The rules from Galaxy’s Edge version say that if you want to discard, you must do so BEFORE gaining a new card from the the Draw Pile. “Gain - take the top card from the draw pile. You make keep the card or you may discard. If you pick the option of discarding, you must discard before you draw.”
Yeah. It's the other way in the Hasbro one and I chose to go with that because it introduces less randomness. Gives you more player choice, and is also more in line with how other real world card games do it.
@@dustylens9617 It's not just about being better for kids though, the more strict version seems to introduce more randomness, which is not what you want in a card game. Like Jodo said, wouldn't this be more in line with how real world card games work? I've been looking over this weird issue and there seems to be no real agreement on what the Galaxy's Edge version rules are even saying, but more random usually lessens the skill factor and turns it actually MORE into a kids game, I think. Definitely difficult to interpret what they meant here.
Oh, well, having the cards change randomly is already too random and is definitely not in keeping with "real world games" (Blackjack, Poker, etc.). The original version of the game (in the books) has no discarding, and I think that's preferred. I'll need to see what they do with Holo-Sabacc in Florida.
@@dustylens2137 Yeah I can't see that whole spike rule playing well at all. It's something that was mentioned in one of the Lando books I think (the "Corellian Spike" rule with the dice), either that or West End came up with it, not sure. But it was a dumb idea that we're kinda stuck with. Except I don't think it was ever referenced in the movie, so maybe we should ditch that altogether.
As he mentioned, if you choose to draw a card (or “gain”) you may either keep the card OR discard it. BUT if you choose to discard a card, you must discard the card BEFORE you draw. Makes a difference.
@@nomore8021 Hi, yes, to discard you must gain FIRST. You cannot discard after gaining. And you cannot just discard. It’s different than a lot of conventional cars games and adds a little more risk to the gameplay. Gaining cards can be advantageous as you try to build a stronger hand. Hope this helps!
@@lemonhartsour that is actually not uncommon in card games. To gain cards in Poker, you discard any number, then regain cards. Its basically throwing away stuff you hope is bad for the chance at a better hand, without fully folding and automatically losing
I ran a Star Wars Tabletop game, where one of my players insisted on playing Sabacc with an interplanetary warlord, and ended up taking over their empire, in a single Game. We ran with rules similar to this, but changed it so that each game lasted a little longer, Six rounds instead of Three. In short, Thank you for the Tutorial, It was very helpful, and now My friends Gungan Bounty hunter owns a small Empire.
My friend desperately wants to play in a Star wars game and I was just imagining running a session that'll allow a character to gamble against a warlord in Sabacc and just pulling out a deck of these cards, unopened and playing against them IRL. Playing it off as "I'll make you a deal, hell we'll start with a fresh deck just so we know that neither of us are cheating" to help really immerse them in that session
Great video....this is the clearest how to play Sabacc videos on TH-cam. Thank you for this! Perfect timing. Our fam just purchased this at Downtown Disney and played for the first time today while watching your video.
Weird about the suits missing from the game; as the one called Coruscant Shift has die with the circle, square, and triangles on them. As well as a second die with numbers either + or -.
In the rules from Galaxy’s Edge, it says when a tiebreaker is made with a pair, like in your example, the lower pair would win. So Thrawn would win in your game. Is the Hasbro one different?
In your example hand, doesn’t the pair of 2s have a Sabacc with one pair which beats a Sabacc with highest value cards? Another commenter said the pair has to be the same color, but the rules show multiple times that different colors can count as a pair, four of a kind, etc. as long as the value is the same.
I have the game and I play with a couple house rules because it makes the game more skill based and not random, as in no dice rolling and no discarding first
I’m confused. If you have to discard BEFORE you gain, will you never have more than two cards? Based on the hierarchy of hands, you can have as many as five cards. Am I misunderstanding the “gain” rule?
the rules as written seem to imply you discard first. I think that's silly and also, like you said, seems to contradict the hand ranks, and also other similar real world card games don't work that way. So I think the game plays better if you have an optional discard after you draw
@@TheJodoCast Many types of draw poker work this way, e.g. you discard X cards and then draw that many. As written, the rules can't be followed. "...may keep the card or discard" -- if you're optionally discarding first, then either way you are always keeping the drawn one so there's no "may" to it. From what I've read, most people play as optional-discard-then-draw, so like draw poker sorta. Others play like in gin rummy or something: draw a card and then discard if you want, which I've read matches the Hasbro rules. The Board Game Geek game description has a whole other interpretation that sorta matches the rules: draw, then optionally discard it and draw again. I dunno which way I like. :)
The way we have interpreted the rules is that if you want to discard a card from your hand, you discard first, then draw. If you do not discard you can draw a card as part of the gain action, keep it (upping your hand size) or choose to discard the card you just drew.
yup. That's sabacc baby! You could always play without the dice. They're obviously just kind of shoehorned into the rules so that Han's lucky dice make sense.
