To win; to achieve a sensational success. The term comes from a form of draw poker in which a hand can be opened only if the declarer holds a pair of jacks (or higher cards). Since several rounds may be dealt before someone holds a hand good enough to open and the players must ante up (put in money) for each round, the pot, or total amount being held, called the jackpot, is likely to be larger than usual. Hence winning it constitutes a sizable gain, and the term, which originated in nineteenth-century America, soon was transferred to similar big winnings or successes.