Pazaak | Games of the Galaxy

Designer:

Casey Hudson, James Ohlen, Preston Watamaniuk et al. (Knights of the Old Republic)

Chris Avellone, Kevin Saunders et al. (Knights of the Old Republic II)

RULES FOR PAZAAK

For 2 Players
As Played on the Holocard Cantina App

Pazaak is an ancient game of chance dating to the era of the Old Republic.From early on it was popular in the cantinas, gambling halls and transit hubs of Republic-space and beyond, as travellers and spacers sought quick games of chance. Over time, Pazaak became a fixture of social and gambling culture. Cantinas on core worlds and Outer Rim hubs regularly offered tables of Pazaak.

Pazaak's side-deck mechanic allows for strategy, making the game more than pure luck. In the earliest forms of the game, simply achieving a perfect total of 20 (sometimes called a “Pure Pazaak”) was the highest scoring set. Later, an optional variant rule emerged: if a player manages to fill the board (i.e., place nine cards onto the table without busting) then that act itself automatically wins the round — even if the total is lower than the opponent’s. Over time, this rule was increasingly adopted until it became standard in cantinas and casinos by the time of the rise of the Galactic Empire. These venues also developed and adopted a version of the game for more than two players known as Pazu-Pazaak.

GOAL

Be the first of two players to win three sets by standing closest to 20 (without going over). Players who have 9 cards without going over 20 have a 'Full Board' - having a full board beats a score of 20 without a full board.

THE SETUP

Main Deck: A deck of 40 green cards (values positive 1-10, 4 copies each). Used by all players.

Side Decks: Each player uses a pre-selected deck of 10 cards from a stock of positive, negative and special cards.

Pazaak Boards: Each player uses a board with spaces for 9 cards.

Player Hands: A hand of four cards drawn from the player's Side Deck.

Pazaak Pot: Players will pay antes and bets into the Pazaak pot.

THE CARDS

Pazaak Cards fall into the following types:

1 - MAIN DECK CARDS

The Main Deck, from which both players draw during teh match, contains four copies of cards withe the values 1-10. These cards are usually Green, though some decks use the colour Gold.

2 - SIDE DECK CARDS

The Side Deck contains 10 cards, but these 10 cards are selected from a range of available card values and types. The standard card types are Positive 1-6 (Blue Cards), Negative 1-6 (Red Cards), and Special Cards (Red/Blue Switch Cards, Gold Switch, Flip, Double & Tiebreaker Cards).

GAMEPLAY

1 - ANTE PHASE

The starting player is determined randomly, usually by a credit toss.

Shuffle the Main Deck and the Side Decks. Both Players draw 4 cards each from their Side Deck to form their hand.

The first player determines the ante. Each player then pays the ante to Pazaak Pot.

2 - PLAY PHASE

Play alternates between the two players. On their turn, each player must:

DRAW a card from the Main Deck and place it on their Pazaak Board.

Players may then:

PLAY CARD - Play one Side Deck Card from their Hand to their Pazaak board.

STAND - Concludes your play this round and locks the cards and value of your board. You may not draw or play further cards.

END TURN - End your turn.

STANDING & BUSTING

If your Board Total exceeds 20 and you have no Side Cards to play that will bring you below 21, you Bust and your opponent wins the round. You must play a penalty into the Pazaak pot (typically 2x the value of the ante).

Once you choose to stand, you can no longer draw or play cards. Your opponent may continue to draw Main Deck Cards and play Side Deck Cards from their hand until they Bust, Stand, or cannot proceed.

ENDING THE SET

The set ends when all but one player are in Stand or have Busted, or when no player can progress further with their board.

Players will then compare scores. The highest score, up to the highest possible total of 20, wins the the round.

WINNING & TIEBREAKING

FULL BOARD

If a player reaches full board without Busting, they win the round. A Full Board score beats a Pure Pazaak score of 20.

PURE PAZAAK

A score of 20 normally wins outright, unless another player reaches the 'Full Board' victory condition.

HIGHEST SCORE

If no player has reached 20, the highest scoring Pazaak Board wins.

TIES & TEBREAKER CARDS

In most instances of a tie between two players, neither player wins and a new set is begun. However, if any player possesses a Tiebreaker card, they can use it to win the set.

The winner of this sets becomes first player and leads the next set.

WINNING THE GAME

The first player to win three sets is the victor, and wins the Pazaak Pot.