JackPot

JackPot
Participation Information
Reboot Seasons	World Championship V World Championship VI World Championship VII
Live	BattleBots Proving Ground BattleBots FaceOffs
Other Events	BattleBots: Bounty Hunters re:MARS all:STARS BattleBots Challenge (2022) BattleBots: Champions II
Other Names	Sabertooth (Original name) Jackpot 777 JackPot (WC VII)
Team Information
Team	Vegas Combat Robotics
Team Members	Jeff Waters (Captain) Robert Stehn Shea Johns Chris Haataja (WC V) Jason Woods (WC VI-Present) Lucas Grell (WC VI-Present) Kat Waters (WC VII-Present) Law Laxina (WC VII-Present) Zach 'Kaz' Church (BB Proving Ground-Present)
From	Las Vegas, NV
Associated Robots	Deep Six, Warthog, Pardon My French (Chris Haataja) Tracer (Jason Woods) Triton, Max Q (Shea Johns) Banshee (Jeff Waters) Traves T. (Zach Church)
Robot Statistics
Weight	243-250lbs
Power	24x 4S 1.55Ah LiPo batteries (WC VII-Present) 12S 10Ah LiPo batteries (WC V-re:MARS 2022)
Weapons	Vertical spinner Lifting forks (WC VII-Present)
Statistics correct as of its most recent appearance on the show, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Not to be confused with the robot of the same name which was designed for World Championship III.

JackPot is a heavyweight robot designed by Vegas Combat Robotics, which has competed in every BattleBots season since their debut in World Championship V.

It is a four-wheel drive, box-shaped robot armed with a large vertical spinner made up of a drum sandwiched between two diamond-shaped disks. This configuration, dubbed the 'Die-monds', could be swapped out for a pair of heart-shaped disks called the 'Heartbreaker'. It also featured six ½" thick forks at the front, which were hinged and designed to slide underneath opponents. JackPot was originally due to run on tracks and be armed with a pure drum spinner, inspired by captain Jeff Waters' 3lb robot Off Track. However, due to complications with orders, compromises had to be made early on.

"The tracks we'd need were backordered, so they turned into wheels. We couldn't afford/source a drum weapon in time, so Jeff and Robert developed the dual disk solution."

— Team VCR reveal early plans for JackPot, likely still under its original name of Sabertooth

JackPot during the World Championship V hero shots.

JackPot was originally set to have spade and roulette wheel shaped disks too, but these were dropped in the build process. Despite their setbacks, JackPot was built within a four-week timeframe.

"We did originally have a chunkier weapon design we'd have called 'Roulette', and production really wanted us to bring them. Ultimately we couldn't justify it as a configuration, but it's in some early CAD renders. We briefly played with a spade weapon blade design, but the stem was just too thin."

— Team VCR discuss scrapped weapon configurations for the 2020 season

JackPot during the World Championship VI hero shots.

In World Championship V, JackPot's frame was made from ½" thick AR500 steel and painted green to imitate that of a roulette table. To accompany this, the body was adorned with the suits of playing cards, poker chips and other casino-themed imagery, and the forks were painted red and black too. According to Vegas Combat Robotics, JackPot was originally built at a modest cost of just $4,000, a fraction of what many other competitors cost during their debut year. Despite this, JackPot impressed in the 2020 season, finishing Fight Night with a 3-0 record, all of which were wins by knockout. The team subsequently made the Round of 32, but its underdog story was cut short by Victor Soto and ROTATOR after sacrificing its self-righter for a more defensive wedge configuration.

JackPot also competed in BattleBots: Bounty Hunters, where a win over Tombstone would see the bracket winner earn a share of $25,000. However, JackPot lost to fellow newcomers Deadlift in the first round.

JackPot returned for World Championship VI with a handful of improvements from its rookie campaign. Its chassis is now more compact, and JackPot sported an improved, rear-mounted self-righter. The robot also had the option for different front wedgelet configurations, and could now add a full wedge without having to sacrifice their ability to self-right, as Vegas Combat Robotics could opt for a single heart-shaped disk to keep JackPot under the weight limit. Aesthetically, the wedge was also painted to look like a roulette wheel. Though the team lost Chris Haataja to Deep Six, they acquired Tracer and Slingshot builder Jason Woods and Lucas Grell, who has competed with various robots on the US live scene as part of Team SPARC. Along with his experience, Jason Woods brought former Tracer minibot Needle to accompany JackPot, now called Ace and given a casino theme too. With Las Vegas, Nevada becoming the venue for BattleBots for World Championship VI onward, JackPot have been considered the home team. As such, JackPot's season began with a win in a YouTube exclusive battle against Deadlift. This was backed up by an impressive display against Bunny Liaw's Malice, which confirmed a second undefeated Fight Night campaign. In the tournament, JackPot defeated former Giant Nut winner Tombstone, but fell short to Blip in the Round of 16 after landing on its weapon with no way to self-right.

Vegas Combat Robotics were present for the 2022 re:MARS all:STARS event, assisting with the Skorpios team for the event. JackPot was also present, but was an unused backup and only fought in a grudge match against fellow reserve Malice. The 2021 build of JackPot was later sold to National Havoc Robot League for their heavyweight robot museum.

JackPot during the World Championship VII hero shots.

