Sabacc
-----------------



This is the game that is played throughout the Star Wars Galaxy.
It's the game that Han Solo played to win the Falcon from Lando.

The Cards
-----------------
Sabacc is played with a deck of 76 cards made up of four suits--Sabres,
Staves, Flasks, and Coins--and a set of face cards. Each suit is made up
11 regular cards (numbered 1-11) and four ranked cards: the Commander,
the Mistress, the Master, and the Ace (numbered 12-15). The set of face
cards consists of 16 cards, each with a *negative* value. (Note that it
is possible to have a hand with a net negative value.) In addition, each
face card has a special name and symbol. There are two instances of each
face card in the deck.

Using Tarot Cards
-----------------
If you are using Tarot cards to play sabacc, you'll need to use *two*
decks and remove some of the cards. Two things that are a little tricky
to remember are that the "special" face cards are *negative* in value,
and that the "royal" cards in a suit are numbered 11-15. The following
table summarizes the conversion, if you are using the common
Knight-Ridder tarot deck:

Sabacc              Tarot

Sabres              Swords
Staves              Wands
Flasks              Cups
Coins               Pentacles

1-10                I-X
11                  Page [This is the most confusing conversion.]
Commander (12)      Knight
Mistress (13)       Queen
Master (14)         King
Ace (15)            Ace
 
Idiot (0)           Fool (0)
Queen of Air 
 and Darkness (-2)  The High Priestess (II)
Endurance (-8)      Strength (VIII)
Balance (-11)       Justice (XI)
Demise (-13)        Death (XIII)
Moderation (-14)    Temperance (XIV)
The Evil One (-15)  The Devil (XV)
The Star (-17)      The Star (XVII)


In the Star Wars galaxy, electronic pulses randomly shift the faces of
the cards until they're locked in place when the player holds them in a
"neutral field." The following rules include several mechanics which
simulate the effect of the random pulses.

Rules of Play
-----------------
The object of sabacc is to have the highest card total which is less than
or equal to 23. A total which is over 23, under negative 23, or exactly 0
is called a "bomb out," and requires the holder of the hand to pay a
penalty, as described below.

There are two pots to be won in the game of sabacc. A pot is the total
amount of credits staked by all of the players in one hand of the card
game (just like poker). Each pot should be kept clearly separate from the
other. The first of the two pots is called the "hand pot" and is taken by
the winner of the current hand. The second is the "sabacc pot" and
continually builds over several hands until it is won with a special
hand, as described below.

To start a game of sabacc, choose one player to be the dealer of the
first hand. Other players wishing to be dealt into a hand must first ante
by placing one credit into the *hand* pot. Each player must also anter
one credit into the sabacc pot it is empty, including the first hand of
the game.

Each player takes a turn in order, beginning with the player to the
dealer's left, that includes the phases listed below. Once a player has
completed all the phases, his or her turn is over and play proceeds to
the left. After each hand, the "dealership" roates to the left.

Phases of a Hand
-----------------
Betting Phase
-------------
Each player is dealt two cards. The player to the left of the dealer
begins play with the option to bet. If he/she chooses to do so, that bet
is placed in the hand pot. If a bet is placed, each player must match
that bet if he or she wishes to remain in the hand.

Only the player whose turn it is may place a bet, but that bet may be
raised by any of the players in turn. The betting and raising limits are
three credits. Before moving on to the next phase, the player whose turn
it is must ask each player if they wish to fold. A player may only fold
during the the betting phase, and must pay one credit to the sabacc pot
to do so.

Shifting Phase
--------------
After the betting phase is completed, the player whose turn it is rolls a
six-sided die. If the result is 1, 2, or 3, *shifting* occurs. [Ed. note:
i.e., odds are 50-50 that your card will shift during any given turn.]

During a shift, each player must discard one card from his or hand,
chosen randomly by the player to the right. All of the players' discarded
cards are then gathered by the dealer, reshuffled, and then dealt to the
players in order. Note that if a player folds on his or her *own* turn,
the player must still roll to see if a shift occurs, but his or her cards
are not used during the subsequent shuffling and redealing.

Calling Phase
-------------
After the shifting phase is completed, the player whose turn it is asks
if anyone would like to call the hand. When a hand is called, each player
must immediately place their cards face-up on the table and declare what
they have. [Ed. note: in the Star Wars galaxy, the table emits a
low-frequency "suspension field" that locks the values of the cards in
place.] See "Winning a hand" below for victory conditions and penalties.

A player may only call during the calling phase of another player's turn;
i.e., he or she may *not* do so during his or her own turn. No one may
call the hand during the caling phase until every player, including the
dealer, has had at least one turn.

