Question: I just moved to Vegas from California, and I had an odd question. What is the origin of the word "jackpot"? I see it all over town and had never thought about it until I got here.

Chris in Las Vegas

Answer: Thanks for the great question, Chris.

According to my research, the word "jackpot" first started showing up in the late 1800s in relation to the action of a standard poker game.

In that game, players have to ante, or bet a small amount, before the cards are dealt, creating what is commonly referred to as a "pot." Once the cards are dealt a player must have a pair of jacks or better to "open" -- to place an additional bet and get things rolling for the rest of the hand. If no one has a pair of jacks or better, the players add to the ante and the cards are reshuffled and redealt.

Therefore, for anyone to get their hands on that pile of money in the center of the table, someone must have a pair of jacks to start wagering. Someone, somewhere started calling it the "jacks pot," or "jackpot," and a word was born.

Obviously, today the meaning of the word has expanded to cover any type of large payout, and is everywhere you look in Vegas. Maybe that poker player in the 1800s should have trademarked the word!

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