Variations of the Game of Jacks

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The basic concept of the game of jacks does not change with any of the variations. All of the variations of the jacks game (different ways to play jacks) are still based on the idea of sets, playing onsies through tensies. However, lots of variations of this classic game exist, and the rules are different. For some variations, even the rules for fouling out differ somewhat.

It should be noted that all of the variations of the jacks game involve differences in the use of hands, manner of catching the ball, and movement of the jacks.

Some of the more common variations of the jacks game and different ways to play jacks are:

1. No Bounce
2. Double Bounce
3. Pigs in a Pen
4. Eggs in a Basket
5. Kisses
6. Around the World
7. Over the Fence
8. Under the Arch
9. Crack the Eggs
10. Flying Dutchmen
11. Poison Hand
12. Opposite Hand
13. Jacks on a Rooftop
14. Strike a Match

In How to Play Jacks Game - Rules, Directions and Instructions, we talked about the importance of learning to throw the ball precisely as it is easy to make a mistake that will change the trajectory of the ball when it bounces on the playing surface. With some of the variations of the jacks game talked about here, this becomes even more important as the ball plays a significantly more important role in the different ways to play jacks.

For the game of No Bounce, nothing about collecting the jacks changes, but the action with the ball does.

You will collect the jacks in sets as in the original game. However, timing is everything in this variation of the jacks game. You must pick up the required number of jacks and catch the ball before it can strike and bounce from the playing surface. It must be caught with the hand holding the picked-up jacks and not allowed to bounce even once. This will lead you to throw the ball higher than you normally would which may create interesting challenges. Remember that trajectory thingy we talked about in the previous article?

The rules for fouling out are the same as in the original game.

When playing the variation of the jacks game called Double Bounce, play proceeds in the normal fashion. The difference is in the action of the ball. In this variation, the ball must be allowed to bounce twice before you catch it. This has multiple implications.

First, you will need to to throw the ball a bit higher than normal. Otherwise, it may not bounce high enough above the surface on the second bounce to allow room for your hand to catch it.

And, then, there's that naggin' trajectory thing again. The higher you throw it, the more off course it is likely to get.

The last issue is simply reflex. If you have mastered the art of the traditional game and are completely comfortable with catching the ball after one bounce, you may automatically catch it after the first bounce. This is a foul, and you lose your turn.

The Pigs in the Pen variation of the jacks game has many different names. Some call it "horse in a barn", "rooster in the hen house" and other fun names. The point of this game is to make an enclosure for the jacks out of the hand opposite of the one you are using to throw the jacks and catch the ball. To do this:

1. Place the non-throwing hand palm down on the playing surface.


2. Tilt your hand up on the pinky finger and curve all fingers into a semi-circle with the thumb extended toward your body and touching the playing surface. This should resemble a little cave. Use your imagination to make it a pig pen, horse barn or hen house.


3. Instead of picking up the jacks, toss the ball and slide the jacks into the cave made with your opposite hand. Then catch the ball after one bounce.


4. When all jacks are in the pen, toss the ball one last time. Before it bounces more than once, the player must scoop up all the jacks with the cave hand.

The rules for fouls change slightly from the original. For this variation:

• All jacks must be at least half way into the cave.
• On the last bounce, all jacks must be successfully picked up. If any are left or dropped, this is a foul and you lose your turn.

The variation of jacks called Eggs in a Basket (sometimes called Cherries in a Basket) brings both hands into the game. Here are the rules for this variation of the classic game of jacks:


Eggs in a Basket - © guardianstar77, 2011

1. Using your non-throwing hand, turn the palm side up and cup it to make a "basket" for the eggs (the jacks).


2. Begin to pick up the jacks as in a "simple" game of jacks.


3. After each jacks pick up, you must immediately place the collected "eggs" in the basket before catching the ball.


4. When your cupped hand holds all ten jacks, to continue playing to the next set, you must throw the jacks back onto the playing surface with the hand which holds them - the "basket" hand.

The normal rules for fouling out apply to this variation of the game. However, a foul also occurs if any of the "eggs" are allowed to fall out of the basket before all ten are collected.

Note: As with many of the other jacks variations, you could make another version of this game by changing the ball movement. Either make it a no bounce or a double bounce game!

If you are squeamish about germs, the game of jacks called Kisses might not be for you. To play this game of jacks:

1. Begin play as in the original game..


2. After each jacks pick up, quickly bring the hand holding the jacks to your mouth and kiss them before catching the ball.


