The Rules of Sabacc

Welcome to DAILY SABACC! 

Sabacc is a fairly easy game to learn, but the rules can be confusing at first. In this post I'm going to mainly post the rules so they are available. Then later on I'm going to break them down and explain what happens and offer clarifications.

Zabaka the Toydarian Toy maker

At the moment the best set of rules for the game of Sabacc comes from Galaxy's Edge (GE). The Han Solo Card Game rules are mostly garbage and outdated. DO NOT USE THEM.

Unfortunately the only way to buy this game at retail is at Galaxy's Edge. But like I said, the Han Solo Card Game can work, just with some modifications. You can also buy the GE secondhand on sites like Amazon. You'll pay about double, but if you're into the game and want a better version it's not a bad option.





So in case you've lost your copy, can't read it because of the font size, or just don't have them. Here you go!

Remember! Green POSITIVE, red NEGATIVE

Rules of Sabacc 
There are 3 suits (called staves) – circles, triangles, and squares.
There are 20 cards in each stave (split between red and green) and 2 zero cards.
The 3 staves are of equal value.
The green cards have a positive value +1,+2,+3,+4,+5,+6,+7,+8,+9,+10
The red cards have a negative value -1,-2,-3,-4,-5,-6,-7,-8,-9,-10





OBJECT
The object of the game is to score as close to zero as you can with your cards.

SETUP
Choose some to be the dealer. That player is the dealer for the first round, the player to their left is the dealer for the next round, and so. The dealer also plays.

1. The dealer shuffles the deck. Then deals two cards facedown to each player, beginning with the player to the dealer’s left.
Players can look at their cards but should not show them to the other players.
2. The dealer places the remaining deck face down in the center of the group. This is the Draw Pile.
3. The dealer takes the top card from the Draw Pile and places it face up next to the deck. This is the Discard Pile.

GAMEPLAY
The game is played in three rounds. Each players takes one turn per round.
The player to the dealers left always goes first.
Each player has the option to gain a card, swap a card, stand, or junk.
Players can never swap a card without receiving one in return.
1. Calculate your hand. Remember, green cards are positive numbers, and red cards are negative numbers. The object is to have cards with a score of zero. You should always have a minimum of two cards in your hand.
2. When it is your turn, choose one of the following options:
a. Gain – take the top card from the Draw Pile. You may keep the card or you may discard. If you pick the option of discarding, you must discard before you draw.




b. Swap – take the top card from the Discard Pile and place a card from your hand face up on the discard pile.
c. Stand – you do nothing. Stand if you do not wish to take a card or discard on this turn.
d. Junk – if you feel you cannot win with the cards in your hand then you can place all your cards face up in the Discard Pile and exit the game.
-If only one player is left they instantly win the game.

End your turn and the player to your left begins their turn.

3. After each player has taken their turn that is the end of the round. The dealer rolls the Sabacc Dice. IF the dealer rolls a double, all players cards cards are placed in the Discard Pile. The dealer then deals out new cards to all players. Each player receives the same amount of cards that they discarded. If the dice are different, players keep their cards.
4. After all three rounds are played and the Sabacc Dice have been rolled the third and final time, all players show their hands by placing their cards face up in front of them. The player to the left of the dealer reveals their cards first, followed by the player to their left, and so on.
5. The player with the best hand wins! (see Winning Hands pages)


(Disclaimer--- There are several errors, typos and just wrong information on these Winning Hands pages. I will briefly point these errors out, but I probably won't explain them in detail yet)

The example for FLEET is wrong. It lists a +- 6 instead of a 5

The examples of Sabacc are wrong.

This is the one that'll cause the most confusion. The best hand after RULE OF TWO is SABACC. Which is ONE PAIR SABACC. However in the above image it lists two +5s and a 3 card Sabacc. One pair is two cards. For instance, a -5 and +5. That would be a one pair Sabacc.

Focus on the Winning Hands of Sabacc and lower

While I said I wasn't going to comment too much on the rules. But this one has always bothered me. The Winning Hand example of a One Pair Sabacc is WRONG. One pair is two cards. Anything past that, even if it's a pair and another card is not One Pair Sabacc. It would then fall into Sabacc with most cards. I will also admit this rule is pretty unclear as far as the rules go. But given the logic of the game and other descriptions of a hand that includes one pair, I'm pretty confident that this was their intent.

two errors on this page with hand totals

I'll write up a full review of the rules and explanations another time. But for right now, here are the rules. There are several things that can be kind of confusing and there are known errors in the rule book (they're going to fix it at some point). 

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