Jacks in the Box

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Jacks in the Box Solitaire is to move all cards to the foundations, ultimately achieving a state where both Jacks are placed in the central "Box" area, thereby completing the Box and winning the game.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck plus two Jokers (total: 54 cards).
• Jokers: Separate the two Jokers (preferably one red and one black) and place them side by side in the center of the play area. These form the core of the "Box".
• Box Formation: Deal four cards from the shuffled deck, placing one on each side of the Jokers to form a square or cross shape around them. This arrangement is called the "Box".
  • If any dealt card is a Jack or a duplicate rank (e.g., two 7s), discard those cards and replace them with new ones from the deck. No Jacks or duplicate ranks are allowed in the Box.
  • If a King or Queen is dealt to the Box (including those discarded for duplication), the dealer scores three points (for multi-player scoring).
• Player Hands: Each player (if playing multi-player) is dealt five cards. In solitaire, the player draws a hand of five cards from the deck to start.
• Stock: The remaining cards form the draw pile (stock).
• Play Areas Defined:
  • Box: The central area with the two Jokers and four surrounding cards.
  • Hand: The player’s current set of five cards.
  • Stock: The undealt deck used to replenish the hand.
  • Discard Pile: Where used and replaced cards are placed.
• Card Orientation: All Box cards and Jokers are face up. The player’s hand is private. The stock is face down. Discards are face up.

Jacks in the Box Solitaire Rules:

• Hand Management: The player always starts their turn with five cards in hand. After each turn, replenish the hand from the stock to return to five cards.
• Card Matching: Cards from the hand are used to match cards in the Box in one of two ways:
  • Direct Match: Play a card of the same rank as a Box card (e.g., play a 6 from hand to match a 6 in the Box).
  • Sum or Difference: Play two cards whose sum or difference equals the value of a Box card (e.g., 4 + 2 = 6, or 7 - 1 = 6).
• Suit Matching: Additional points are awarded if the suits of played cards match the Box card’s suit.
• Jack Placement: If a player can use all four non-Jack cards in their hand to score in a single turn, they may place a Jack from their hand onto the corresponding Joker in the Box (red Jack on red Joker, black Jack on black Joker).
• Box Renewal: When a Jack is placed in the Box, deal four new cards from the stock onto the Box (on top of existing cards) before the player’s extra turn.
• Exchanging Cards: Instead of scoring, a player may exchange any number of cards from their hand with new cards from the stock. If all five cards are exchanged, the player may also replace one or two cards in the Box with new cards from the stock (placed on top).

Gameplay:

• Turn Sequence:
  1. Begin with five cards in hand.
  2. Attempt to match Box cards using cards from hand, following the matching rules above.
  3. Discard used cards to the discard pile.
  4. For each card used, draw from the stock to refill the hand to five cards.
  5. If all five cards are used in a single turn, take an extra turn after refilling your hand.
• Scoring (if playing for points):
  • 1 point for a direct match.
  • 1 point for using two cards (sum/difference) with neither card matching the Box card’s suit.
  • 2 points if one card matches the suit.
  • 4 points if both cards match the suit.
  • 4 points for using a Jack and another card with neither matching suit.
  • 12 points for Jack + correct suit.
  • 16 points for placing a Jack in the Box (plus the natural score for the turn).
• Introducing New Cards:
  • When a Jack is placed in the Box, four new cards are dealt to the Box before the extra turn.
  • When exchanging all five cards in hand, the player may also replace up to two Box cards.
• No More Moves:
  • If no legal matches can be made, the player may exchange any number of cards from their hand with new ones from the stock.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when both Jacks have been placed in the Box, completing the Box, and all cards have been moved to the foundations (if using foundation piles) or the Box is completed according to the variant’s end condition.
• Losing/Unwinnable: The game is lost or declared unwinnable if the stock is exhausted and no further legal moves or exchanges are possible, and the Box cannot be completed with both Jacks.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Box Spaces: When a Jack is placed in the Box, do not remove the existing Box cards; instead, deal four new cards on top of the current Box cards.
• Replacing Box Cards: When exchanging all five cards in hand, the player may choose to replace up to two Box cards (cards placed on top of the existing ones). This is optional.
• King and Queen Bonus: If a King or Queen is dealt to the Box (including during Box renewal), score three bonus points (for scoring variants).
• No Duplicate Ranks or Jacks in Box: When forming or renewing the Box, ensure no duplicate ranks or Jacks are present. Discard and replace as necessary.
• Suit Restrictions: For scoring, suit matches increase points, but are not required for a legal match.
• Extra Turn: Using all five cards in a single turn grants an immediate extra turn.

Note: There are minor variations in scoring and handling of the Box between sources, but the above rules are based on the most authoritative and detailed description available.