How to Play Centran Sabacc
- Jan 1
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 22
The Multiversal Exports Guide to Playing Centran Sabacc
Congratulations - if you're reading this post, chances are you've already purchased our Classic/Centran Sabacc deck and are here to read more about the rules. If you found us looking for these rules on the internet, make sure to check out our range of Sabacc decks once you've finished reading!
QUICK PLAY GUIDE FOR CENTRAN SABACC
Quick Play Rules for Centran Sabacc included with our Dual Classic & Centran Sabacc Deck
Quick rules guide included with our Centran Sabacc decks.
INTRODUCTION
Each player has a stock of credits or credit chips. Players compete in successive hands to win a portion of these credits.
THE HAND
Each Hand opens with:
— Choose the Dealer: The dealer rotates clockwise each round
— The Ante: Each player contributes an ante to the Hand Pot and half of that sum to the Sabacc Pot.
— Opening Deal: Each player is dealt two cards face down. One card is turned over beside the draw deck to start the Shift Array.
THE ROUND
Each Round has three Phases:
— 1. The Card Phase
On their turn players may:
— GAIN: Draw the top card from the draw deck.
— TRADE: Trade a card from your hand with a card in the Shift Array.
— STAND: Take no action and continue with their current hand.
At any time in their turn they may (as a free action):
— PLAY TO STASIS FIELD: Add or remove one card from the Stasis Field.
— 2. The Betting Phase
On their turn players may:
— CHECK: Pass without betting
— FOLD: Surrender the hand
— BET: Make a wager
— RAISE: Match the current wager
— 3. The Shift Phase
The dealer turns over the top card from the draw deck and places it face up beside the last card in the Shift Array to determine whether a Shift occurs.
— If the cards match positive/positive or negative/negative no shift occurs
— If the cards are opposed negative/positive in value, a Sabacc Shift occurs
The number of cards in the Array before a card that triggers a Shift determine how many cards players must discard, shuffle in, and replace from the draw deck.
THE WILD FIVES
If you draw a Five card, it must be played to the table. It becomes a community card and is added to everybody’s hand as 0, +5 or -5 by their choice.
WINNING THE HAND
Each Hand is played through successive rounds until one of the following conditions is met:
— The game reaches 5 rounds.
— All players check during betting.
— All of the Wild Fives are played to the table.
HAND SCORING
Hands are scored as follows:
THE IDIOT'S ARRAY — A special hand consisting of The Idiot (0) and any 2 or 3 card (to make a literal read of 23). An Idiot’s Array with two negative values (0, -2, -3) is the best Idiot’s Array and is called a Desperado. This hand beats a Pure Sabacc and a Wild Sabacc. It collects the Hand & the Sabacc Pot.
PURE SABACC — A hand totalling exactly -23, 23 or 0 in Centran Sabacc. This hand wins the Hand Pot & the Sabacc Pot. Negative sum (-23) beats positive sum (+23) and positive beats 0.
WILD SABACC — If the end of the game was triggered by the Five Brothers, the last player to play a Five to the table may score the Five Brothers as 0 for a Wild Sabacc (disregarding the other cards in his hand) The Five Brothers cannot beat a Desperado, Idiot's Array or Pure Sabacc of -23 or 23 but will automatically beat a Pure Sabacc of 0 and any Nulhrek hand. It collects the Hand Pot & the Sabacc Pot.
NULHREK — Closest Hand to -23, +23 or 0. If no one has a Pure Sabacc or Wild Sabacc, the hand with the closest value to -23,+23, or 0 (without bombing out), wins the Hand Pot. When tied, proximity to -23 beats proximity to +23, proximity to +23 beats proximity to 0, and a negative score close to 0 beats positive.
BOMBING OUT
Hands overshooting a score of -23 or +23 are disqualified.
CONCEDING
If everyone folds except one player, they automatically win the hand pot but cannot win the Sabacc pot.
TIEBREAKERS
In the case of a tie between hands, the following tiebrakers are applied:
1. Most Cards in Hand
2. Pairs Held
3. Most Cards in one Suit
4. Most Negative Cards
5. Highest positive integer card
WINNING THE GAME
Each Game is played for a set number of hands before players cash out, or until only one player has chips in his stock.
FULL RESEARCH RULES FOR CENTRAN SABACC
Long form and complete rules for Centran Sabacc from the Games of the Galaxy Holodex.
The rules here were put together in collaboration with the Games of the Galaxy Holodex, an archive of games in the Star Wars galaxy. As well as the full rules for Centran Sabacc, you can find out about the sources for the game in Star Wars canon lore and in fandom, as well as further resources for playing the game at the table or online!
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