Chinese Jacks
May. 20th, 2009 05:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
twirlgrrlDoes anybody remember Chinese Jacks? Blue just found my box of them from my childhood. I totally want some more because he spent like half an hour putting them together into a long chain, and anything that can occupy his mind and fingers for half an hour is something that I want.
I found two descriptions of how to play them and they both sound like things I used to do. If you used to play them, which method did you use?
METHOD 1
Subject: Re: How to Play Chinese Jacks!!
Written By: Tony Baloney on 11/03/04 at 5:51 am
Hi, My name is Tony, 35 (I still have my old Jacks for 20 some odd years ago.) Played this game with my sisters & cousins growing up.
Now that I'm older, and work at an elementary school, I've taught it to some of the kids for rainy-day fun. (Only they use colored paperclip clumps... not the same)
They game starts by choosing one of 5 colored jacks to represent as your own. We'll say we have blue+red, red+white, green+yellow, green+red, and orange & red.
I usually starting by shaking all 5 jacks in BOTH hands and toss them gently on the floor/table. First off, I pick up the my jack. Using only ONE hand, I need to toss that jack into the air and pick up a second jack (lets say its the red+white one) before the blue one lands on the floor. I then need to toss the 2nd jack into the air, and grab the 3rd before the 2nd lands. I do the same for the 4th, and when I get to the 5th jack, it kinda changes.
I need to take the 5th jack and toss that into the air,and pick up 2 jacks, (my own jack & one other) before that 5th jack hits the floor. Now I need to take those 2 jacks and toss them into the air, and pick up the remaining 3 jacks before those 2 land. (whew!!) Next toss these 3 jacks into the air, and pick up the one jack I chose as my own.
This is where it gets kinda tricky! I need to to take my own jack and toss it into the air, "QUICKLY" pick up the other 4 jacks, and CATCH my own jack before it even hits the ground. (Remembering to use only ONE hand.) Wow, you should be holding all 5 jacks!! Don't drop one, or you're out!
Finally, (This is where we keep score) I take the 5 jacks and give them a gentle toss (VERY GENTLE) into the air, and try to catch as many of them (all of them if possible) on the backside of my hand. (sometimes only 3) I toss those with the back of my hand, and try to catch as many in my palm of my hand as I can.
ADD UP THE POINTS. Out of a possible 30, each jack is 5 points... but catching your own is 10. First player to reach 500 points wins!
METHOD 2
"Description: Chinese Jacks were made of small plastic rings. One ring was in the center and all the other rings were attached to that center ring. It was like a key-ring with a lot of keys. This created the Chinese Jack.
The way we played Chinese Jacks was a balancing game. You started with one Jack in your hand (palm up) and threw the Jack in the air. The object was to catch the Jack on the back of your hand. If you caught it, you would add one more Jack to your hand and throw both Jacks up. This went until you dropped a Jack.
I remember that when I got good at the game, I didn't have enough Chinese Jacks so I would remove some of the rings off each Jack to create slightly smaller jacks. However, there was a point at which you had removed so many rings that they were no longer even proper Chinese Jacks!"
I found two descriptions of how to play them and they both sound like things I used to do. If you used to play them, which method did you use?
METHOD 1
Subject: Re: How to Play Chinese Jacks!!
Written By: Tony Baloney on 11/03/04 at 5:51 am
Hi, My name is Tony, 35 (I still have my old Jacks for 20 some odd years ago.) Played this game with my sisters & cousins growing up.
Now that I'm older, and work at an elementary school, I've taught it to some of the kids for rainy-day fun. (Only they use colored paperclip clumps... not the same)
They game starts by choosing one of 5 colored jacks to represent as your own. We'll say we have blue+red, red+white, green+yellow, green+red, and orange & red.
I usually starting by shaking all 5 jacks in BOTH hands and toss them gently on the floor/table. First off, I pick up the my jack. Using only ONE hand, I need to toss that jack into the air and pick up a second jack (lets say its the red+white one) before the blue one lands on the floor. I then need to toss the 2nd jack into the air, and grab the 3rd before the 2nd lands. I do the same for the 4th, and when I get to the 5th jack, it kinda changes.
I need to take the 5th jack and toss that into the air,and pick up 2 jacks, (my own jack
This is where it gets kinda tricky! I need to to take my own jack and toss it into the air, "QUICKLY" pick up the other 4 jacks, and CATCH my own jack before it even hits the ground. (Remembering to use only ONE hand.) Wow, you should be holding all 5 jacks!! Don't drop one, or you're out!
Finally, (This is where we keep score) I take the 5 jacks and give them a gentle toss (VERY GENTLE) into the air, and try to catch as many of them (all of them if possible) on the backside of my hand. (sometimes only 3) I toss those with the back of my hand, and try to catch as many in my palm of my hand as I can.
ADD UP THE POINTS. Out of a possible 30, each jack is 5 points... but catching your own is 10. First player to reach 500 points wins!
METHOD 2
"Description: Chinese Jacks were made of small plastic rings. One ring was in the center and all the other rings were attached to that center ring. It was like a key-ring with a lot of keys. This created the Chinese Jack.
The way we played Chinese Jacks was a balancing game. You started with one Jack in your hand (palm up) and threw the Jack in the air. The object was to catch the Jack on the back of your hand. If you caught it, you would add one more Jack to your hand and throw both Jacks up. This went until you dropped a Jack.
I remember that when I got good at the game, I didn't have enough Chinese Jacks so I would remove some of the rings off each Jack to create slightly smaller jacks. However, there was a point at which you had removed so many rings that they were no longer even proper Chinese Jacks!"
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Date: 2014-03-05 05:04 pm (UTC)https://m.facebook.com/PlayJax?id=159565010742585&refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FPlayJax
Coming soon!! :)