76 Card Sabacc Rules

I've avoided "Traditional Sabacc" or "76 Card Sabacc" for a while.

Mainly for two reasons:

1. The rules seemed overly complicated and based mostly on fantasy.

and

2. I didn't have a deck.

But now I have a 76 card Sabacc deck and actually took the time to learn how to play. Needless to say I was wrong to poo-poo on this version. And I actually really like the variety it offers.

So today I'm going to cover the "rules", explain the differences between versions, offer modifications and overall provide more insight on how to actually play. But not just the same 6 paragraphs you find literally everywhere. There'll be pictures, better explanations and hopefully a better appreciation for the game. And more than likely sarcasm.

Overview

Traditional Sabacc, or 76 Card Sabacc is *mostly* the original version of the game. It's funny that this "variant" would become the one that everybody compares everything else to. As it never received any kind of meaningful release. I believe there was a set of rules released in the 80s-90s in a Star Wars RPG called "Crisis on Cloud City". In fact, let's say you're an overly pretentious Sabacc purist. You would probably be bragging about how you remember playing the 84 card version included with the game.

Even as write this, I've already decided I'm gonna buy a copy

People played this, literally dozens

(84 cards? Might as well round that up to 100)

Anyway, the game is a mix of poker/blackjack/baccarat/Shan Koe Mee/and a slot machine.

The Game

This version of Sabacc is played with a 76 card deck. A large percentage of them are positive, with a smaller percentage being negative. The goal is to get to 23 or -23 from your paltry two starting cards and drawing from 1 pile. Best when played with 3-6 players and betting. Extra points if you're drinking brandy.

The Setup and Gameplay

Eventually you should start playing. So lets' go over what you need.

(Please note that these rules may not be what you find elsewhere. But I have taken concepts from almost every available resource online, and actual card games to create a set of rules that address certain flaws.)

so basically......

• One 76 Card Sabacc deck (preferably from Lucky Sylop)
• Two or more people. But less than 8.
• One pair of d6 dice.
• Probably a table.
• Chips if you so choose.

1. Choose a player to be the dealer. Don't get too excited, you're just handing out cards.
   -If you want to go by "Skip-Bo" rules, the youngest player starts as dealer.
   
   
   

   

   Steven Bridges everybody!

   
   
   
2. The dealer (starting from their left) will deal out two total cards, one at a time to each player.
   
   
   
   
   
3. After all the cards are dealt, place the remainder of the deck in the middle of all the players.
   (or in front of the dealer if you want to be that kind of person)
   
4. The Player to the left of the dealer goes first.
   
   
5. During what's called the "Action Phase", you have 4 options:
   
   -Gain: take the top card from the Draw Pile and add it to your hand
   
   
   
   
   -Swap: place a card from your hand face up next to the Draw Pile (discard pile) and take the top card from the Draw Pile to add to your hand. You do not have the option to choose another if you didn't get what you want.
   -(I didn't think to number them, so follow the pictures from right to left, top to bottom)
   
6. 
   
   
   
   
   -Stand: keep the cards in your hand and do nothing.
   

   

   I think I'll stay

   
   -Fold: if you feel you cannot win with the cards dealt, place your cards in the Discard Pile next to the Draw Pile.
   (I do NOT suggest a penalty for doing this)
   
   
7. After all players have completed their hand actions, the dealer will then roll the dice.
   
   

   

   Just in case you forgot how to roll

   
   -If doubles are rolled, all players discard their hands and receive the same amount of new cards from the Draw Pile.
   
   
   
   
   -If no doubles, all players keep their hands.
   
   
   
8. (This would be where betting starts)---another time
9. Repeat the Player Action Phase 2 more times for a total of 3 rounds.
10. The player to the left of the dealer will now be the dealer, so on and so forth each round.
11. After the 3rd round of play, the game can still continue. But any player (starting to the left of the dealer) can "Call" the hand.
    -This means that player actions cease and only standing (calling),raising, folding, and other assorted betting can take place. (My favorite is to call the hand and raise)
12. After the last player has made their decision, the dice are rolled one last time.
13. All players then show their hands starting with the player to the left of the dealer.

Judging Hands

The objective of the game is to have a hand closest to 23 or -23 at the time of the showdown. This is pretty straightforward, but there are some established hands to take into account.

Idiot's Array: probably the most famous hand in all of Sabacc-dom. The Idiot's Array consists of  a 2, 3 and a zero card. (2,3,0). This is the best hand in the game, and beats a Pure Sabacc.

-

0, 2, 3

Pure Sabacc: any hand totaling exactly 23 or -23

(Note-- under most rule sets 23 beats -23. But given the uneven distribution of positive and negative numbers. It's WAY less likely you'll get -23. So if you're looking for a good modification, place -23 over 23.)

-

All other hands: Any hand lower than 23 (or "higher" in the case of -23), is just plan ol' non-Pure Sabacc. All these hands are judged on how close it gets to 23 or -23.

