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Jacks
Rules assistance for Jacks
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with saved question history.
Rules assistant for Jacks
For 2 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Jacks is a board game for 2 players, 1 minute per game, and ages 5 and up.
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About the game
Played with 10 "jacks" and a small rubber ball. Players take turns. On a player's turn, he must first throw the jacks onto the floor. If any of the jacks land so that they are stacked on top of each other, he forfeits his turn. Otherwise, he begins to pick the jacks up in groups. He throws the ball up in the air, and must pick up a group and catch the ball after exactly one bounce. A player must first succeed in picking up all 10 jacks one at a time in a single turn. Then he attempts to pick up the jacks two at a time, then in groups of three, and continuing on until he must pick up all 10 jacks in one group. If at any time, the player picks up the wrong number of jacks, touches any jacks not in the group, or fails to catch the ball, his turn is over. On his next turn, he will try again, starting with the same grouping.
Videos
Publishers
- (Public Domain)
- House of Marbles
- Merit
- Pressman Toy Corp.
- Schylling
- Melissa & Doug
- Oriental Trading Company
- Cardinal
- H. P. Gibson & Sons
- House Martin
- Toysmith
- Toyrific
- Channel Craft
- Professor Puzzle Games
- F. W. Woolworth Company
- Nadel & Sons Toy Corp.
- Wells Co.
Questions and answers
Jacks supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Jacks is 1 minute. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Jacks for ages 5 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Jacks has a complexity rating of 1.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Jacks belongs to these categories: Children's Game, Bluffing, and Action / Dexterity. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Jacks and want something comparable for your next game night.
The catalogue lists Jacks as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.