Jackaroo — the marble race’s complete rules
Jackaroo (جاكارو) is the Levant’s board classic — the Ludo-family marble race driven by playing cards: four players in two fixed teams, every card a command, and the first team to bring all eight of its marbles home wins. On Tonj you play Jackaroo right in the browser — this page is the complete rulebook as the shipped engine runs it.
Play Jackaroo on TonjWhat is the Jackaroo game?
Jackaroo is the Levant’s marble race: a shared 52-square track, four marbles a player in two teams, and a hand of playing cards where every rank is a command — Aces and Kings drop marbles out of base, the Jack swaps, the Seven splits, the Four walks backward. Think Ludo and Tock, but the dice are a deck.
Jackaroo on Tonj — live
Jackaroo runs on Tonj’s own engine — Jawaker’s simple variant, the one everyone plays: create or join a table, bots fill the empty seats, every shuffle is provably fair with the seed published at game over, and any table can be watched live.
How a match goes
Play a card, move a marble
Every turn is one card: an Ace or King drops a marble from your base onto your start square, the pips walk their face value, the Seven splits between two of your marbles, and the Four steps backward.
Capture — and respect the walls
A marble that lands on an enemy sends it back to base — but a marble on its own start square is untouchable, you never jump your own marbles, and two adjacent team marbles form a wall nobody passes.
Bring all eight home
Enter your four-spot safety column with an exact count — no lapping past the entrance. The first team with all eight marbles home wins; no points, no bidding.
Jackaroo rules in detail
The board
One shared circular track of 52 squares — 13 per seat. Each seat’s start square (القاعدة) opens its quarter, a four-spot safety column (منطقة الأمان) ends it, and every player’s four marbles begin in their base (البيت).
The cards are commands
A — drop from base, or move 1, or 11 steps. K — drop from base only (the simple variant). Q — 12 steps. J — swap one of your track marbles with any other track marble. 7 — move one marble 7, or split the seven between two of yours. 4 — four steps backward. 10, 9, 8, 6, 5, 3, 2 — face-value steps. One 52-card deck, no jokers.
Captures and protection
Stop on an enemy marble and it returns to its base — passing over is free. A marble standing on its own start square can never be passed, killed or swapped. You never jump over your own marbles, and two same-team marbles on adjacent squares make a wall: the front one acts like a start square.
The deal and the fire pile
Four cards a player, dealt one card at a time; everyone plays exactly one card per turn. When the hands empty, the deal rotates and four fresh cards go around — and when the draw pile runs out, the fire pile (كومة النار) is shuffled into a new one.
Winning — and the Complex variant
The first team with all eight marbles in its safety column wins — exact count into the column, and backward moves can’t enter. Tonj ships both rulesets: the classic the whole Levant plays, and Jawaker’s documented كمبلكس variant — its 13-step capturing King, its Five that moves any marble, its King’s wall exception — as the second table mode.
The card commands at a glance
| A — الآص | Drop from base onto your start square, or 1, or 11 steps forward |
|---|---|
| K — الشيخ | Drop from base only — the simple variant’s exit card |
| Q — البنت | 12 steps forward |
| J — الولد | Swap one of your track marbles with any other player’s track marble |
| The 7 and the 4 | The Seven moves one marble 7 or splits between two of yours; the Four walks 4 backward |
Every card is exactly one command, and a turn is exactly one card. The board’s protections — start squares and walls — decide which commands are legal this turn.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Jackaroo card game?
Jackaroo (جاكارو) is the Levant’s marble-race board game driven by playing cards: four players in two teams, four marbles each, a shared 52-square track, and every card rank a command. First team to bring all eight marbles home wins.
Can I play Jackaroo online for free?
Yes — Jackaroo runs free on Tonj right in the browser, in Arabic and English: create a table and share the invite link, or let the bots fill the empty seats. No download, no sign-up.
What is Jackaroo Complex?
Jawaker’s documented second variant — and Tonj’s second shipped ruleset: it adds a 13-step capturing King move, a Five that can move any marble (a rival’s included), and a wall exception for the King’s capture. Classic tables play the simple game; كمبلكس tables run the full second ruleset.
How do walls and start squares work?
A marble on its own start square is immune — nobody passes it, kills it or swaps it. Two adjacent same-team marbles form a wall whose front marble acts like a start square. And you can never jump or land on your own marbles.
Is Jackaroo the same as Ludo?
Same race family, different engine: instead of dice, a deck of playing cards drives the marbles — swaps, splits and backward moves included — and fixed two-team partnerships replace every marble for itself.