How do you play Star Wars Outlaws Sabacc? Games have always been a part of the Star Wars universe. There’s Dejarik, the holographic chess-like board game, and Han Solo’s gold dice are from a game called Corellian Spike, a version of Sabacc. That brings us to Kessel Sabacc, the playable card game in Star Wars Outlaws.
Open-world games can get a little overwhelming from time to time. There’s just so much to see, and it might feel like you want to just take a break. In Star Wars Outlaws, you can do that in-game with Kessel Sabacc, a fun mini-game that comes with some benefits, assuming you win. We’ll show you how to play Sabacc, how to win, and – crucially, in the seedy underworld of the Star Wars game – how to cheat.
How to play Star Wars Outlaws Sabacc
Kessel Sabacc is a little like poker, just with a two-card hand. There are two decks in Sabacc, and your hand must have one card from each. The goal of the game is to have the best hand at the end of the three turns. The closer the card values are to zero, the better your chances of winning are, with a matching set taking priority.
Each player around the table starts with two cards and takes turns to either draw a new card or ‘stand’, i.e., keep the cards you have. The most recently discarded card from either deck can also be picked up. Ideally, you want to achieve a Sabacc hand: a pair of matching cards. For example, a pair of two ones is probably a winning hand, whereas a five and a four is usually a diabolical loss.
Each time you pick up a new card, you pay one chip. If you win the hand, you take back your chips. Lose, and your invested chips are lost. Losers are also taxed on top of their invested chips.
- Losing Sabacc hand: One chip tax
- Losing non-Sabacc hand: Chip tax equal to the difference between your cards.
For example, if you lose with a one and a three, you are taxed two chips; the difference between one and three. If you have invested one chip that round to draw a card, you lose three chips overall.
Each turn, the losing player is eliminated. After three turns, the overall winner claims the pot.
Imposter cards
Sometimes, you might draw an Imposter card. These cards take the value of a dice roll at the end of the round if the card is still in your hand. This might sound like a bad position to be in, especially since a Sabacc hand is the most valuable, but your chances with an Imposter card are actually strong since you roll two dice and choose one of two values.
Shift Tokens
Shift Tokens are modifiers that force your opponents to react differently to the table, and each player is allowed to bring three Shift Tokens into a game. You can play a Shift Token in addition to taking your standard turn. When you begin Star Wars Outlaws, you won’t have any Shift Tokens, but you can unlock them by winning games of Sabacc and purchasing them from merchants.
Star Wars Outlaws Sabacc tips
While a lot of Kessel Sabacc comes down to luck, there is some element of skill here, too. For one, you can see and pick up discarded cards. Sure, if someone has discarded a card, it may suggest that they have lower-value cards, but this still doesn’t guarantee them a win. If you pick up a discarded two to make a pair of twos, you could beat them out with a three-one. In fact, even a pair of fours would put you in better standing than a non-Sabacc hand.
More importantly, perhaps, discarded cards are also a good way to try to get an idea of what is in your opponents’ hands. Combine this with the cheating mechanic laid out below for an increased chance of success.
How to cheat in Star Wars Outlaws Sabacc
Cheating in Kessel Sabacc might just be the most adorable way of breaking the rules we ever saw. Send Nix, your cute companion, to take a peek at your opponent’s cards, succeed in a quick-time event, and use that information to your advantage. Presumably, you can’t do this too much, so you’d be best to leave this trick until nearer the end of the hand or when you’re less sure you’ve got a good hand. There’s still some skill required in cheating.
Hopefully, you’ve now got the tools you need to win some extra credits by playing Star Wars Outlaws Sabacc. Don’t upset the wrong people, though, or you could find yourself on the wrong side of the law. If you do, check out how to get rid of your Star Wars Outlaws wanted level. You might also want to equip the best Star Wars Outlaws speeder upgrades for a quick getaway.