Jackpot

Origin of: Jackpot

Jackpot

These days it simply refers to any big prize or achievement, but the origin of this American expression is supposedly from the game of poker, c. 1880, where the pot was the money on the table, so-called because in the days before paper money, coins were put into a pot on the table. In a version of poker called jack poker, the game was won by the first player to hold a pair of jacks who would then win the jackpot.