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Designers:
Disney/Lucasflm Ltd.
RULES FOR THREE CARD SPIKE
A streamlined offshoot of Corellian Spike, Three–Card Spike is a practical game for busy cantinas and frontier outposts. With only three cards in a hand it resolves quickly, reduces cognitive overhead and sharpens strategic play. It serves as a proving ground for bold newcomers, a spectator-friendly attraction in crowded bars, and a warm-up format before full Spike tables open. Dismissed by some as a “street” simplification, it earns respect among spacers and underworld crews for the same reason: it distils the essence of Spike, strips away the baggage of large hands, and encourages quick and strategic play.
GOAL
In the 3-Card Spike, the objective is to assemble a hand (always consisting of 3 cards) with a total value of zero or as close to zero as possible.
The variant uses a Spike Card, a face up card placed in front of each player, acting as the third card of the hand. The game incorporates both positive and negative cards, and involves strategic betting and card selection to achieve the optimal hand.
THE SETUP
THE CARDS
The deck comprises 62 cards divided into three suits: Circles, Triangles, and Squares. Each suit contains:
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10 positive cards: valued from +1 to +10.
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10 negative cards: valued from -1 to -10.
Additionally, there are 2 special Sylop cards with a value of zero.
THE DICE
The game utilizes two six-sided dice known as spike dice. These dice are rolled during the game to introduce an element of unpredictability.
If the dice display matching symbols, a Sabacc Shift occurs, causing all players to discard their hands and draw an amount of cards equal to the previous hand size.
If the matching values are two spikes (1), all Spike Cards are shuffled as well.
PLAYER STOCK
Each player begins the game with a stock of credits or chips which they use to pay the Ante and make bets. The goal of the game is to win all or as much of the chips on the table and from other players. Typically, chips or credits will come in different values. In Sabacc, these values are often represented by a selection of bronze/copper, silver and gold chips (or credits).
A typical buy-in for a lay game of Sabacc is 500 credits:
20 Bronzium Chips/Credits worth 5 credits (100)
8 Argentium Chips/Credits worth 50 credits (200)
4 Aurodium Chips/Credits worth 100 credits (200)
A typical buy-in for a tournament game is 1000 credits:
20 Bronzium Chips/Credits worth 10 credits (200)
8 Argentium Chips/Credits worth 50 credits (400)
4 Aurodium Chips/Credits worth 100 credits (400)
PLAYING THE GAME
Each player has a stock of credits or credit chips.
Players compete in successive hands to win a portion of these credits.
Each Hand opens with an Ante, a Card Deal, an Opening Bet, and a Spike Card.
This is followed by 3 Rounds of play.
Each Round has three phases: the Card phase, Betting phase, and the Dice phase.
After three rounds, the hands are revealed to determine the winner.
The game is played until someone wins all of the credits on the table, or a set number of rounds is played.
THE HAND
1. Choose Starting Player: The starting player rotates clockwise each round.
2. Ante: Each player contributes an ante to the hand pot and the Sabacc pot.
3. Deal: Each player is dealt two cards face down.
4. Draw and Discard Piles: The remaining cards form the draw pile. The top card is placed face up to start the discard pile.
5. Initial Bet: Players play an initial betting round based on the strength of their hands.
6. Spike Card: Each remaining player is dealt a Spike Card face up.
THE ROUND
Each round consists of three phases:
1. CARD PHASE
Players can choose to:
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Stand — Do nothing and pass turn.
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Buy — Pay 2 credits to take the top card from the draw pile. The card can then either be swapped with a card in your hand or your spike card, or it can be discarded.
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Swap — Pay 4 credits to switch on card in hand or spike card with the top card of the discard pile.
2. BETTING PHASE
Players bet based on the strength of their hands, with options to stand, bet, call, raise, or fold.
3. THE DICE PHASE
The dealer rolls the spike dice. If the symbols match, a Sabacc Shift occurs, and all players discard their hands and draw new ones. If the matching values are two Spikes (Value = 1), all Spike Cards are shuffled as well.
WINNING THE ROUND
After three rounds, remaining players reveal their hands. The player with a hand total closest to zero wins the hand pot. If a player achieves a hand total of exactly zero, they win both the hand pot and the Sabacc pot.
In case of a tie, there are several special winning hands which are ranked in order of strength. Since there are many variations of the hand rankings depending on which part of the galaxy you are playing in, the game host can select the preferred ranking order.
WINNING THE GAME
The game continues for a predetermined number of rounds or until players decide to conclude. The player with the most credits at the end of the game is declared the winner.
HAND HIERARCHY
Corellian Spike has many variations, each with its own twist on the rules and strategies. To allow for more variation, the game host can select different options to customize the game:
TIEBREAKING RULES
Corellian Spike has many variations, each with its own twist on the rules and strategies. To allow for more variation, the game host can select different options to customize the game:
