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Searching for Sabacc rules on the internet is sometimes bewildering. There are now at least 4 primary variations of Sabacc - Classic, Spike, Shift and Kessel - and several more minor ones (Centran, Contract or 3-Card Spike).
On top of that there is an array of write-ups and optional rules developed by fans, as more and more people get into the game and offer their own readings and interpretations of the core dynamics and quirks. Some of them are trying to ‘fix’ ambiguities or problems with the official rules - which often leads to further objections and disagreements.
The aim of this page is to collect the key published versions of the rules that all these different rule guides are based on, and record some of these variants and interpretations as well.
The archive is for documentation and reference, so that fans and players can see the original rules which newer write-ups are based on - and where they depart from what came before. The documents are organised according to the first chronological appearance of a particular version of Sabacc, with published rulesets and derivatives listed under them.
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NOTE ON COPYRIGHT
This Sabacc Rules Archive is a non-commercial resource dedicated to researching, preserving, and analyzing the history and rules of the game of Sabacc. The materials included on this page are used solely for educational, research, and archival purposes.
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All copyrights to the content, imagery, text, and other materials accessible on this page are retained by their respective copyright owners. This page does not claim ownership of any copyrighted materials .
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The use of these materials is intended to fall under the "fair use" provisions of copyright law, as outlined in Section 107 of the United States Copyright Act and similar provisions in other jurisdictions. This includes use for purposes such as scholarship, research, and education, without seeking to infringe on the original copyright holders' rights.
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If you are a copyright owner and believe your material has been used inappropriately, please contact us directly to address your concerns.
ARCHIVE POLICY
The Sabacc Rules Archive aims to comprehensively document all of the official rulesets and versions of Sabacc.
It does not aim to document every single unofficial set of rules or fan variant of Sabacc. Instead, it seeks to document a selection, especially those which have been available for a long time, have received significant use and playtesting, or which are often used by players looking for rules online. If you believe that anything important is missing, or have your own rules you'd like to submit, you are welcome to do so - however inclusion is not guaranteed. Additions are made at the discretion of the webmaster, based on a perception of whether they offer any significant contribution to the current selection of rules available.
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ORIGINS OF SABACC
FIRST REFERENCES TO ‘SABACCA’ & 'SABACC' (1978/1981)
The game of Sabacc was never mentioned on-screen in any of the original Star Wars films, but entered the lore through references that were cut from the scripts and used in later material.​
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‘Sabacca’ in The Empire Strikes Back Script 2nd Draft (April, 1978) by George Lucas - According to Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplay by Laurent Bouzereau (1997), p. 191​
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 Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplay (1997)Author: Laurent Bouzereau, Ref: p.19 |
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‘Sabacc’ in The Empire Strikes Back Script 4th Draft (October 1978) by Lawrence Kasdan
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‘Sabacc’ in Marvel Star Wars (1977) Issue #43 ‘Betrayal at Bespin’ (January 01, 1981)
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 The Empire Strikes Back Script 4th Draft (October 1978)Lawrence Kasdan |
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 Star Wars Marvel (1977)#43 ‘Betrayal at Bespin’ (January 01, 1981) |
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THE LANDO CALRISSIAN ADVENTURES (1984)
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LANDO CALRISSIAN & THE MINDHARP OF SHARU
In which Lando Calrissian is accused of cheating at 78-card Sabacc against a mining crew, plays against cantina patrons on Rafa IV, and explains the use of Sabacc cards for divination to his droid co-pilot.
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LANDO CALRISSIAN & THE FLAMEWINDS OF OSEON
In which Lando Calrissian plays high-stakes Sabacc against the wealthy patrons of the Oseon system, and explains the logic of the Idiot’s Array to a passenger.​
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LANDO CALRISSIAN & THE STARCAVE OF THONBOKA
In which Lando Calrissian uses Sabacc to inveigle his way past an Imperial Navy blockade, and promote the value of taking risks to the ThonBoka, an void-dwelling species who inhabit the Star Cave Nebula.​​
​RULESETS BASED ON THE LANDO NOVELS (‘CENTRAN SABACC’)
Since the publication of Crisis on Cloud City (Next Section) promoted a version of Sabacc with structural differences from the game presented in the Lando Calrissian Adventures, this earlier version came to be designated as ‘Centran Sabacc’. As there were no published rules for Lando’s version, these rules tend be modifications of the Cloud City ruleset that account for the different size of the Lando’s deck and the particular rules mentioned in those novels.
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Ian Cooper's Rules for Centran Sabacc (2024)​
Based on the Lando Calrissian Adventures
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HISTORICAL FAN-MADE RULESETS FOR CLASSIC OR 'TRADITIONAL' SABACC
CLASSIC/TRADITIONAL SABACC ON PAGAT.COM (1990-2015)​
​​Pagat.com is an archive of card game rules for real-world card games and included a section on fictional card games. For a significant amount of time it was one of the only sources that stored rules for Sabacc, sourced from Star Wars community groups like Usenet and Google groups. Pages linked with permission.
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​​Ryan B. Rules​
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M.Brent Rules (from rec.arts.sf.starwars on Google groups)
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Marc JS. Rules (Usenet E-Mail Group)​
Peter Kerton Rules
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CONTRACT SABACC
X-WING: WEDGE’S GAMBLE, MICHAEL STACKPOLE (1995)
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In which Rogue Squadron pilots Inyri Forge and Aril Nunb discover their shared passion for contract sabacc and double-draw fendoc (The Bacta War, Page 187).
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In which Rogue Squadron pilots Inyri Forge and Aril Nunb discover their shared passion for contract sabacc and double-draw fendoc (The Bacta War, Page 187).
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CORELLIAN SPIKE
DERIVED RULE SETS
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Corellian Spike Rules - RPF Reconstruction Thread
An early community effort to figure out the rules of Corellian Spike in the early days of it's depiction and the first published rules around the release of Solo (2015)
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Corellian Spike Rules by Chandler Stevens
From the RPF Community effort. Downloads available here with permission. Chandler can be contacted through his RPF user/profile.
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Corellian Spike Rules by La Tribune de Coruscanti
A solid interpretation of the official rules, with a popular tutorial video.
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Tutorial Video
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Rules Download
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MODIFIED AND VARIANT RULES
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Corellian Spike Rules by Chandler Stevens
House rules from the RPF Community effort. Downloads available here with permission. Chandler can be contacted through his RPF user/profile.
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Mos Eisley Cantina Rules
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Fort Ypso Rules
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Lion Rock Cantina Rules
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Outer Rim Sabacc League (Historical Rules - OBSOLETE)
Rules adopted by the Outer Rim Sabacc League from 2016-2023. It included extra rules for the Trade round and adjustments to the hand rankings. After 2023, ORSL only recognises the canon or official published rules.
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Rules Download
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Hand Rankings Download
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Florida Sabacc League Tournament Rules
Rules adopted by the Florida Sabacc League with modifications to the Trade actions and hand rankings.
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Rules Download
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Hand Rankings Download
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Galaxy Series Sabacc Rules
Variant Corellian Spike rules which add a board to the game and a different hierarchy of winning hands.
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Galaxy Series Website
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Video Tutorial
3 CARD SPIKE
TALES FROM VANDOR (2015)
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Published Rules​​ for Corellian Spike at the Yarith-Bespin.​​
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DERIVED RULE SETS
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Yarith Bespin Spike Rules by Chandler Stevens
Rules from the RPF Community effort. Downloads available here with permission. Chandler can be contacted through his RPF user/profile.