Jackaroo is a Gulf board-and-card game for four players in two teams. Each player races four marbles from base around a 76-space ring into a private four-space home, playing one card per turn to exit, move, capture, or swap marbles. The first team to bring all eight of its marbles home wins the game — and every deal of four fresh cards keeps the race moving.
Play now — it's freeJackaroo is played by four players in two teams, partners sitting opposite each other: seats one and three against seats two and four. Each player owns four marbles, and at the start of a game all of them wait off the board in the base.
The board is a circular ring of 76 spaces, and every player has a private start space. Once a marble completes the lap it enters the home stretch: a private lane of four spaces that only its owner can use.
The game uses a full 52-card deck plus two Jokers (54 cards). Each deal gives every player four cards, and play begins with the seat after the dealer, continuing clockwise. When all hands are empty, four fresh cards are dealt to everyone, and the deal rotates each round.
If none of your cards produces a legal move, you discard one and the turn passes.
Number cards move a marble forward by their face value: the 2 moves two spaces, the 3 moves three, up to ten. The face cards carry special powers:
| Card | Effect |
|---|---|
| Ace (A) | Exit a marble from base, move 1 space, or move 11 spaces |
| King (K) | Exit a marble from base, or move 13 spaces |
| Queen (Q) | Move 12 spaces |
| Jack (J) | Swap one of your on-track marbles with any other marble on the track (not in base or home) |
| 4 | 4 spaces forward or 4 spaces backward — your choice |
| 2–3, 5–10 | Move forward by the card's value |
| Joker | Performs any action in this table |
Moving backward with the 4 never takes a marble behind its own start space.
The Joker is the strongest card in the game: it exits, moves (1, 4, 11, 12, or 13), swaps, or backs up four spaces — save it for the pivotal moment.
A marble starts its journey on your private start space when you play an Ace or a King (or a Joker standing in for either). If an opponent's marble occupies your start space you capture it and take the spot; if a teammate's marble is parked there, you cannot exit until the space clears.
Landing exactly on a space held by an opponent's marble captures it: the marble goes straight back to its owner's base and starts over — the strongest delaying weapon in the game. Landing on a teammate's marble is not allowed; one space cannot hold two marbles of the same team.
The Jack (J) is the sharpest tactical card: it swaps one of your on-track marbles with any other marble on the track — pull a nearly-home marble of yours forward, or banish an opponent about to finish by trading places.
After completing the lap, a marble enters your private home stretch of four spaces that no one else can touch. Entry is by exact count: no overshooting the end, no jumping past it, and no moving backward inside home — so plan your closing card before you enter.
A marble inside home is completely safe from capture and swapping, so walk your marbles in one by one and bank the progress.
Each team races to walk all eight of its marbles (four per player) into home. The first team with all eight marbles home wins the game and scores a point, then a fresh game starts with every marble back in base.
Each player has 25 seconds per turn; when time runs out, a move is played automatically or a card is discarded so the table never stalls. Empty seats are filled by AI players within seconds.
Exit your marbles early: a marble in base wins nothing, and every delayed turn hands your opponents a free race.
Keep a Jack for the pivotal swap: either walk your advanced marble into home or banish an opponent knocking on the door.
Use the backward 4 to fine-tune the count before entering home, or to escape a threatened space.
Don't pour every card into one marble; spread progress across at least two so a single capture can't wreck your game.
Four players in two teams, partners sitting opposite each other: seats one and three versus two and four.
Four marbles per player — eight per team — and all of them start the game in base, off the board.
The board is a ring of 76 spaces, plus a private four-space home lane for each player that marbles enter after completing the lap.
It swaps one of your on-track marbles with any other marble on the track, even an opponent's — the sharpest tactical move in the game.
The captured marble returns immediately to its owner's base and starts over. You can never land on a space held by a teammate's marble.
Four cards per deal, and a fresh deal happens whenever all hands are played out. The deck is a full 52 cards plus two Jokers.
Yes — the Joker performs any action: exiting a marble, moving 1, 4, 11, 12, or 13 spaces, swapping, or backing up four spaces.
When all eight of its marbles are inside home. The first team to complete that wins the game and scores a point.
Yes — you can play Jackaroo online free at jackaroo.yeeqia.com directly in your browser, no download or sign-up required.
Yes, the site is mobile-first and works in any modern browser on Android or iPhone, with full Arabic support.