equal to the value of the other card in your hand, so if you have a Sand Five and a Blood Sylop, the Blood Sylop will be equal to a Five when you reveal your cards.
When you reveal your hand, Imposter cards cause a die roll. The number on the die determines the numerical value of the Imposter card, so these are riskier than the Sylop cards. Each deck has three Imposter cards, while there is only one Sylop card in each deck.
Both Sylop and Imposter Sabaccs have the same weight as a normal, numbered Sabacc.
If you are dealt two Imposter cards, you roll two dice, with the numbers determining the value of your cards. If you have two Sylop cards in your hand, you have a Pure Sabacc, the best hand in the game. Nothing can beat it.
Explanation of the Sabacc Shift Tokens from “Star Wars: Outlaws”
You can also collect Shift Tokens throughout the world. These are modifiers you can use at the start of a round to add variety. This includes paying players an extra chip, avoiding the draw fee, targeting a specific player and forcing them to invest chips, and more.
You can equip three Shift Tokens at the start of a game, including multiple of the same chip if available, and each can only be used once at the start of a round, so use them wisely.
“Star Wars: Outlaws”: Sabacc cheats
With Nix by your side, you can occasionally cheat in Sabacc under the right circumstances. You can send Nix to spy on another person’s cards, but you must avoid suspicion by playing carefully in these moments and using Fast Talk to avoid questioning.
If you fail or get caught cheating, it will raise suspicions from your opponent. This will prevent you from cheating for a while, and if you get caught enough times, you may be banned from the game and lose the credits you invested.
Not all opponents will let you cheat, especially those at the high roller tables.
Where to play Sabacc in Star Wars: Outlaws
Sabacc tables can be found in most bars, restaurants, markets, and clubs throughout the galaxy. Sometimes you’ll need to play a game to complete a story quest or increase your Syndicate reputation with a particular faction. There’s also a core Sabacc questline that you can follow after being introduced to the card game on Toshara.
This describes how Sabacc works in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. For more about Star Wars: The Force AwakensCheck out our other news and guides here.
