SURABAT CYCLE

Sep 8

5 min read

Updated: Sep 19

Designer:

Disney Parks Cast

Lore Badges:

Canon

The information presented in this entry is part of the official canon.

INTRODUCING SURABAT CYCLE

Surabat Cyle is a variation of Sabacc originating in the Surabat settlement of Batuu

The rules follow the form of Corellian Spike, including the ranked hands and tie-breakers. The differences lie in the layout of the draw & discard decks and the number of rounds in a game.

If during play, any player takes the last sun card in a pile, it is immediately replaced from the deck so the next player still has 3 suns to choose from.

RULES FOR SURABAT CYCLE

GOAL

The goal of Surabat Cycle is to assemble a hand with a total value of zero or as close to zero as possible.

THE SETUP

CARDS

The deck comprises 62 cards divided into three suits: Circles, Triangles, and Squares. Each suit contains:

10 positive cards: valued from +1 to +10.
10 negative cards: valued from -1 to -10.

Additionally, there are 2 special Sylop cards with a value of zero.

THE ARRAY

The Card Array for Surabat Cycle consists of the Draw Deck, the Sun Pile and the Moon Pile.

The Draw Deck is the original deck of 62 Spike Cards. The Dealer draws from here at the start of the round.

The Sun Pile is primed with three cards in the first round. The cards are face up. Players may gain a card from this pile as their action during a round. If during play, any player takes the last sun card in a pile, it is immediately replaced from the deck so the next player still has 3 suns to choose from.

The Moon Pile is primed with two cards in the first round. The cards are face down. Players may trade a card in their hand with the top card of the Moon pile as their action during a round.

SPIKE DICE

The game utilizes a pair of six-sided dice known as Spike Dice, which are marked with Corellian numeral symbols. 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.

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 25 credits (200)

4 Aurodium Chips/Credits worth 50 credits (200)

HAND POT

Antes and bets are placed in the hand pot. The winner of the hand at the end of the hand takes the contents of the Hand Pot and adds it to their Player Stock.

SABACC POT

A second ante is placed in the Sabacc pot. The winner of the hand can only take the content of the Sabacc pot if he wins with a hand of exactly 0.

HOW TO PLAY SURABAT CYCLE

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, setting of the Array, and the Card Deal.

The number of rounds in a game of Surabat Cycle is equal to the number of players in the game, unless there are only 2 players, in which case the number of rounds is set at 4.

Each Round has four phases: the Card phase, the Betting phase, the Spike phase and the Cycle phase. After the requisite number of rounds, players reveal their hands to determine the winner. A new hand may then begin. The game is played until someone takes everyone’s credits, or players cash out of the game.

THE HAND

1. Choose the 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. Set the Array: The dealer draws 3 cards and places them face up to start the Sun Pile, and draws 2 cards and places them face down to start the Moon pile.

4. Deal: Each player is dealt two cards face down.

THE ROUND

Each round consists of four phases:

1. CARD PHASE

In the card phase Players can take one of the following actions:

Gain a Card from the Sun Pile — Draw a new card from the draw deck.
Swap a Card with the Moon Pile — Swap a card from your hand with the top card of the Moon Pile. The card from the player's hand must be placed face down on the Moon Pile.
Stand — Keep your current hand.

2. BETTING PHASE

Players bet based on the strength of their hands, with options to check, bet, call, raise, or fold.

3. SPIKE 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.

4. CYCLE PHASE

Cycle the Sun Pile — The Dealer draws one card from the Draw Deck and place it face up on the Sun Pile.

Cycle the Moon Pile — The Dealer draws one card from the Draw Deck and place it face down on the Moon Pile.

RESTOCKING THE SUN PILE

If during play, any player takes the last card in the Sun Pile, three new cards are drawn from the Draw Deck so the next player still has 3 sun cards to choose from.

WINNING THE GAME

After the requisite number of rounds, all remaining players who have not folded 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, players compare the strength of their hands according the Hand Rankings, which is the standard rankings hierarchy for Corellian Spike.

HAND RANKINGS

TIEBREAKERS

SOURCES

The rules for Surabat Cycle were reported and related by Eqin Montalvo, as taught to him by a cast member at the Galaxy's Edge park.

DISCLAIMER: Games of the Galaxy is an independent fan project. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Disney, Lucasfilm, or any related companies. Star Wars and all associated trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.