Pazaak

Pazaak was an ancient game of chance in which players drew cards and tried to achieve a total as close to 20 as possible without going over. Players could alter the result of the draw by playing special cards from a side deck. Due to their similar names, pazaak could be confused with the card game sabacc by some beings. Pazaak was notably played at the Canto Casino and Racetrack, Cantonica, where players could either create a side deck at the casino's specialty store or use their own (after approval by the staff). Pazaak was also played at the Alcazar cantina on the planet Akiva, and in Maz Kanata's castle on Takodana.

According to Caluan Ematt, the Shrikes and the Vapetailers, two special units in the Alliance to Restore the Republic, used to hold pazaak matches over cantina chits. In the Anoat sector, during the Iron Blockade, the Ivax Syndicate oversaw games of pazaak and other activities. Later, the New Republic assigned cards from the pazaak deck to various individuals within the Galactic Empire on whom they had placed bounties. The higher the card number, the more valuable the target. The bounty hunter Jas Emari was handed a deck of cards that identified Grand Moff Valco Pandion as a high-value target sometime after the Battle of Endor.

Text and facts from the “Pazaak” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.