Jacks

JACKS, ALONG WITH MARBLES, is one of the oldest games in the world. Store-bought jacks are a bunch of six-pointed star-shaped objects, with a ball to bounce as we scoop them up, but in its early form the game was played with whatever was at hand—stones, small animal bones, or even crumpled-up paper.

Players decide who goes first by “flipping” or using any rhyming game to determine the first player. Flipping means tossing jacks in the air and trying to catch as many as you can on the back of your hand. The player who catches the most gets to go first.

To begin play, toss the ten jacks onto the playing surface. Then bounce the ball in the air, pick up one jack using your throwing hand, and catch the ball in the hand holding the jack before the ball bounces. (Place the jack you’ve collected in your other hand or off to the side before you try to pick up another one.) Do this again, picking up one jack at a time without the ball bouncing twice, until you’ve picked up all ten jacks. This is “onesies.” Once you’ve done that successfully, move on to “twosies”: scatter the ten jacks again, and this time pick up two jacks at a time. Do this until you’ve picked up all ten jacks. Continue to “threesies,” where you pick up the jacks three at a time, “foursies,” four at a time, and on all the way to “tensies.”

(When there are “leftovers”—one jack in “threesies,” two jacks in “foursies”—you pick them up individually. If you pick them up before you’ve picked up the groups, that is known as “putting the cart before the horse,” and you must call “cart” as you pick up the individual “leftover” jacks. “Threesies” has three groups of three and one jack in the “cart”; “Foursies” has two groups of four and two jacks in the “cart”; etc.)

Your turn is over when you don’t pick up the correct number of jacks, you miss the ball, or the ball bounces. When it’s your turn again, start up where you left off—if you lost your turn on “twosies,” start at twosies. The winner is the player who is able to successfully pick up the largest number of jacks.

TIPS AND VARIATIONS

Usually, only one hand may be used to throw the ball and pick up the jacks, but play can be simplified to allow two hands. You can also make it more difficult by only allowing players to use their “bad” hands (right hand for left-handed players, left hand for right-handed players).

OTHER JACKS LINGO

Kissies

When two jacks are touching. They can be separated by calling “Kissies!” while a player moves them apart.

Fancies

Complicated ways of picking up the jacks, like not being allowed to touch the jacks you don’t pick up.

Around the World

Toss the ball, circle the ball with your hand, and then pick up jacks before the ball bounces.

Cats in the Well

Make a loose fist with the thumb and first finger of your non-throwing hand. The jacks you pick up (“cats”) are dropped through the opening (the “well”).

Eggs in the Basket, or Picking Cherries

Toss the ball, pick up the jacks, and transfer the jacks to your other hand before catching the ball.

Pigs in the Pen

Make an arch with the thumb and first finger of your nonthrowing hand. Then toss the ball, flick a jack through the arch, and then catch the ball.

Pigs over the Fence

Make a “fence” with your nonthrowing hand by putting your hand on its side, thumb facing up. Toss the ball, transfer the jacks to other side of your “fence,” and catch the ball.