3. When the ball has been caught, you may either lay the collected jacks aside or place them in the opposite hand for safe keeping.

The additional movement required to bring the jacks to your mouth for "kissing" means the ball must remain in the air longer, and you must move much more quickly. That means the ball will need to be thrown a bit higher, and there's that trajectory thing again. The additional movement also means greater potential for dropping the jacks, which results in a foul and losing your turn. All other rules from the traditional game of jacks apply to this variation.

Around the World - © guardianstar77, 2011


In my opinion, this is the most difficult of all the variations of the game of jacks. To play Around the World:

1. Play is in the traditional format..


2. However, after each collection of jacks, you must then grip the jacks and move your hand in a circle around the ball while it is still in the air and before it hits the playing surface.


3. If successful, you may either lay the jacks aside or place them in the opposite hand for safe keeping.

This variation of the game of jacks is very difficult because the ball must be in the air longer and your hands must move very quickly. Not only will you deal with the possibility of problems with the trajectory of the ball, but there is also the very real possibility that you will hit the ball while trying to circle it, thereby knocking it away and making it virtually impossible to catch. Although extremely difficult to master, this variation has great potential for giggly fun.

The rules for fouling out are the same as the traditional game of jacks. Note that it does not count as a foul if your hand touches the ball while making its circle "around the world" if you are still able to catch it.

The variation of the game of jacks known as Over the Fence involves using the non-throwing hand to create a "fence" over which you must "jump" the animals...er, jacks.



Over the Fence Jacks Game - © guardianstar77, 2011

1. Place the non-throwing hand on the floor, with the pinky finger directly touching the playing surface, palm facing the throwing hand, and all fingers held straight and rigid as if they were slats in a board fence.


2. As jacks are picked up, they must be very quickly jumped over the fence, dropped onto the back side, and the ball caught before it bounces more than once.


3. As with Pigs in a Pen, when all ten jacks are on the opposite side of the fence, the ball is thrown one last time and all the jacks must be picked up in a single swoop. If your "animals" got widely spread out while jumping over the fence, this can become quite a challenge.

In addition to the normal rules for fouling out, this variation of the game of jacks has a couple of other rules.

• The fence must be up before the jacks are thrown onto the playing surface. If any jacks stray outside the imaginary extension of the fence (under your arm or around the fingertips), it is considered a foul and the player's turn ends.
• All animals (the jacks) must get all the way over the fence line, meaning they must be outside the imaginary lines that extend horizontally forward and backward from the fence. If any jacks slide under your wrist or back around your fingertips as they land, they are considered to not have escaped the fence. This creates a foul, and you lose your turn.

Under the Arch actually is not as easy as it sounds because, during play, the fingers that are not part of the arch can interfere with the movement of the jacks as well as the ball when jacks land near the arch. To play this variation of the game of jacks:

1. Place the non-throwing hand onto the playing surface with only the thumb and forefinger touching the surface. The hand is then curved upward in such a manner that the thumb and forefinger create a semi-circular arch. The remaining fingers should be kept lifted up and off the playing surface.


2. After forming the arch, the player tosses the jacks onto the playing surface. All jacks must remain on the front side of the arch.


3. Jacks are not picked up, but rather are slid from the playing surface, under the arch, and through to the other side while allowing the ball to bounce only once.


4. Play continues until all jacks are through the arch.


5. As with some previous variations, the jacks must then all be picked up in a single group in a single bounce of the ball.

The normal rules for fouling out apply to this variation of the game of jacks. In addition to those rules:

• During the toss, the jacks must remain on the active playing side of the arch. If jacks slide underneath the wrist or under the lifted fingertips of the arch hand, this creates a foul.
• The jacks must get all the way under the actual arch. If any jacks slide in under the other three raised fingers or the wrist, this is also a foul.
• The fingertips forming the arch must not lift from the playing surface during actual movement of the jacks. Lifting the fingers automatically creates a foul.

This game is made more difficult because the raised fingertips can create an issue with the ball when jacks to be collected land near the arch as the ball may make contact with the fingertips. With regard to that nuisance of ball trajectory - Oops!

Please note: Smaller children with less developed muscle control may have difficulty keeping the three non-playing fingers completely lifted off the playing surface. Be gentle and lenient with them, please.

