A comic strip titled "Gambler's World" was syndicated through the Los Angeles Times Syndicate and appeared in newspapers across the United States and Canada. Russ Manning both wrote and illustrated this particular story arc. It has been compiled within Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures 1–3, and it also could be found in the Webstrips area of Hyperspace.
This story was one of the initial five story arcs of the strip, which were authorized by Black Falcon Ltd., a now-defunct subsidiary of Lucasfilm.
A Rebel fleet is being pursued by an Imperial fleet. Darth Vader is on the ground, observing the battle and attempting to decipher the Rebel strategy. Vader receives a communication from Blackhole, who possesses the strategy Vader was trying to uncover: the Rebels are attempting to spread their influence throughout the galaxy. Blackhole is instructed to travel to Vorzyd V to prevent Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa from interfering with the Imperial operation taking place there.
Luke, Leia, C-3PO, and R2-D2 arrive on Vorzyd V. They plan to visit the casinos until they are contacted. Their first stop is the Casino Royale, but the droids are prohibited from entering. Luke notices the game Cosmic Chance and feels compelled to play. In this game, players seldom hit a target even once, but Luke manages to hit one twice, attracting a crowd. They collect their winnings and depart to avoid further attention.
As they leave the casino, one of Blackhole's agents spots Luke and Leia. They decide to proceed to the next casino, taking a tunnel. Suddenly, the lights go out, and Shadow stormtroopers capture Luke and Leia, taking them to a hologram of Blackhole. They are then transported to the spaceport, although the droids witness their capture.
C-3PO speaks with police droid R-55, but fails to obtain assistance. The droids take a tunnel leading to the spaceport, only to be intercepted by a group of Freelies. The Freelies attempt to take the droids to their hideout, but a police droid intervenes, causing the Freelies to scatter. Reaching the spaceport, the droids deduce that they need to locate a Hrakian ship based on the accents they hear. Since the droids are not allowed on board, they set out to find a Hrakian who will permit them access.
Blackhole is interrogating Luke, Leia, and other Rebels, attempting to discover the identity of their contact. Meanwhile, the droids enter a bar and encounter a drunken Hrakian named Branox. They fabricate orders for him to return to his ship and escort him out of the bar. They guide him to the ship, and once on board, they free Luke, Leia, and the other Rebels from the paralysis beams.
They overcome the stormtroopers in the room, and Blackhole's hologram disappears. The Rebels encounter additional stormtroopers, but the droids assist their escape by deploying fire-suppression foam. However, Falud is killed before they can escape. As they flee the ship, they observe Blackhole and more stormtroopers arriving from another ship, but they refrain from firing due to the public nature of the location.
C-3PO interrupts his narrative to the supercomputer Mistress Mnemos, briefly sharing with her his most vivid memory of Blackhole, before resuming his story.
Blackhole is compelled to report his failures to Darth Vader. R2-D2 had the desire to share his suspicions about Darth Vader's involvement with Luke. The droids inadvertently enter a weapon shop, where the owner begins equipping them with automatic weapons. The Freelies notice the droids and attempt to seize them, but the droids' weapon systems begin to malfunction. The Freelies then monitor the droids from a distance, as they enter a spaceship.
The Rebels draw lots to determine who will meet their contact. Luke draws the short straw and proceeds to the meeting point. However, Imperial spies are observing Luke and following him. While adhering to the directions provided, someone assists him in passing unnoticed by disabling the cameras tracking him. Luke successfully reaches the contact, who turns out to be the Vorzydiak President.
Luke and the president discuss and formulate a plan, but they are attacked. Luke is separated from the battle and returns to the ship. There, C-3PO informs him that R2-D2 and Leia have been captured by Freelies, who are demanding credits for her release. R2-D2 possesses a tracker unit from the weapon store, enabling Luke to locate him. Blackhole is informed of Leia's capture and instructs his spy to capture one of the Freelies.
Leia is attempting to persuade the Freelies to release her. Luke is tracking the signal when he stumbles upon some stormtroopers interrogating a Freelie. Luke defeats the stormtroopers and enters the Freelies' base, which is soon surrounded by more stormtroopers. The Freelies engage the stormtroopers, and Bemmie guides Luke and Leia to a secret exit. As they escape, Bemmie is killed, but Luke and Leia manage to escape in a hovercab.
From "Gambler's World," four strips were removed. The initial pair depicted C-3PO's arrival to converse with Mistress Mnemos, where a spherical droid at the final checkpoint stopped him, requiring him to step on a white line until his identity was confirmed, prompting 3PO to question whether the Rebel Alliance's security measures were excessive. Upon verification, he then remarks that someone as intelligent as Mnemos should recognize her friends by now when Mnemos asks 3PO to step to the edge of the platform and reveal his identity. The latter pair featured Leia, Luke, 3PO, and R2-D2 on a roller coaster, with the car momentarily detaching from the tracks, only to land at the bottom of the loop-de-loop. Following this, Leia declared that she could not endure any more, even for the Rebel Alliance.