How to Play Jinx

Jinx is a common playground game, beginning when two people say the same thing at the same time. You probably played it when you were a kid, though you may not have known some of the variations included below. Jinx is also a board game similar to tic-tac-toe. Whichever one you want to play, you'll find more information below.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Playing the Playground Game

1
Know the basics. Jinx happens when two people say the same word or phrase at the same time. For instance, if you and a friend say "Woah" or "That's awesome!" at the same time, it would be considered a jinx.^{[1]
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2
Initiate the game. Once a word is said at the same time, the first person to say "jinx" starts the game.^{[2]
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3
Know what happens during the game. If you say "jinx," the other person is not allowed to talk for the rest of the game. If the other person says "jinx" first, you are not allowed to talk for the rest of the game.^{[3]
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4
End the game. The game ends when the person who originally said "jinx" says the other person's name or when the jinxed person speaks, losing the game.^{[4]
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Know the consequences of the game. If the person who is jinxed speaks during the game, that person owes the person who did the jinxing a drink, usually a Coke.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Knowing the Variations of Playground Jinx

1
Trick a person into jinx. You can trick a person into jinx by asking a simple question. For instance, if you say "What's 2 plus 2?," the other person will mostly likely say "4." In that case, you can say "4" at the same time, then immediately say "jinx" to start the game.
2
Know a variation. In some variations, the person doing the jinxing can punch the jinxed person if he or she talks before the game is over.
3
Understand the "American jinx" variation. In one variation, when you say the same phrase, you can say "American jinx, touch wood" instead of just "jinx." You play the game the same way with one exception: the first person to touch a piece of wood gets to punch the other person.
4
Try double jinx. If you both say "jinx" at the same time, you can say "double jinx" to initiate the game. In that case, you need to say the person's full name to end the game. If it happens again when you say "double jinx," it turns into "padlock jinx," where you need to include the person's middle names to end the game.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Playing the Board Game Jinx

1
Understand the basics. Jinx is much like tic-tac-toe. However, the board is larger, and you roll the dice to determine where you play.^{[5]
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2
Make sure you have all the pieces. You'll need something to write on, a game board, the game pieces, a black die, and a white die.^{[6]
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3
Roll the dice. Roll the dice to see who goes first. The person with the highest combined number goes first.
4
Roll the dice to begin the game. The first player rolls both dice. The dice determine where you play. The numbers for the white die are along one side of the board while the numbers for the black die are along the other side. Match up the numbers to determine your space.^{[7]
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5
Place your game piece in your space. Set your game piece down in the proper spot.^{[8]
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6
Know the mix-ups. If you roll the same place twice, that's called a jinx, and it means you remove all your pieces from the board. If you roll another player's space, you can remove his piece and put yours down instead.^{[9]
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7
End the game. The first person to get three pieces in a row wins the game. The three pieces can be horizontal, diagonal, or vertical.^{[10]
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8
Keep track of scoring. Mark down who wins each game, as you play this game multiple times. The person who wins the most games wins overall.^{[11]
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Community Q&A

Question

Can a person laugh when he is jinxed?

Community Answer

No. That counts as speaking. You have to remain completely quiet.
Question

Can I write down something on a piece of paper if I want to say something?

Community Answer

Yes, there are no rules against writing something down if you need to communicate with someone.
Question

Can someone call jinx in a text message?

Community Answer

No. The basics of jinx is saying it at the same time.