Crack the Eggs is a fun variation of the game of jacks, especially if you can truly capture the idea of the jacks as eggs and picture the motion of "cracking" them.



Crack the Eggs - © guardianstar77, 2011

The rules for playing this variation are quite simple:

1. Play proceeds as in a traditional game, with the jacks being picked up in sets of onesies, twosies, etc., allowing the ball to ounce only once before catching it with the same hand as used to pick up the jacks.


2. However, once the jacks are picked up, the player must gently tap the floor with them (thus, "cracking the eggs") before catching the ball. The ball is allowed to bounce only once.


3. As collected, the jacks may be laid aside or placed in the non-throwing hand for safe-keeping.

The normal rules for fouling out apply to this variation of the game of jacks, with one additional rule:

• If jacks are allowed to fall from your hand while "cracking" them on the floor, this is a foul and you must forfeit your turn.

Younger children have very active imaginations and may become intensely involved in the imagery of picking up eggs and cracking them on the playing surface. You may deal with lots of giggly "side" behaviors such as them pretending the eggs are dripping through their fingers after they have been cracked or even images of baby chicks popping out of the eggs. Children are amazing, and a great deal of latitude should be allowed in this variation of the game of jacks. Since it really is all about the fun, let them enjoy it to the max!

In the variation of the game of jacks known as Flying Dutchmen, a great deal of fun can result from the extremely rapid movement of the hand toward the head. The possibility of a player poking himself in the chin, nose or elsewhere is very real (but should not be sufficient to cause real pain). To play:

1. The player will cup the non-throwing hand tightly to his or her chest. The hand is to be held in the same manner as in Pigs in a Pen except it is held against the chest, with the open portion of the hand turned upward to the chin.


2. As jacks are collected, they must be dropped into the cupped hand and the ball caught after a single bounce.


3. Assuming no fouls are committed, play continues until all ten jacks are inside the cup.


4. The jacks are then returned to the throwing hand, tossed back onto the playing surface, and the player begins the next set, after placing the hand against the chest again.

The normal rules for fouling out apply to this variation of the game of jacks, with two additional rules:

• If jacks fall from the hand cupped against the chest, at any time during a set, this is a foul and the player loses his or her turn.
• Jacks must land inside the cupped hand. If they land on the arm against the chest and "stick", it is still a foul and the player's turn ends.

Flying hands as well as flying "Dutchmen" can create some pretty awesome opportunities for joyous laughter.

One of the most hilarious of all the different ways to play jacks is called Poison Hand. The only variation in this game of jacks is that the non-throwing hand must be kept behind the player's back at all times during the player's turn. Since players often have to reach way out to catch the ball and the poisoned hand cannot be moved to help maintain balance, the player may just topple right over onto the playing surface. Especially for children, this is a guaranteed laugh generator.


Poison Hand - © guardianstar77, 2011

Although normally used in conjunction with the traditional game of jacks, it can also be used with any other variation that does not require use of the non-throwing hand, such as Eggs in a Basket and Under the Arch.

Besides the normal rules for fouling out, the only other cause for foul is allowing the hand to come away from the back during the player's turn. It may move up and down, but cannot be dropped entirely or brought forward at any time during play.

Some people add a rule to this variation of the jacks game that says collected jacks must remain in the free hand while picking up other jacks. Although it sounds like an interesting challenge, we never did this. Personally, I think it would be virtually impossible to keep jacks already in the hand from falling out while trying to capture others. I would recommend allowing the children to place captured jacks off to the side instead of holding onto them.

You can probably already guess how Opposite Hand is played, can't you? Choose the traditional game of jacks or any of the other different ways to play jacks listed here and just use the opposite hand to play. If you are naturally right-handed and normally would use the right hand to throw the jacks, toss the ball, pick up or slide the jacks, and catch the ball, then instead you would use your left hand. Naturally, if you normally use the left hand as your playing hand, you would instead use your right hand.

I think the most common foul in Opposite Hand occurs if you have truly mastered some of the other games using your dominant hand. At some point, until you become really adept at playing Opposite Hand, you will almost assuredly use that dominant hand to either pick up the jacks or to catch the ball. Using this variation in combination with Poison Hand can make this easier as you will not have as much instinct to use that hand if it is secured behind your back.

All other rules for fouling out remain the same for whichever variation of the game of jacks that you play in conjunction with this one.

This game can be used very successfully to help train the non-dominant hand when injury or other medical conditions require the player to rely on his or her non-dominant hand for daily activities. Because playing jacks helps develop fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination, it is an excellent, fun way to practice using the non-dominant hand and arm.

I don't distinctly remember this variation of the game of jacks, but I believe Jacks on a Rooftop is played as follows:

1. Use the normal playing hand to interact with the jacks and ball. This can be the traditional game, no bounce, double bounce, etc.


2. Extend the non-playing hand in front of you, with the back of the hand facing upward. Push the palm down toward the playing surface so the back of the hand forms as much of a cup as possible.


3. As jacks are picked up, they must be put "on the rooftop" made by the non-playing hand without knocking off jacks already there. This becomes increasingly difficult as the number of jacks increases.


4. Play continues until all ten jacks are on the rooftop.


5. The jacks are then dumped from the rooftop back onto the playing surface for the next set.

All rules for fouls for the game format that has been chosen (traditional, no bounce, double bounce, and so forth) apply. One additional foul exists for this particular variation.

• If any jacks are spilled from the rooftop during subsequent play, that constitutes a foul and the player's turn ends immediately.

If you played this variation of the game of jacks and remember it differently, please feel free to say so in the comment section!

Strike the Match is a good variation of the game of jacks and is very similar to Crack the Eggs. Here are the directions for how to play this game of jacks:

1. Play proceeds as in a traditional game, with the jacks being picked up in sets of onesies, twosies, etc., allowing the ball to ounce only once before catching it with the same hand as used to pick up the jacks.


2. However, once the jacks are picked up, the player must draw the jacks across the playing surface in the manner that one strikes a wooden match on the abrasive strip on the side of the matchbox before catching the ball. The ball is allowed to bounce only once.


3. As collected, the jacks may be laid aside or placed in the non-throwing hand for safe-keeping.

The normal rules for fouling out apply to this variation of the game of jacks, with one additional rule:

• If jacks are allowed to fall from your hand while "striking the match", this is a foul and your turn ends immediately.

Since metal jacks do have some rougher edges, care should be taken to prevent damage to floors caused by the "striking" process.

One of the most marvelous benefits of these timeless toys is their simplicity. The other is that these great old children's toys and games allowed for a much great use of the imagination. Jacks is one of the best toys ever for allowing children (and kids of all ages) to explore the possibilities and make up their own variations of the jacks game.



Let the Fun Begin - © guardianstar77, 2011


The only true rule for the game of jacks is to have fun and enjoy quality time with your loved ones. Be open to learning new and different ways to play jacks. If one of the players says, "Hey, why don't we try placing the jacks on our heads after picking them up," then give it a whirl. If it turns out to be possible and fun, then give it a name and carry on!

I would love to hear from you if this happens and would be more than happy to write up your instructions and include them here for others to enjoy if you will post them in the comments section or send me a private message using the Contact Me button. Your variation of the much-loved game of jacks may just become the all-time-favorite of a lot of people!

A few safety cautions can go a long way toward keeping the game of jacks nothing but pure fun.

1. Keep the jacks and ball away from small children who might put them in their mouths and your pets as they are a choking hazard.


2. Never leave metal jacks on the floor or other surface where they might be stepped on. Metal jacks can cause foot injury, and the larger rubber or plastic jacks could cause someone to trip or stumble.

guardianstar77 is a writer, graphics design artist, nature enthusiast and lover of everything that resembles a horse. She lives in Central Arkansas and shares her life with a husband of over 40 years, 2 sons, and 5 fabulous grandchildren. guardianstar77 is not domesticated, finding that spending time doing almost anything else beats doing housework. Her passions include recycling, frugal living, feeding the hungry, old-fashioned vintage everything, nature, reading, writing, flea markets and yard sales, Christmas, mystical creatures, carousels, and artwork filled with glorious earthy colors.

guardianstar77 is a devout Christian, a staunch conservative, a passionate American, and a defender of capitalism. Although she is, by her own definition, somewhat of a "professional hermit crab", guardianstar77 is deeply loyal to her family and those she chooses to have as friends. When not pursuing writing and artistic goals, she spends her time deepening those relationships.

Being born in the state of Missouri and having recently discovered a passion for the Missouri state animal— the mule—guardianstar77 developed yet another persona—that of a mule, specifically a Missouri Mule .

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