The origin of the word jackpot can be traced back to the late nineteenth century, originating from various games that involved the words jack and pot. In an obsolete sense dating back to 1881, the term was used in poker to refer to antes that began when no player held a card higher than a jack. Two variations of this poker game, Jacks or Better and Jack-Pots, involved players contributing money to a central “pot” until someone held jacks or higher. The phrase jackpot became popular in the 1920s and 1930s with the rise of slot machines, used to denote the highest payoffs. This led to the familiar phrase hit the jackpot and the use of jackpot to signify a significant prize acquired by chance. It is interesting to note that jackpot had a negative connotation for a period, sometimes referred to as a “difficult situation” due to the challenge of winning in a card game, and even used in early 1900s criminal slang to mean “arrest.”
