Jacks Game Rules
This game, played in parts of in the Eastern USA (North Carolina, Tennessee, and perhaps other places), is known by various names including Jack Foolery, Jack Off and perhaps others. It is played with cards, poker chips and a board which is home made from a second deck of cards which are cut in half and glued to a base to make a 10x10 board. How to Play the Jacks game No matter how far technology has come, and how many ways there are for kids to entertain themselves, you still can’t beat an old fashioned, simple game. There’s really nothing better for kids than time spent with their friends, playing games together and getting a bit mucky. When more than one player slaps at a jack, the one whose hand is directly on top of the jack wins the pile. If a player slaps at any card in the center that is not a jack, they must give one card, face down, to the player of that card. When a player has no more cards left, they remain in the game until the next jack is turned.
For a real bout of schoolyard nostalgia, read up on the Jacks game rules and be taken back to your elementary and middle school days.
The gameplay is still the same, so your kids should be able to see why it was once one of the kings of the playground.
Jacks is also simple to learn, making it the ideal game for beginners to pick up. Yet there is still enough of a learning curve to keep players wanting to come back for more.
So for a reminder of all the Jacks game rules, you may have forgotten, or if you’ve never played before have a look at our guide on how to play Jacks.
What Are Jacks?
Jacks takes elements from traditional games such as Bocce Ball (check out our Bocce Ball rules guide) and Dominoes to create a unique game.
A similar yet ancient version of the game called Knuckleball was apparently played around 2000 years ago, with texts from Greek philosopher Sophocles making reference to the game.
The gameplay originally used small objects such as pebbles but has evolved over time into the game we know today.
Number of Players Required: 2 – 8.
Who Can Play It: Everyone, although usually played by kids.
Difficulty: Easy.
Length of Play: 5 – 15 minutes.
Similar to:Pick Up Sticks, Dominoes
Main Goal: Be the player to pick up the largest number of jacks at once to get to the highest round.
Why we love it: Jacks is a game in which the fun comes in its simplicity. As long as someone has some jacks, then you can play anywhere. It’s easy to see how it’s become such a staple of the schoolyard for so long.
Playing Jacks – What You’ll Need to Play
Unlike other schoolyard games, like Tetherball, you don’t need much to be able to play Jacks.
Make sure you have the following:
- A small rubber ball
- A set of at least 10 jacks
- A small, clear space to play
Fortunately, all jack sets will include what you’ll need to play, such as this Jacks Game set which will get you started instantly.
Once you sort your set, you can move on to learning Jack’s game rules.
Jacks GameHow To Set Up Jacks
The game setup could not be easier, as it’s designed so that kids can get the maximum amount of jacks fun into a limited recess.
Place as many jacks as you want in the middle of the players, have all participants sit in a circle and you’re ready to go.
Jacks Game Rules and Gameplay
Decide who goes first by using any method that you would like, just make sure that it is fair and agreed upon by all participants.
Alternatively, use the method of ‘flipping’ by placing the jacks in cupped hands, flipping them to the back of your hand, then flipping them back into the palm of your hand.
The player who finishes with the most jacks in their hand goes first.
Starting the Game
The start of a game of jacks is always the same once your group nominates a player to start the game.
Scatter the jacks out by literally throwing them onto the floor with your weaker hand, but make sure they don’t go too far.
Have the nominated player start the game.
How to Play Jacks
Jacks game rules are very straightforward. Players take it in turns to bounce a ball and pick up jacks whilst the ball is in the air and before it bounces again.
Players need to pick up 10 jacks to be able to move onto the next round. The number of jacks that get picked up each round depends on the number of the round.
So if players are in round 1 (Onesies), then they pick up 1 jack per bounce of the ball until they’ve successfully managed to pick up 10 jacks.
That player then moves onto round 2 where they will need to pick up 2 jacks per bounce of the ball and so on.
Players continue to complete rounds until they fail to pick up the required number of jacks before the ball bounces twice. They then pass the ball over to the next player in the circle.
Anyone who fails their turn is either deducted 1 round when it’s their go next or if they’re on the 1st round removed from the game.
As there are 10 jacks, the final round requires players to pick up 10 jacks with one bounce.
Scoring
To keep things simple, we’ve included an example guide to what jacks you’ll need to pick for each round after the first 2. The first 2 should be self-explanatory.
- Three: 3-3-3-1
- Four: 4-4-2
- Five: 5-5
- Six: 6-4
- Seven: 7-3
- Eight: 8-2
- Nine: 9-1
- Ten: 10
The winner is the player who either picks up 10 jacks in one bounce first or who gets the furthest within a time limit if playing in recess.
Video Tutorial
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there different Jacks game rules that you can play with a Jacks set?
Our guide details the most common game to play with Jacks and the one that you are most likely to be familiar with as it is the simplest one.
There are other rules that you can use when playing to make the game easier or harder, such as letting the ball bounce twice depending on the age of players.
Can you play Jacks solo?
Jacks is certainly a game that you can play solo and is a great way to keep yourself entertained by following the same set of jack game rules.
Alternative Games to Jacks
The game of jacks is an ideal way to improve upon skills such as hand-eye coordination, and its pick-up-and-play ability means that a game you can bust out almost anywhere.
Pair jacks with other standard schoolyard games and read up on Tetherball rules for the proper authentic school experience.
Jacks Game Rules Instructions
If you’re looking for similar games that can also improve upon dexterity and reflex skills, check out guides Cornhole rules or Spikeball rules which can help in this area.
Alternatively, if smaller games that can be played anywhere is what you’re after, then learn Bunco rules and check out the 3 dice game. These are classic examples of dice games that require almost no complex game sets to play.
Metal Jacks And Ball Set
Synopsis of Toy
Twosies and threesies were okay, but if you really wanted to be named playground princess, sixies and sevensies were almost always required.
It’s said that Jacks have origins in ancient counting games, but they started to captivate American kids around the turn of the twentieth century. The balls weren’t rubber back then, but the object was still the same: pour the spiky jacks (usually ten, twelve or fourteen of them) out onto the ground, toss the ball in the air, then pick up as many jacks as you can before the ball touches back down on terra firma. If you’re playing with a red rubber ball, you have before that devilish bouncer touches down twice.
Oh, it wasn't as easy as it sounds—especially since all of this is done with one hand. And that, asphalt allies, was just round one. After everyone in your circle of friends had a turn picking up the jacks one at a time, the next step was to pick them up two at a time, then three at a a time, and so on. Depending on how tough the kids in the circle were feeling, if a player skipped a number or touched a jack that she didn’t pick up, her turn was over. And when it was her turn again, she may just have had to start back at the beginning, picking them up one at a time.
The rules varied, and in some games, it was necessary to yell the names of moves out mid-game, making Jacks not just a test of hand-eye coordination test, but of verbal skill as well. “Haystacks,” “Cart Before the Horse,” “Interference” and “Split Jack” were just some of them (and don’t ask us what they mean, ask the girls).
When the game was over, you put your Jacks (or your Jumbo Jacks—extra big for easier handling) in their pouch or their can and called it a day. Hopefully, the imaginary playground princess crown was yours, at least until the next match.
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