Cloud City Sabacc Tournament

The tournament was four days in duration, and attracted the galaxy's best players. The "buy-in" amount was 10,000 credits. Each day, over half the competitors would be eliminated, until one table remained for the final game.

Usually the gaming hall itself was strictly for players only, while spectators could watch the games from the holo-projection lounge. There were exceptions however, such as a female Twi'lek who was seen by Calrissian's side during the 2.5 BBY final.

This particular tournament was held in the Royal Casino, attracting over fifty competitors. At the second day's conclusion, the remaining competitors were Lieutenant Armen Arandis, Creeska, Silas Draver, Lady Mirana Fioro, Captain Koroma Moro, Vorn Zaday, Szygar and a member of the Alderaanian Resistance.

Members of the Alderaanian Resistance infiltrated the event in order to track down Darga the Hutt and learn more about the Sarlacc Project. The Resistance believed that Darga and Lt. Arandis were using the tournament as a cover-up to exchange funds in a clandestine deal involving tibanna and slaves—all part of the Sarlacc Project. Toward the end of the tournament, Lt. Arandis lost all his winnings to Fioro in an unusual tactic. This move revealed to the Resistance that Fioro was Darga's agent in the transaction.

The finalists were Fioro, Moro, Zaday, and possibly the Alderaanian Resistance member, though the end of the tournament was marred by a violent awards ceremony. Competitor Silas Draver attempted to steal access codes of the bank account holding the total winnings, taking Fioro as a hostage. Draver's stunt was thwarted by the Alderaanian Resistance and security. Lt. Arandis was killed in the skirmish.

In 5 BBY, Cix Trouvee joined a contest set up by a group of Hutts to bet on the outcome of an impending Imperial attack on the Yag'Dhul insurgents. During the battle, however, the Imperials discovered the gamblers, and, believing them to be supplying intelligence to the insurgents, attacked them. Trouvee fled with his copilot, Waglin, in his starship, the Millennium Falcon. Before he could escape, however, the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Desolator opened fire on him, missing and hitting two TIE fighters. This pushed the starfighter count two higher than the count on which Trouvee had bet; Trouvee, in desperate need of credits, entered this tournament. He made it until the third day of the tournament, when the pot had grown to ninety-thousand credits and Trouvee had a hand he didn't think could be beat. By then he had been forced to throw in the Millennium Falcon and Calrissian beat Trouvee with an Idiot's Array, winning the Falcon.

Han Solo won this tournament, held in the Yarith Bespin and consisting of over a hundred competitors. Five finalists qualified for the final game: a male Chadra-Fan, a male Bothan, a female Rodian, Lando Calrissian and Han Solo. A Bith card dealer conducted the game.

Three and a half hours into the final game, the Bothan had "bombed out." Shortly after, the Rodian folded, and pulled out. At this point, the sabacc pot contained just under 20,000 credits. The Chadra-Fan folded early in the last hand, leaving only Calrissian and Solo to contend the title.

In addition to several thousand credits, Calrissian bet any one ship on his lot on Nar Shaddaa. Calrissian almost won the tournament, only being one card away from holding an Idiot's Array. His final hand included the Idiot, the Two of Staves and the Seven of Flasks. Solo won the tournament with the Queen of Air and Darkness, the Five of Coins, the Six of Staves, and the Master of Coins: Pure Sabacc.

Solo won the 20,000 credits in the sabacc pot, plus roughly the same amount again he had won throughout the four days. When Calrissian asked Solo to choose any ship on his lot, Han picked the Millennium Falcon without hesitation. Calrissian protested, stating that it was his personal ship and not part of the deal, but Solo insisted that it was technically "on his lot" and therefore a valid choice. Calrissian finally conceded, and the Falcon was now the property of Han Solo.

• The Official Star Wars Fact File7
• The New Essential Chronology
• "Underworld: A Galaxy of Scum and Villainy" — Star Wars Insider 89
• Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 1
• Millennium Falcon Owner's Workshop Manual