Yes, but this only makes sense when betting is involved though. It keeps the pot on the smaller size since there’s always the possibility of getting hosed by the dice.
that hand hierchy is pretty confusing at first, if you tie with 3 or 4 cards it's the lower valued positive number that wins, if you tie with 2 cards, it's the highest positive number, whacky
The manual says if you go with the option of discarding then you must discard before you draw. Though I noticed here in your video that you said to draw and THEN optionally discard. Which would be the way to go here?
Idea of using dices instead of randomizer (that used in SW) is genius But anyway way this game is completely different from sabacc played by Bane, and, well, it seems that there is actually something in SW that really changed over the thousand of years
This is far far far away from the real rules of Sabaac in Star Wars. For one thing, the purpose of Sabaac, as in the galactic rules and described in details in Darth Bane Pass of Destruction, is to get as close to 23 or -23 as possible, not 0. Secondly, there are a lot of cards called ranked cards. This is the explanation of the value: Sabacc cards fall into the saber, flask, coin, or stave suits. While a Sabacc deck has regular numbered cards, it also has “ranked cards” known as the Ace, Master, Mistress, and Commander, along with “face cards,” which are known as “The Star,” “The Evil One,” “Moderation,” “Demise,” “Balance,” “Endurance,” “Queen of Air and Darkness,” and “Idiot.” Keep in mind that Sabacc cards have both negative and positive values, unlike traditional cards. The Commander card is worth 12 points, the Mistress 13 points, the Master 14 points, and the Ace 15 points. The Star is worth -17 points, The Evil One is worth -15 points, Moderation is worth -14 points, Demise is worth -13 points, Balance is worth -11 points, Endurance is worth -8 points, Queen of Air and Darkness is worth -2 points, and Idiot is worth 0 points. There are 2 ways of winning the game. 23 or -23, a pure sabaac, collecting the entire sabaac plot, or a 2, 3, and an idiot, known as the Idiot's array, which collects the entire plot. A value above 23 or below -23 is a bomb-out that bans you from winning the game. If you are a dedicated Star Wars fan, you'll remember that Darth Bane got a Idiot's array, followed by a pure sabaac, collecting the entire plot. Now, this is also made canon as the proper way to play Sabaac in the Mandalorian, when Peli hits an Idiot's array in her game with the insect character. The key part in which a Sabaac game is different from Black Jack is that there is a random shift of value. Here is how to do it: Roll a pair of dice after each individual play, each betting round, and after a game call. Get in the habit of rolling 2 identical dice frequently throughout the game. Remind each player to roll the dice after their initial turn, then roll the dice again after each betting round concludes. After the game is “called” by all the players, the dice must be rolled again to see if a shift will occur. In the Star Wars universe, androids send out a pulse that automatically changes the value of your cards. In the regular universe, dice replace this randomizing pulse. The dice add another unpredictable element to the game. Now, yes, you can hit, stand, or fold, but another thing you can do is lock the value of your card. In this case, you can't use it until the next round, but the value will not change either. This game is a lot like Black Jack, but it is far better with the ranked cards and the sudden shift in value. If you want to go in detail about playing this incredible card game, here is a very detailed link that explains the game in a far superior manner compared to the video: www.wikihow.com/Play-Sabacc Or read Darth Bane POD. Both are better alternatives
That is not to say that this video is bad, it is well-made with a lot of effort. But remember that playing the real game is far more satisfying and the game in this video is the exact equivalent of Black Jack but more boring
@@darthor693 there are different types of sabacc. What he is showing is Corellian Spike, the variation seen in Solo. So its not "far far away from the real rules" because they are different variations. That's like saying 5 card poker isn't real poker because it has very different rules to Texas Hold 'em
Banes game was also 1000 years before Han and Lando played this game so its possible the game and rules changed so we don't have to read your long ass post
short answer: No You can't have less than 2 cards. You either draw a card and discard it - or - You swap one of your cards. Meaning, if you start with 2 cards, you can't have less than that. You can have 5 cards if you draw 1 card each turn. That's it.
@@bursegsardaukar see our video on Hand Ranks. I think hands that include the Sylop tend to rank pretty high. Like in Poker a Royal Flush beats a Straight Flush. That sort of thing.
