| Players | 2-6 |
|---|---|
| Age range | 5 + |
| Playing time | any amount of minutes |
| Random chance | Medium |
| Skill(s) required | Strategy |
Jack Change It is a simple card game popular among children. It is usually played by two to six players, although theoretically it can be played with up to ten. This game is a shedding-type card game whose purpose is to discard all of your cards before your opponents.
Using two decks of cards, seven cards are dealt to each player, and the remaining card pack is placed between the players, with the top card turned face up beside the deck, often called the 'Pile'. The object of the game is to play all your cards before your opponent(s), and the winner is the player with no cards left.
The player to the left of the dealer plays first, choosing a card that matches either the suit or the rank of the card on the pile. If the player cannot play a card on this turn, then they lift a card from the deck. Also, a player can play a trick card on any go, expect on their final go, where if they have one card remaining and it is a trick card, then the player will have to fish from the deck.
A player cannot finish on any of the cards listed below, except in the case of queens which can be used to finish when only two players are participating, and the five of hearts, which can be used to finish in all games.
This is regarded as the most powerful card available in the game. The player immediately on their left will have to pick up five cards from the deck. This cannot be passed on to another player but can be avoided by putting forward a five of hearts. You can add a 2 of hearts to an ace of hearts to make the next player pick up 7.
All twos in the deck that are played results in the player on the left having to fish two cards for every two played, unless the player can produce another two, resulting in the player to their left fishing two cards for every two played, from the deck. This can result in any one player fishing up to eight cards in total.
When an eight is played, the player whose turn it is next misses their turn, play passes to the next player.
When a jack is played, a player can switch play to any suit the player wishes (this does not include the suit currently in play). The jack is regarded as the most powerful rank in the game. For example, if the player holds QH, 6H, JD, the player can play the card, saying "Jack Change It to 'Hearts'" and the next player plays on using cards of a heart suit only.
The queens can only be used when three or more players are participating. When a queen is played, the play is "reverse to the player and the player to the immediate right will take the next go, and play continues in this fashion until another queen is played. This is not the case when only two players are participating, as if the play is reversed to go in the opposite direction, that would still be towards the opposing player. This means the queen is only classified as a trick card with three or more players. Even when playing with more than two players the status of the Queen as a trick card is optional, and should be agreed on at the start of the game.
When there are no more cards in the deck, the top pile card is removed and placed to the side, and the remaining cards are shuffled and placed face down, and the game resumes.
The game can be played in a number of different ways, such as:
Players should hold on to the trick cards until needed because if used early, the opponent can tell if the player has any trick cards to block any moves.