Kessel Sabbacc is Star Wars’ answer to poker, and if you (literally) play your cards right, it could mean quick points for Kay in Star Wars: Outlaws. But only one player can take home the pot, and everyone else at the table is just as eager to win as Kay is — and they have the double advantage of being AI players who didn’t learn the rules until two minutes ago.
As is often the case in life, it can take just a little practice to become the truly perfect Kessel Sabbacc player you want to be. The problem is that every Kessel Sabbacc table has a buy-in cost that, at least at the beginning of the game, is likely to be a fairly high percentage of Kay’s total bankroll, so actually getting that practice can be a pain. To that end, here are a few tips and tricks to facilitate you win on Kessel Sabbacc in Star Wars Outlaws.
How to Win on Kessel Sabbacc in Star Wars Outlaws
Understand the rules
I know it sounds cliché, but honestly, understanding what your goal is in Kessel Sabbacc is incredibly helpful.
Your goal is to have the best pair of cards in your hand by the end of the round: pretty uncomplicated. The types of hands are as follows:
- Regular hand: It consists of two cards numbered 1 through 6 that are not the same number. It can still be a winning hand if no one at the table has anything better, in which case the hand with the lowest value minus the smaller number wins.
- Sabbacca’s Hand: It consists of two cards of the same number from 1 to 6. In the event that two or more players have Sabbacc hands, the pair with the lowest number wins.
- Hand of Sylop: Sylop is a special type of card that takes on the same number as another card in your hand, automatically creating Sabbacc. A hand with two Sylops’ cards are the best in the game and cannot be beaten.
There are other complications—such as the impostor cards, whose numerical value can be determined by rolling the dice—but these are the basic rules to remember.
Therefore, when you get your first cards and you are not lucky enough to get an instant Sabbacca, it is worth it discarding a higher numbered card to try to create a Sabbacc hand with a lower numbered card.
Of course, this alone does not guarantee victory, so you need to remember other tactics…
Use your Shift tokens
Even at the very beginning of the game, when you only have access to the most basic Shift Tokens, it’s still worth using the ones you have. You can exploit three Shift Tokens during each game, but each token can only be used once per game, so strategic placement is key.
To start with, you’ll only have a Free Draw token by default, which basically lets you skip the draw fee for the turn. Still, it’s better than nothing and means you can continue building your hand for an extra turn.
Shift Tokens with stronger effects can be collected throughout the game. Some can be purchased and others earned by exploring Syndicate Vaults, but most can also be unlocked by winning at certain Kessel Sabbacc tables, which award them as bonus rewards after your first success.
Once acquired, every item in Kay’s Shift Tokens collection is hers forever, and every token she owns will be considered a legal move for her at any table in the game. Yes, Kessel Sabbacc is a bit weird.
Let Nix facilitate you (cheat)
As with Pickpocketing, Nix can be instructed to facilitate you. On Kay’s “subtle” command, Nix will circle the table to spy on your chosen opponent, using a skill check that is very similar to that used in Pickpocketing.
Success results in Nix passing your opponent’s hand to you, which provides useful information in a limited-deck game. Failure, however, raises suspicions among opponents – catching once is usually okay, but multiple failed attempts at cheating can get you thrown out and banned from the table for a while.
Interested in other rogue ways to earn Credits in Star Wars Outlaws? Be sure to check out our page explaining how to complete the slicing puzzles, and check out our guide on whether you should sell Goraka’s Ring.