You do know there are different variations of sabacc right? Just like there are different variations of poker? Or did you not pay attention to the beginning of the video?
The rules from Galaxy’s Edge version say that if you want to discard, you must do so BEFORE gaining a new card from the the Draw Pile.
“Gain - take the top card from the draw pile. You make keep the card or you may discard. If you pick the option of discarding, you must discard before you draw.”
Yeah. It's the other way in the Hasbro one and I chose to go with that because it introduces less randomness. Gives you more player choice, and is also more in line with how other real world card games do it.
The more lenient interpretation is better for kids.
@@dustylens9617 It's not just about being better for kids though, the more strict version seems to introduce more randomness, which is not what you want in a card game. Like Jodo said, wouldn't this be more in line with how real world card games work? I've been looking over this weird issue and there seems to be no real agreement on what the Galaxy's Edge version rules are even saying, but more random usually lessens the skill factor and turns it actually MORE into a kids game, I think. Definitely difficult to interpret what they meant here.
Oh, well, having the cards change randomly is already too random and is definitely not in keeping with "real world games" (Blackjack, Poker, etc.). The original version of the game (in the books) has no discarding, and I think that's preferred.
I'll need to see what they do with Holo-Sabacc in Florida.
@@dustylens2137 Yeah I can't see that whole spike rule playing well at all. It's something that was mentioned in one of the Lando books I think (the "Corellian Spike" rule with the dice), either that or West End came up with it, not sure. But it was a dumb idea that we're kinda stuck with. Except I don't think it was ever referenced in the movie, so maybe we should ditch that altogether.
As he mentioned, if you choose to draw a card (or “gain”) you may either keep the card OR discard it. BUT if you choose to discard a card, you must discard the card BEFORE you draw. Makes a difference.
So in order to discard any card it has to be done BEFORE you gain. Or can you discard the card you just gained. And you cannot just discard?
@@nomore8021 Hi, yes, to discard you must gain FIRST. You cannot discard after gaining. And you cannot just discard. It’s different than a lot of conventional cars games and adds a little more risk to the gameplay. Gaining cards can be advantageous as you try to build a stronger hand. Hope this helps!
@@lemonhartsour that is actually not uncommon in card games. To gain cards in Poker, you discard any number, then regain cards. Its basically throwing away stuff you hope is bad for the chance at a better hand, without fully folding and automatically losing
@@DantheGif I didn’t think of it that way, but good point for sure.
How can I choose to discard the card I just drew, *before* drawing it?
I ran a Star Wars Tabletop game, where one of my players insisted on playing Sabacc with an interplanetary warlord, and ended up taking over their empire, in a single Game. We ran with rules similar to this, but changed it so that each game lasted a little longer, Six rounds instead of Three.
In short, Thank you for the Tutorial, It was very helpful, and now My friends Gungan Bounty hunter owns a small Empire.
My friend desperately wants to play in a Star wars game and I was just imagining running a session that'll allow a character to gamble against a warlord in Sabacc and just pulling out a deck of these cards, unopened and playing against them IRL. Playing it off as "I'll make you a deal, hell we'll start with a fresh deck just so we know that neither of us are cheating" to help really immerse them in that session
Straight staves is in the rulebook as "Straight Khyron"
Great video....this is the clearest how to play Sabacc videos on TH-cam. Thank you for this! Perfect timing. Our fam just purchased this at Downtown Disney and played for the first time today while watching your video.
Wow thank you so much. I'm so glad I could help!
Agreed. This video was very informative.
@@TheJodoCast This was perfect.
I love how you used the lego pieces to demonstrate a match! That was a really clear explanation, thank you for your tutorial!
If colleges have quidditch, then we gotta make a WSOS(World Series of Sabacc)
That’d be hard with everyone playing sabacc in a different way
I really liked the sabaac part in the first darth bane book
The republic ensign probably didn't enjoy it...
I just got the game but struggle reading the many instructions so this tutorial was INCREDIBLY helpful
Personally I like to use staves as the primary tiebreaker just to give them some purpose
Question. How do you play Sabacc… Lando style?
I got interested in the SW card games when I played KOTOR but heard of sabacc when I played the smuggler story in SWTOR
Weird about the suits missing from the game; as the one called Coruscant Shift has die with the circle, square, and triangles on them. As well as a second die with numbers either + or -.
In the rules from Galaxy’s Edge, it says when a tiebreaker is made with a pair, like in your example, the lower pair would win. So Thrawn would win in your game. Is the Hasbro one different?