Examples:

22 beats 21

-10 beats 9

20 beats -20

etc etc

Bombing Out: if at the end of the showdown (after all the hands are called) your hand totals above 23 /-23 or exactly zero, you are "bombed out" of the game. This means you lose the hand, and in most cases have to pay some kind of penalty into the pot (or Sabacc pot).

Other Questions and Considerations

What if two or more players bomb out?

If two players bomb out, they are both out of the game assuming there are other active players. If two or more players bomb out and they are the only ones left, then the player who is closest to 23 would win. There aren't necessarily super clear rules on this. But I would suggest the winner who still bombed out would collect the pot, but still pay a penalty into the Sabacc Pot.

What happens in the event of a tie?

In most rule sets the winner of a tie is determined by a "Sudden Demise" round or a roll of the dice. I'm firmly against this as there are enough ways to determine a winner without resorting to just blind luck.

Modification: assuming both hands have the same total, the player who has the most cards wins.

What about the "Interference Field" to freeze cards?

If you want to add this in, all you do is include the action during the "Action Phase". So you can Gain, Swap, Stand, Fold, and additionally "Freeze" a card (but still only get to pick one).

I neglected this for several reasons, but mostly it's just unnecessary. After playing hundreds of hands and seeing how the field works. All that happens is that a player will freeze their zero. You can also freeze a really good hand, but if you do that you'll either encourage people to beat it or have everyone fold.

What about betting?

Like I said earlier, I'm not going to include the rules for betting in this post. But I did include *when* you'd add it in, which would be after the Action Phase. 

And the Ante?

Same thing. But if you were going to do it, you'd place the antes in the Main Pot before the cards are dealt.

Do the suits mean anything?

No.

How does the Sabacc Pot work?

While this would still fall under the rules of betting, which I'm not going to cover in full yet. In each game you have your "Main Pot", where all antes and bets are placed. Then you have your "Sabacc Pot" which is a secondary pot meant to include player penalties for bombing out, small percentages of the Main Pot, and other assorted things based on what kind of flavor you want your game to have.

 For example, lets say you have 4 players in a game. Each player contributes 2 chips into the main pot. Then take 2-4 chips and place them in the Sabacc Pot.

But the Sabacc Pot is ONLY won when a player has either a Pure Sabacc or Idiot's Array. Otherwise it continues to grow each round. It becomes very important later on.

I also DO NOT recommend that you penalize folding. It encourages players to see ANY hand into the showdown and overall bad play.

Is there a Discard Pile?

Yes, but you can't draw from it. However it is presented face up so you can get an idea of what's already been in play.

What if I get 2 zero cards?

As this is a unique hand that has a very low chance of happening, it deserves something. I would also suggest using it like in Corellian Spike. Where if your Sabacc hand totals zero, and you have a Sylop. It ends up being a pretty darn good hand.

How many cards can I have?
At least 2, and then there isn't a "limit" really. But it usually ends up being up to 6-8 if it's a wild and crazy game.

The Cards and Such

 I don't have much to write here other than, "gee here are the cards". Not much emphasis is put on the suits, special numbers or anything else like that. The only limited exception would be the zero cards/Idiots. But let this also be an explanation on the translations and what they're named.

First you got the Four Suits: Flask, Staff (Stave), Saber, Coin.

Of course you'd say "1 of Flasks" etc

also called "Staves"

My personal favorite

Which is mightier, the Coin or the Saber? (neither)

These are all numbered 1-15, with 11-15 having sub-suit names that serve doubly no purpose.

They are:

Commander......12

Mistress......13

Master ...14

Ace .......15

These are the same for each suit 

So you got your four suits, for a total of 60 cards. What about the other 16?

(and now in no particular order)

These are ALL the negative cards in the game (minus the Idiot). So as you can see, the deck is mostly positive. So achieving a -23 becomes a bit trickier.

Like I said, none of the names are necessarily important. But at least now you know. Some versions of this game will the same basic cards, just different-ish names. Or you'll find the values are sequential from a certain point. Blah blah blah. This works. They were modeled directly on the deck that was given out at Celebration Anaheim.

The end

So there you have it. A thorough explanation of "Traditional Sabacc". The rules presented in this blog are one of many you will find online. But I believe these to be pretty close to the original intent of the game, as well as fixing some major holes (still some left). This version is fun to play, easy to teach, and retains a lot of the complexity some like in their space fantasy cards games.

Of course you can add whatever you like if you think it's fun. The best way to play Sabacc is the way you enjoy. Nor is any of this written in stone. I've oftentimes changed my mind on certain rules or game play features because someone suggested a better way.

The main thing I'm noticing about this version of Sabacc as opposed to Corellian Spike, is the distinct lack of a hand hierarchy. Which does make judging hands a bit like, "oh well, tie breaker". But there is a lot of potential here for improvements that wouldn't over complicate things.

Anyway, look for my next blog where I discuss the similarities of 76 Card and Corellian Spike!

Stay cool.