If a hand is called, play proceeds to the drawing phase. If no one
chooses to call a hand, play goes back to the betting phase for another
round.

Note: You may wish to increase the minimum number of turns required
before a hand may be called when playing with less than four players;
this allows for more interesting (and richer!) hands to develop.

Drawing Phase
-------------
After the calling phase, the player whose turn it is has the option to
draw one card from the deck. If the player holds more than two cards, he
or she has the option to exchange one of the cards in his or her hand for
a card drawn from the deck *or* simply draw a card from the deck and had
it to his or hand, but not both. Note that discarded cards are removed
from play and not put back in the deck.

There is no limit to the number of cards that a player may hold in his or
her hand, but a player may not have *less* than two cards at any time.

Winning a Hand
-----------------
When a hand is called, the player with the highest card value which is
less than or equal to 23 wins the hand. A player may also win a hand if
every other player folds. Note that the winning player wins the hand pot
only, not the sabacc pot.

If any player has a total which is greater than 23, less than negative
23, or exactly 0 when the hand is called, he or she has "bombed out."
When a player bombs out, he or she must match the number of credits
currently in the hand pot and pay it to the sabacc pot.

In addition, if the player who called the hand does not win it, he or she
must pay the sabacc pot just as if he or she had bombed out.

If two or more players are tied, they must participate in a "sudden
demise." In a sudden demise, the dealer deals each tied player an
additional card from the deck which is then added to their original
hands. The best modified hand, which is still equal to or less than 23,
takes the pot. If there is still a tie after the additional deal, the
players split the pot.

Special Hands and the Sabacc Pot
-----------------
To win the sabacc pot, a player must have one of two special hands. The
first occurs when has a card total of exactly 23. This hand is called
"Pure Sabacc," and is usually accompanied by an ethusiastic cry of
"Sabacc!" when the cards are turned over.

The other special hand is called an "Idiot's Array" or "Literal Sabacc."
To achieve this hand, a player must have the Idiot face card (value 0), a
two of any suit, and a three of any suit; i.e., a 0-2-3.

An Idiot's Array beats a Pure Sabacc, but if two or more players have the
same special hand, a sudden demise is held for both the hand and sabacc
pots.

Note that a special hand, like any other, can only be declared when a
hand is called.

--
M. Brent Sleeper -- bsleeper@carleton.edu
  Flightpath Communications -- Flightpath@aol.com



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Marc J.S 
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 95 19:27:23 -0500


Here is the new version of my Sabacc rules.  Let me know what
you think.
 
 
 
 
 
                                   Sabacc Rules
                                     ver. 1.4
                       by:  Marc J.S. (Dagobah@delphi.com)
 
 
 
 
                                  THE GAME
       Sabacc is a card game played with a deck of 76 cards.
In the Star Wars
universe, this game is played with an electronic deck in which
the cards change
value due to electronic impulses.  There are 4 suits in the
game of sabacc, and
they are staves, sabers, coins, & flasks.  They are also eleven
numbered cards
and four ranked cards; commander, mistress, master, and ace.
The deck also
includes sixteen face cards.  Since we can't send electronic
signals to the cards
and make them change, I have adapted the game to be played
without
technology.  There is a list of all the rules below.  Me and my
friends have tested
all of the rules and we found that they all work.  I hope you
enjoy this version of
Sabacc.  I will upgrade this version as I make new rules.  If
you have any
comments or suggestions, please e-mail Dagobah@delphi.com.
Also, please
feel free to add to these rules.
 
 
                                  CARDS
       You will have to use two decks and change the cards
around by drawing or
writing on them to meet these requirements for sabacc:
 
Suits
There are four suits in the game of sabacc.
Staves - You can use any suit really, and possibly change it
around.
Sabers - You can use spades because of the pointy top or you
can change
around other suits.
Flasks - You can use any suit for this one to, and change it
around.
Coins - This one is simple, you can just use diamonds and you
don't need to
change anything.
 
Numbered Cards
Each suit contains eleven numbered cards.  There are four of
each numbered
card.
One - Take any card from the second deck, scratch out the
number, and make it
          1.
Two through Ten - Use the cards from the first deck already
marked with the
                                numbers 2 to 10.
Eleven - Take any card from the second deck, scratch out the
number, and make
                it 11.
 
Ranked Cards
Each suit contains four ranked cards.  Use the face cards from
the first deck.
There are four of each ranked card.
Commander - Use king or jack.
Mistress - Use the queen.
Master - Use king or jack.
Ace - Simple, just use the ace.
 
