The board and the cards
The board is a ten by ten grid of 100 spaces. The four corner spaces are gold and are free: they count as a chip for everyone. Every other space shows one playing card, and every card from the deck except the jacks appears on the board exactly twice. That means each card in your hand can be played on one of two spaces.
Each player holds a hand of cards. With two players you hold seven cards, with three or four you hold six, and with five or six you hold five. After you play a card you draw a replacement, so your hand is always full.
Players are split into two or three teams, and each team has its own chip colour. Playing alone against the computer, you are one team and the computer is another.
How a turn works
Every turn has the same three steps, so you can learn the whole flow in a minute.
- Pick a card from your hand. The two spaces on the board that show that card light up.
- Place one of your chips on one of the lit spaces. The space must be empty.
- Draw a new card to refill your hand. Play passes to the next player.
How to score a point
To score a point you need to create a sequence of tiles with Rowdy Jacks: five of your team's chips in an unbroken line, across, down or along a diagonal. A completed line is a row, and a row is what scores.
The four gold corners count as your chip, so a sequence that touches a corner only needs four of your own chips. Two rows can share a single chip, which is a quick way to score twice. When a row is complete its chips are locked in place and can no longer be removed.
With two teams the first to complete two rows wins. With three teams the first to complete one row wins.
The special cards: wild jacks and remove jacks
Jacks never appear on the board, because they work in a different way.
- Wild jacks (jack of clubs and jack of diamonds) let you place a chip on any empty space on the board. They are the best card for finishing a sequence of five chips or for blocking a line that cannot be stopped any other way.
- Remove jacks (jack of spades and jack of hearts) take one opponent chip off the board, unless that chip is already part of a completed row. They are your best defence against a line that is one chip from finishing.
On boardflix a wild jack lands with a slam and a remove jack crushes the chip it takes, so you always know what just happened.
Dead cards
A card is dead when both of its spaces on the board are already covered by chips. A dead card cannot be played, so once per turn you may swap it for a new card before you play. Do this early, because a hand full of dead cards slows you down.
Winning strategy for beginners
A few habits will lift your results straight away.
- Play towards the corners. A line that reaches a corner needs one chip fewer.
- Think in lines, not single chips. Try to place each chip so it belongs to at least two possible lines.
- Build a line that can be finished at either end. One block cannot stop a line with two open ends.
- Watch your opponent as closely as you watch yourself. Three chips in a row with open ends is already a threat.
- Keep your jacks for important moments instead of playing them early.
Better tactics for stronger players
Strong players make a double threat: a single chip that adds a fourth chip to two different lines at once. Your opponent can only block one line, and you finish the other. Setting this up often takes two or three moves, so start looking for it as soon as you have several chips in the middle.
Count the cards. Each card appears on two spaces, so once both spaces for a card are covered, that card is dead for everyone. If you need a particular space and both copies of its card have been played, only a wild jack can reach it.
Time your remove jack. Using it too early wastes it. The best moment is when an opponent has four chips in a line and needs one more, because removing a chip from that line costs them several turns.
In team games, look at what your teammate has started. Adding to their line is often better than starting a new one, and your team gets a bigger threat for the same number of moves.
Common mistakes
- Spreading chips around the board without connecting them into lines.
- Spending a wild jack on a space that any ordinary card could fill.
- Ignoring an opponent line of three until it becomes four.
- Forgetting that chips in a finished row cannot be removed, so a remove jack must come before the row is complete.
Playing Rowdy Jacks on boardflix
Press New game to play the computer on Easy, Medium or Hard, with two or three players. If you would like a different card layout, press the Shuffle button at the top of the game panel before you place your first chip, and every tile on the board is shuffled into a new place. To play with friends, create a private room and share the link. Rooms hold up to six people in teams, and the chat disappears when everyone leaves.
When a row is made, a light runs along it and a banner marks the moment. A sound and toast tell you when it is your turn, and the speaker button turns the sound off.
Frequently asked questions
How many rows do I need to win?
With two teams you need two rows. With three teams the first row wins.
Can two rows share a chip?
Yes. One chip can be part of two different rows, which is a good way to score both quickly.
What if I cannot play any card in my hand?
If both spaces for a card are covered, the card is dead. Swap it for a new one once per turn, then play as normal.
Do the corners count for everyone?
Yes. The four gold corner spaces count as a chip for every team, so they help whoever builds a line through them.
Is Rowdy Jacks the same as Gomoku?
No. Gomoku is played on a plain grid where you place a stone anywhere you like. Rowdy Jacks uses cards, so where you can play depends on your hand.
