Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic/Pazaak

Pazaak is a card game resembling Blackjack. Playing is optional, but it can be a good way to get credits (particularly for light side characters) and some other rewards.

Pazaak Rules
This is activated when you acquire a Pazaak deck from one of the following characters:

Since some characters can be persuaded using skill or the Force to give you a Pazaak deck for free, there's no real need to buy one on Taris (50 credits may be a trifling sum, but so are the amounts you can wager there) unless you want to minimize travel between worlds.

This 'quest' is completed when you play a game of Pazaak for a wager, although you receive no experience for doing so. However, before wagering you should really acquire better cards for your side deck, since the only available cards from which to choose initially are two of each from +1 to +5. Obviously and ideally, you want a side deck of ten +/- cards, some of which can be purchased from merchants:

Cost gives some indication of the usefulness of each card, although with your initial side deck you shouldn't waste credits on + cards (with the possible exception of +6, although there are obviously much better cards).

Igear sells for 25% less, Mika Dorin for 50% more (but he can only do so once you escape the Leviathan, having been brought on board after leaving the planet on which you found a fourth Star Map). Cards can also be acquired for free elsewhere (after leaving Taris, this is usually via a final wager after defeating your opponents a certain number of times):

Any cards acquired before you have a Pazaak deck aren't displayed in, and afterwards they're simply added to its side deck, so you cannot sell unwanted cards.

You can replace your entire initial side deck of + cards with the equivalent +/- cards before leaving Dantooine, giving you a much better chance of winning when your opponents draw 4 random cards from the following decks:

Unless otherwise stated, all tutorials and practice games just use deck 1. Most opponents stop playing once you've won a certain number of wagers, or switch to a higher deck as the wager increases. Final wagers aren't always for credits, and can sometimes be for Pazaak cards or another reward:

Although you can normally wager for as little as a single credit, it resets to maximum at the start of each match so it's best to wager for the maximum amount. However, even after you replace your entire deck with +/- cards to match opponents using deck 3, you're still at a significant disadvantage: you always draw first from the main deck at the beginning of each set, which means you'll most likely be the first to stand, go bust or use a card, all of which make it more likely that you'll be defeated. It may be exploitative, but you can save game before playing and after winning, and load game after losing to offset this (although there's no need once the wager isn't for credits).

Niklos

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Once you've defeated him five more times than he's defeated you, he accuses you of cheating and will no longer play (if you play a consecutive game after this occurs then he doesn't accuse you until it has been played, regardless of the result):


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If you quit before wagering then this counts as a defeat while costing you nothing, which can allow you to play Niklos indefinitely. However, you can do likewise with Gelrood without needing to keep track of outcomes. The only reason to play Niklos is to unlock dialog.

Gelrood
In either case you can say you'll play or you'll be going now, but if you've been defeated then you can say you think he's cheating first:

Although you can play indefinitely, you can do likewise later with in Dreshdae's cantina on Korriban for 2.5 times more (he may use a better deck, but your deck should also be much better at that point).

Sol'aa
If you acquired the two +/-1 cards freely available on Taris, buy a +/-2 card, two +/-4 cards and two +/-5 cards from Sol'aa for 500 credits in total and then defeat him six times, then you can replace your entire initial side deck of + cards with the equivalent +/- cards before leaving Dantooine: this gives you a realistic chance of defeating on Yavin Station ten times as early as possible, winning a 20% discount that can save you thousands, if not tens of thousands, of credits.

If you don't want to 'waste' credits buying more cards, then after defeating Sol'aa you can win more from in Kashyyyk's Czerka Landing Port, or from  in Manaan's West Central.

After defeating him five times:

After defeating him a sixth time:

Kudos

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After defeating him four times, you make this for moderate stakes and he switches to deck 2:

After defeating him four more times (eight times in total), you bet far less but he switches to deck 3:

After defeating him a tenth time:


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You can play him indefinitely, but you can do likewise with on Korriban for double the wager against a lesser deck:


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Furko Nellis

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If you defeated him, then he switches to deck 2 and ups the stakes:


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If you defeated him, then he switches to deck 3 and ups the stakes again:


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After defeating him a third time, if you have another game then you don't have any wagers, but he continues to use deck 3:


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Fodo Medoo
If you have another game:


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If you have another game from now on:


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After defeating him four times, you make the stakes interesting and he switches to deck 2:

After defeating him four more times (eight times in total), you can bet what you want but he switches to deck 3:

After defeating him a ninth time:

After defeating him a tenth time, he leaves and gets back to work:


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Jolan Aphett
After defeating him ten times:

He switches to deck 3. After defeating him again:

Gonto Yas
After defeating him ten times:

Toll Apkar
If you defeat him and express the intent to demonstrate that it wasn't luck, then he switches to deck 3 for the next game, otherwise he continues to use deck 2:

Suvam Tan
Although you can win up to 7500 credits in total, given his prices and the desirability of his inventory, the 20% discount is potentially worth a lot more...

After defeating him ten times:

This deal is four times any cut using the Force (20% vs 5%), and replaces it. If you ask if he's interested in a hand of Pazaak afterwards, he'll only play practice games using deck 1: