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Jacks In The Box Solitaire

Jacks In The Box is played with two standard decks (104 cards). There are six tableaus that contain one cards each. The objective is to move all cards to the eight foundations by building them up by the same suit.

Odds of winning: Very Low

Win about 1 in 10 games (10%).

Skill Level: Balanced

Winning involves skill and luck equally.

How to Play Jacks In The Box

Build foundations up by the same suit and wrap around on Kings. Build tableaus down by the same suit. Fill empty tableaus with any card. Stock deals one to waste without redeals.

Game Objective

The goal of Jacks In The Box is to move all 104 cards to the foundation piles. You achieve this by building sequences of cards up by the same suit that start with an Ace and end with a King. You win when the eight foundations each contain a complete sequence of thirteen cards.

Foundation Rules

  • There are eight foundations.
  • Initially containing a Jack in each foundation.
  • The foundations build up by the same suit. Foundations may build around-the-corner (an Ace may move onto a King).
  • For example the 6♠ may move onto the 5♠ and the 6♦ may move onto the 5♦. Starting with the J♥ the following sequence may build on top Q♥ K♥ A♥ 2♥.

Cell Rules

  • There are four cells.
  • The cells are initially empty.
  • The top card is movable.
  • Any single card may move to an empty cell.

Tableau Rules

  • There are six tableaus.
  • Initially containing one card face up in each tableau.
  • The tableaus build down by the same suit.
  • For example the 9♠ may move onto the 10♠ and the 9♥ may move onto the 10♥. Starting with the 9♥ the following sequence may build on top 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥.
  • The top card is movable.
  • Any single card may move to an empty tableau.

Stock Rules

  • The stock deals one card face up to the waste when tapped.
  • A single pass through the stock is permitted. Redeals are not possible. Once on the waste, cards remain until used in a valid move.

Waste Rules

  • There is one waste.
  • The waste is initially empty.
  • The top card is movable.
  • Once empty the waste remains empty until more cards move from the stock.

Similar Games

There are 2 games that have a similar play style to Jacks In The Box:

  1. Deuces - No cell. Initially containing a Two in each foundation. There are ten tableaus.
  2. Cast Out Nines - No cell. Fill empty foundations with Nines. The foundations are initially empty. There are seven tableaus.