In your example hand, doesn’t the pair of 2s have a Sabacc with one pair which beats a Sabacc with highest value cards? Another commenter said the pair has to be the same color, but the rules show multiple times that different colors can count as a pair, four of a kind, etc. as long as the value is the same.
Just a note. The sabacc with a pair is misprinted in the Disney rules. You need two of the same value (colour) then the negative being equal.
I have the game and I play with a couple house rules because it makes the game more skill based and not random, as in no dice rolling and no discarding first
So the dice are just used to see if doubles are rolled
yup. You could easily remove them from the game altogether if you wanted.
Lego Star Wars Rebels Minifigures playing Sabacc. I love it!
I got the Han Solo card game, but I use it by getting 23 or -23 like how in it is in the movie and shows.
That isn't how it is in the movie and shows.
@@dustylens9617 it was in the bane novel but could just be a different version of it
I like how they don’t mention betting because it’s marketed towards children.
Which is the version where you're trying to get to 23
You also have to include ths types of hands such as Pure Subbacc or Yee-Haw as well
Well done here.
Great lecture.
I want to play Sabacc so bad. But i'm from Europa. So I can't go to Galaxi Edge. Where can I get one????
I’m confused. If you have to discard BEFORE you gain, will you never have more than two cards? Based on the hierarchy of hands, you can have as many as five cards. Am I misunderstanding the “gain” rule?
I think I found the answer.
the rules as written seem to imply you discard first. I think that's silly and also, like you said, seems to contradict the hand ranks, and also other similar real world card games don't work that way. So I think the game plays better if you have an optional discard after you draw
@@TheJodoCastI think that’s the best interpretation.
@@TheJodoCast Many types of draw poker work this way, e.g. you discard X cards and then draw that many. As written, the rules can't be followed. "...may keep the card or discard" -- if you're optionally discarding first, then either way you are always keeping the drawn one so there's no "may" to it. From what I've read, most people play as optional-discard-then-draw, so like draw poker sorta. Others play like in gin rummy or something: draw a card and then discard if you want, which I've read matches the Hasbro rules. The Board Game Geek game description has a whole other interpretation that sorta matches the rules: draw, then optionally discard it and draw again. I dunno which way I like. :)
The way we have interpreted the rules is that if you want to discard a card from your hand, you discard first, then draw. If you do not discard you can draw a card as part of the gain action, keep it (upping your hand size) or choose to discard the card you just drew.
What happens if you roll doubles on the third round? Someone wins based on the random cards they are given?
yup. That's sabacc baby! You could always play without the dice. They're obviously just kind of shoehorned into the rules so that Han's lucky dice make sense.
Yes, but this only makes sense when betting is involved though. It keeps the pot on the smaller size since there’s always the possibility of getting hosed by the dice.
that hand hierchy is pretty confusing at first, if you tie with 3 or 4 cards it's the lower valued positive number that wins, if you tie with 2 cards, it's the highest positive number, whacky
In kotor i remember the rules are different,the sabacc is similar to black Jack, you must have 21 for win.
you're thinking of pazaak
Thanks.
The manual says if you go with the option of discarding then you must discard before you draw. Though I noticed here in your video that you said to draw and THEN optionally discard. Which would be the way to go here?
Idea of using dices instead of randomizer (that used in SW) is genius
But anyway way this game is completely different from sabacc played by Bane, and, well, it seems that there is actually something in SW that really changed over the thousand of years
I wonder if they make playing cards that would be cool to add to your Star Wars collection if they did makes the subac playing cards
They do, and we own them!
what about this 76 card version i’ve seen?
The suites matter for if you get a draw
This is far far far away from the real rules of Sabaac in Star Wars. For one thing, the purpose of Sabaac, as in the galactic rules and described in details in Darth Bane Pass of Destruction, is to get as close to 23 or -23 as possible, not 0. Secondly, there are a lot of cards called ranked cards. This is the explanation of the value:
Sabacc cards fall into the saber, flask, coin, or stave suits. While a Sabacc deck has regular numbered cards, it also has “ranked cards” known as the Ace, Master, Mistress, and Commander, along with “face cards,” which are known as “The Star,” “The Evil One,” “Moderation,” “Demise,” “Balance,” “Endurance,” “Queen of Air and Darkness,” and “Idiot.” Keep in mind that Sabacc cards have both negative and positive values, unlike traditional cards.
The Commander card is worth 12 points, the Mistress 13 points, the Master 14 points, and the Ace 15 points.
