Pegs and Jokers, online

If your family calls it Pegs and Jokers, you are in the right place — it is the same game as Jokers and Marbles. Five marbles each, a deck of cards, two teams of two, and a wooden board somebody's grandfather probably made. This is that game, in a browser, free.

The same game, different names

This game has been passed around families for generations and picked up a different name in almost every one. Pegs and Jokers, Jokers and Marbles, Jokers and Pegs, Pegs and Cards, Marbles and Jokers — all the same game. Wahoo and Aggravation are relatives, but those are usually played with dice, and the cards are what make this one a partnership game rather than a race.

Why it does not play like Sorry or Ludo

Because you have a hand. You know what you are holding and roughly what is left in the deck, so a turn is a decision rather than a dice roll. And because landing on your partner helps them — it throws them forward to their in-spot instead of sending them home — the best play is often the one that sets your teammate up rather than the one that gains you the most ground.

Play your family's rules

Nearly every family plays a slightly different version. Create a private room and you can set the ones that people actually argue about: whether face cards all move ten or move eleven, twelve and thirteen; which cards bring a marble out of the start pen; and what happens when a kicked partner's in-spot is already taken.

Send the room link to three people and you are playing. Nobody needs an account, and nobody needs to install anything.

Common questions

Is it really free? Yes. The game is free. There is a shop for cosmetics — avatars, marble finishes, board skins — and none of it affects play.

Do I need four people? No. Empty seats fill with bots, so you can start with one, two or three humans.

Does it work on a phone? Yes, in the browser. There is nothing to install.