Card Minigame Card game is a recurring type of minigame in the " Final Fantasy " series . Playing them is usually always optional ; the only exception is the card tournament in " Final Fantasy IX " , but the player does not need to win in order to proceed . The games can be divided roughly for two categories : card games designed solely for " Final Fantasy " , and real world card games adapted to a " Final Fantasy " theme . Appearances . " Final Fantasy VIII " . Triple Triad is the first playable card minigame in the " Final Fantasy " series . The developers designed Triple Triad as a minigame the player can play any time there are suitable NPCs around to challenge , to take a break from the game ' s main story . The game has 110 unique cards to collect , depicting monsters , bosses , Guardian Force s and playable characters ; level 9 and 10 cards are unique and often the means to acquire said unique cards are sidequests in and of themselves . The game has various rules and the cards can be modified into items ; some rare items can only be obtained by refining from cards . In 1999 , following " Final Fantasy VIII " ' s release , Japanese games company Bandai produced a full set of collectible Triple Triad cards made up of the 110 cards as seen in the game , along with 72 artwork cards and a collectors ' edition playing mat . The cards have since become a rare collectors ' item . " Final Fantasy IX " . Tetra Master is similar to Triple Triad in the regards that the player collects cards by winning them from opponents , finding them , or by winning them in card games . The cards depict various monsters fought throughout the game , as well as eidolons , magic spells and airships and naval ships , as well as several unique cards that fit none of the above . The cards cannot be turned into items and the only reward is the game itself : the player can attempt to collect all cards and receive the highest collector ' s rank by upgrading the cards via repeat play ; when cards are used in play they sometimes upgrade their stats . The game has many random elements , from the arrows the cards have to challenge other cards , to card battle results and the layout of the game board . Collecting all the cards with the highest stats is considered among the most difficult challenges in the game , requiring tens of hours of gameplay . The game used to have an online version available in PlayOnline that introduced a variety of features . The game also contained an original soundtrack and employed characters from " Final Fantasy IX " as computer - controlled opponents . The Tetra Master online service was discontinued on December 31st , 2010 . A real world version of Tetra Master was released for a short time in Europe and instead of buying booster packs , the player bought one set of the cards , every set including the same 120 cards , two ten - sided dice , a German manual , a double - sided playing board , ten yellow counters and ten red counters . The game plays largely the same as the " Final Fantasy IX " equivalent , but with a few modifications . Blackjack is a minigame in " Final Fantasy IX " based on the real - world Blackjack card game . The game can be accessed at the end of the game , once The End screen is displayed and the " Prelude " plays by inputting a specific button combination . The dealer deals out of two decks and stands on 17 , and the game begins with a bankroll of 1 , 000 . The Joker , Jack , Queen and King use images of " Final Fantasy IX " characters . " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . Serendipity Poker is one of two card games unlocked with the downloadable content episode Heads or Tails ? where the player plays as Sazh Katzroy . The game works in the same way as standard poker , where players can stake casino coins if they think they have a better hand than the other players , or bluff in an attempt to make the other players think they have a better hand than they actually have . Once a player loses all their casino coins in their buy - in stack , they are considered bust and must leave the table . When three players are bust , the remaining player wins a bonus 2 , 000 , 20 , 000 or 200 , 000 casino coins depending on the initial buy - in amount . This means a player can obtain up to six times their investment by winning all the other players ' casino coins and receiving the bonus payout . The player can also leave the table at any time , and their stack will be added to the player ' s casino coin total . Chronobind is an original casino style game created for " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . It works like a clock puzzle with a gambling element , similar to the clock puzzles played in the Temporal Rift anomalies , only in Chronobind the player controls the hand of a clock using playing cards . " Final Fantasy XIV " . Triple Triad is playable at Manderville Gold Saucer .