Face Cards
The game has sixteen face cards.  These are listed below and
there are two of
each.  These cards are not assigned a suit.  The different
rules change the value
of the cards, which can be positive or negative.  The idiot
card's value never
changes and is always zero no matter what rules are played by.
 You can
change any of the face cards from the second deck to these face
cards and can
use the jokers for the idiot cards.
Idiot
Rancor
Jedi Knight
Jedi Master
Dark Jedi
Lord of Sith
Smuggler
Bounty Hunter
 
 
                                  STANDARD RULES
       The standard rules never change no matter what version
of the game is
played.  Sabacc is always played with a deck of 76 cards.  The
idiot card always
has a value of zero and the numbered cards are worth what they
are (one=1,
two=2, etc.).  The ranked cards are valued as follows:
Commander=12,
Mistress=13, Master=14, Ace=15.  The game is dealt out like
poker, except each
player has four cards instead of five.  When four cards are
delt to each player,
you may discard cards and get new ones to replace them.  The
number of cards
you are able to discard depends on the rules you are playing
by.  Add up the
value of your cards to find your total.  If your total is under
23, than your hand
value is the same as your total.  If you have a total over 23,
then you subtract 23
from what you have to get the value of your hand (example: you
have a hand
totaling 29, 29-23=6, your hand is worth six).  If your hand
totals over 46, then
you automatically lost.  To have a perfect hand in Sabacc, all
of your cards must
must have a value of 23.  A perfect hand automatically wins
(NOTE:  A hand
totaling 23 beats a hand totaling 46).  You can also win with
an idiot's array; an
idiot card plus a two and a three.  An idiot's array
automatically wins if no one
has a perfect hand.  The different rules will list a winning
combination of cards
that will win if no one has a perfect hand or an Idiot's Array.
 If no player gets 23,
has an idiot's array, or has the winning card combination, then
the player with
the highest hand value wins.  The rest of the rules change due
to what version of
the game you are playing.
 
 
                                      RULES
       The different rules for Sabacc are listed below.  So
far, I have made five
rules plus random sabacc and as I make more, I will update this
version of
Sabacc.
 
Rebel Alliance Rules
You may discard no more than three cards.  The combination of
cards is to have
both Jedi Knights and an ace, which is called a Force Array.
The values of the
face cards are listed below.
Rancor = 7
Jedi Knight = 3
Jedi Master = 4
Dark Jedi = 12
Lord of Sith = -10
Smuggler = 5
Bounty Hunter = 9
 
Imperial Rules
You may discard two cards only, no more or less than two.  The
set combination
of cards is to have a Lord of Sith, a Commander, and an Ace.
This is called a
Sith Array.  The card values are listed below.
Rancor = 7
Jedi Knight = 15
Jedi Master = -9
Dark Jedi = 3
Lord of Sith = 4
Smuggler = 7
Bounty Hunter = 3
 
Corellian Rules
You may discard no less than two cards.  The combination of
cards is to have
both smuggler's and any Numbered Card in the Coin suit, which
is called a
Smuggler's Array.  Card values are as follows.
Rancor = 4
Jedi Knight= 10
Jedi Master = -13
Dark Jedi = 11
Lord of Sith = 11
Smuggler = 4
Bounty Hunter = 3
 
New Republic Rules
You have a choice of discarding one or three cards, and you may
not discard
any other number of cards besides one and three.  The
combination of cards is a
Jedi Knight, a Jedi Master, and a Smuggler.  This is called a
Republic Array.
Face card values are listed below.
Rancor = 8
Jedi Knight = 4
Jedi Master = 3
Dark Jedi = 12
Lord of Sith = -11
Smuggler = 4
Bounty Hunter = 10
 
Old Republic Rules
You can discard up to two cards, and up to four if you have a
Jedi Master in your
hand.  You must show the other players the Jedi Master card in
order to discard
three or four cards.  The combination of cards is a Jedi
Knight, a Jedi Master,
and any Numbered Saber.  This is called a Jedi's Array.  Face
card values are
listed below.
Rancor = 9
Jedi Knight = 3
Jedi Master = 3
Dark Jedi = -14
Lord of Sith = 10
Smuggler = 10
Bounty Hunter = 9
 
Cloud City Casino Rules
Using these rules, you can discard two or four cards.  The
winning combination
of cards for these rules is to have two smugglers and a Jedi
Knight card.  This is
called a Partnership Array.
Rancor = 7
Jedi Knight = 4
Jedi Master = 6
Dark Jedi = 9
Lord of Sith = -8
Smuggler = 5
Bounty Hunter = 7
 
Corporate Sector Rules
You may discard three cards using these rules, no more or less
than three.  The
combination of cards for these rules is called a Hunted Array.
 To get this array,
you must have both bounty hunters and any numbered coin.
Rancor = 5
Jedi Knight = -7
Jedi Master = 8
Dark Jedi = 7
Lord of Sith = 8
Smuggler = 6
Bounty Hunter = 3
 