The Star is worth -17 points, The Evil One is worth -15 points, Moderation is worth -14 points, Demise is worth -13 points, Balance is worth -11 points, Endurance is worth -8 points, Queen of Air and Darkness is worth -2 points, and Idiot is worth 0 points.
There are 2 ways of winning the game. 23 or -23, a pure sabaac, collecting the entire sabaac plot, or a 2, 3, and an idiot, known as the Idiot's array, which collects the entire plot. A value above 23 or below -23 is a bomb-out that bans you from winning the game. If you are a dedicated Star Wars fan, you'll remember that Darth Bane got a Idiot's array, followed by a pure sabaac, collecting the entire plot.
Now, this is also made canon as the proper way to play Sabaac in the Mandalorian, when Peli hits an Idiot's array in her game with the insect character.
The key part in which a Sabaac game is different from Black Jack is that there is a random shift of value. Here is how to do it:
Roll a pair of dice after each individual play, each betting round, and after a game call. Get in the habit of rolling 2 identical dice frequently throughout the game. Remind each player to roll the dice after their initial turn, then roll the dice again after each betting round concludes. After the game is “called” by all the players, the dice must be rolled again to see if a shift will occur.
In the Star Wars universe, androids send out a pulse that automatically changes the value of your cards. In the regular universe, dice replace this randomizing pulse.
The dice add another unpredictable element to the game.
Now, yes, you can hit, stand, or fold, but another thing you can do is lock the value of your card. In this case, you can't use it until the next round, but the value will not change either.
This game is a lot like Black Jack, but it is far better with the ranked cards and the sudden shift in value. If you want to go in detail about playing this incredible card game, here is a very detailed link that explains the game in a far superior manner compared to the video:
www.wikihow.com/Play-Sabacc
Or read Darth Bane POD. Both are better alternatives
That is not to say that this video is bad, it is well-made with a lot of effort. But remember that playing the real game is far more satisfying and the game in this video is the exact equivalent of Black Jack but more boring
@@darthor693 there are different types of sabacc. What he is showing is Corellian Spike, the variation seen in Solo. So its not "far far away from the real rules" because they are different variations. That's like saying 5 card poker isn't real poker because it has very different rules to Texas Hold 'em
Banes game was also 1000 years before Han and Lando played this game so its possible the game and rules changed so we don't have to read your long ass post
the red and black dice, where did you get them??
AKO Dice
This is, uh, Sabacc? -Han Solo.
Printing my deck rn
Still easier to figure out than the fnaf board game
Can you discard if you only have 1 card
short answer: No
You can't have less than 2 cards.
You either draw a card and discard it
- or -
You swap one of your cards.
Meaning, if you start with 2 cards, you can't have less than that. You can have 5 cards if you draw 1 card each turn. That's it.
So how does Lando cheats by using a hidden green sylop let him win?
having one in your hand can help you have a better hand rank?
@@TheJodoCast That's what I was wondering as Lando already had an amount valued at 0 (final scene) but how does adding that green sylop beat Han's?
@@bursegsardaukar see our video on Hand Ranks. I think hands that include the Sylop tend to rank pretty high. Like in Poker a Royal Flush beats a Straight Flush. That sort of thing.
@@TheJodoCast Ok. From watching the Hand Ranks video, I'm guessing the green sylop would have given Lando a Full Sabacc to beat Solo. Thanks.
By having more cards in his hand. But of course someone would notice.
What’s the point of the dice tho
to justify the existence of the dice in the movies essentially.
It's kind of like space poker
I got to get me a deck of those cards
Huh... Yeah, the deck from Hyperspace Props is better. The rules are better too, barring one hiccup that can just as easily be left out.
Can you discard a card you just drew
You would have to wait till the next turn. You only get one action per turn.
Not according to the printed rules from Galaxy's Edge.
Betting rule fun😀
23 -23
What about an Idiot's array?
Can you raise
official rules contain no reference to betting so just apply poker rules to that.
Solo isn't a Canon movie. So it makes sense that the salaac rules wouldn't be Canon either
Yes it is?
You do know there are different variations of sabacc right? Just like there are different variations of poker? Or did you not pay attention to the beginning of the video?
All that for a low sum card game??
This is a dumb game.
Same concept as poker but ok
@@cresttoothpaste6857 Nothing at all like poker, not at all.
You obviously don't know how to play poker.
More like Uno in simplicity.
I prefer the Sabacc from Star Wars: The Knights Of The Old Republic over this new bullshit Sabacc crap.
that was pazaak