Crseih Station Rules
You can discard up to two cards, no more than two.  The set
combination of
cards is to have two have four flasks either numbered or
ranked.  This is called a
Temporal Array.
Rancor = 7
Jedi Knight = 8
Jedi Master = -6
Dark Jedi = 5
Lord of Sith = 4
Smuggler = 6
Bounty Hunter = 6
 
Mos Eisley Rules
You may discard one card or up to four if you have a bounty
hunter or smuggler
in your hand.  The set combination of cards is called a
Criminal's Array and to
get it, you must have a smuggler, a bounty hunter, and any
numbered coin.
Rancor = 5
Jedi Knight = 7
Jedi Master = 8
Dark Jedi = -11
Lord of Sith = 10
Smuggler = 6
Bounty Hunter = 5
 
 
Random Sabacc
In random Sabacc, the game is timed and the rules are changed
at a set time
interval.  To play random Sabacc, you must write down the names
of all of the
rules on seperate pieces of paper  or notecards and place them,
upside down,
scattered in a pile.  You also need a clock that could tell you
to change the game
every two minutes.  At the start of the game and every two
minutes, someone
picks a paper or card from the pile and shows everyone what
rules are to be
played by.  The person then places the paper or card back into
the scattered pile
and then mixes the pile again up so that the next rules will be
totally random.
Whatever you are doing during the new rules; taking cards,
showing your hand,
etc., must follow the rules that are currently being played by.
 If you are in the
middle of discarding cards, then you may follow the old rules
and each player
after you must follow the new rules.  If you are in the middle
of showing the value
of your hand when the rules change, then your hand, everyone's
hand shown
before you, and everyone's hand shown after you, is changed to
follow the new
rules.
 
 
                                  SCORING
       You can use scoring in a game of Sabacc, but it is not
required.  To use
scoring in Sabacc you must use the following rules.  At the end
of a hand of
Sabacc, your score for that hand is the same as your hand
value.  If you get an
Idiot's Array or another Array, then your score is 23.  If you
win the hand, you get
a 10 point bonus added to your score for that hand.  If you go
over 46, then you
subtract 46 from your total, and you go back that many points
(example: Your
hand totals 48, 48-46=2, you go back two points).  Add all the
scores from all of
your hands to get your total score (NOTE: you must add a
negative score if you
go over 46).  You can set a time limit for the game and the
player with the
highest total score at the end, wins.
 
 
                               SKIFTER CARDS
       Using Skifter cards is another option that you may
choose to use, but is not
required to play the game.  In the Star Wars universe, cheaters
use skifter cards,
but in this low tech version of the game, they can be
incorporated in to normal
game play.  The rules for using skifters are also more open to
change.  A player
may tap the corner of a skifter card to change its value in the
Star Wars
universe, but that would be hard to do here.  If you actually
want to cheat with
skifters, the only I can say is to keep some of those left over
cards from the
second deck up your sleeve or someplace else hidden.  To use
skifter cards in a
fair game, get any leftover cards from the second deck.  Make
two Master Skifter
cards by writing "Master Skifter" on them.  Any card can be
used to make the
Master Skifters.  Now make many normal Skifter cards by simply
writing "Skifter"
on them.  For the normal ones, you must also assign it a
numbered or ranked
value.  (NOTE:  Skifter cards do not have a set suit.)  You now
have eight skifter
cards; two Master Skifters, and one normal Skifter.  Now you
can put the skifter
cards in to the deck.  You may not put more than six skifter
cards of either type
in to one deck, but you may make as many of the normal ones as
you like.  You
will never use more than two master skifters in one deck.
(example:  You put in
4 normal Skifters and 2 Master Skifters.  You may not put in
any more.  2 + 4 = 6
and six is the limit on the number of skifter cards.  example:
 Another
combination would be 3 normal Skifters and no Master skifters.
 3 is not more
than six, so you may also use this combination.)  When the
cards are dealt out
and you get a Master Skifter in your hand, you can assign it
any numbered or
ranked value.  It is a pure wild card.  You may not assign it a
face card value,
though.  If you get a normal Skifter in your hand, you may use
the value that is
assigned to it or one higher or lower than it.  (example:  The
value of the normal
Skifter card is 6.  You may use it as 6 or one higher; 7, or
one lower; 5.
example:  The value of a normal skifter card is an ace.  You
may use it as an
ace, a master, or a one.)  For either type of Skifter card, you
may assign it any
suit you want when it is in your hand.  Remember, a natural
hand always beats a
hand of the same value that includes a Skifter or Skifters.

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