In April 2022, CAD was revealed to show a more refined JackPot design for World Championship VII. The most noticeable difference concerned the addition of lifting arms which replaced the self-righters for certain disk configurations, including the Die-monds and the Heartbreaker. This was in direct response to JackPot's 2021 season loss to Blip, where the weapon was unable to right it and the dedicated self-righters became stuck. The team also designed a single, heart-shaped disk called 'Black Heart'. Inspired by the geometry of Cobalt's vertical spinner, a teased option for JackPot included twin set of disks designed to resemble roulette wheels. Half of the circumference of these had feeder teeth leading into one larger tooth for maximum bite and engagement. However, Lucas Grell confirmed these could not be made in time for the event. The team later revealed their new JackPot build, nicknamed 777 JackPot, and BattleBots confirmed its inclusion in October 2022, ranked #21 in their Pre-Season Power Rankings. Unlike in its previous two seasons, JackPot suffered defeat in its first two fights to Skorpios and ROTATOR, but managed to save its season by defeating Ribbot and Captain Shrederator to enter the Round of 32 with a 2-2 record. However, JackPot suffered a brutal knockout at the hands of Witch Doctor.

JackPot returned for the fourth Sin City Slugfest bracket of BattleBots: Champions II where it defeated Big Dill, Lucky and Cobalt to qualify for the Golden Bolt Tournament. After taking out 2020 season runner-up Whiplash, its streak was ended by that season's Giant Nut winner, End Game, who ultimately defended its Golden Bolt win.

In July 2023, JackPot fought Gigabyte in Proving Ground as part of the live show, BattleBots: Destruct-A-Thon, debuting a brand new weapon system courtesy of team member Jason Woods which was not ready in time for the previous World Championship. JackPot was paired by two minibots - Ace and Supreme Ruler. JackPot also faced Bloodsport in September 2023, winning their first fight but losing their second, both by knockout, and twice beat rookie Disarray a month later to round off 2023.

In June 2024, JackPot received vinyl decals to its top panels either side of its weapon and self-righter styled around a Las Vegas silhouette. JackPot will return for the Fall 2024 mini-tournament known as BattleBots FaceOffs, as confirmed by Jeff Waters, who also revealed Cobalt to be in his team's group.

JackPot took on newcomer Rescue Force as part of the first Proving Ground battles of 2025, picking up the win.

JackPot in June 2024, with new vinyl decoration.

JackPot in the BattleBox during June 2024 tests.

Shea Johns works on JackPot ahead of their first fight versus Disarray.

JackPot backstage during BattleBots Proving Ground.

JackPot's 2022 build under construction.

JackPot's scrapped roulette wheel configuration for 2022.

JackPot CAD, circa 2022.

JackPot in The Pits during World Championship V.

JackPot's original reveal, under the name 'Sabertooth'.

Outside BattleBots

The original 2020 season build of JackPot made an appearance in Utah in May 2021, for their Bot Brawl event.

Vegas Combat Robotics applied for the 2023 edition of RoboGames with a rebrand of JackPot. However, they were one of many withdrawals ahead of the event. Later in the year, JackPot was among the BattleBots competitors displayed at Open Sauce in San Francisco.

Under the name BlackJack, JackPot competed in RoboGames 2024 using its frame from the Golden Bolt tournament of BattleBots: Champions II. As well as its vertical spinner setup, BlackJack also sported a lifter-only configuration. It first received a bye before defeating Swamp Serpent. BlackJack next faced Black Dragon and caused the Team Uai!rrior robot to lose a wheel, eventually knocking it out. Though BlackJack would lose the following match against defending champion Manta, it then took on Terrortops in the loser's bracket. BlackJack was involved in an arena breach as one of the Lexan panels was struck following an impact, causing it to bow "approximately two inches" out of place, leaving a gap large enough that "you could put your hand in it", according to attendees. The area had to be evacuated as a smoking Terrortops was hauled through the pit area. Continuing on, BlackJack ultimately lost to overall runner-up Ragin Scotsman.

BlackJack in March 2024.

CAD of Blackjack and its minibot, Hookers.

Robot History

World Championship V
JackPot vs. SubZero Sparks fly as JackPot is pushed by SubZero. JackPot's first ever fight was against the veteran flipper SubZero. As the fight began, JackPot struggled to win the ground game, finding itself pushed and flipped by its opponent. JackPot landed upright and took a few pieces off SubZero before it was flipped. Both bots met at the middle before JackPot was pushed into the corner, where the weld to its weapon broke. Surprisingly, the weapon could still spin, but JackPot couldn't get out of the corner. After receiving another slam from SubZero, the flipper had stopped moving due to a broken master switch. JackPot attempted to capitalize, but had drive issues of its own. Regardless, SubZero was unable to show translational movement so was counted out giving, JackPot a debut win by KO.
JackPot vs Ghost Raptor JackPot rips off Ghost Raptor's bar spinner. JackPot tears away Ghost Raptor's left drive pod. JackPot moved on to face veteran Chuck Pitzer and Ghost Raptor. This prompted the team to strip the bot down and troubleshoot issues to prevent them happening again in the season. The team also replaced the wheels with larger options to fix their ground clearance trouble. They also removed JackPot's front forks specifically for this battle. This proved to be a good decision as they advantage of an early driving mistake from Ghost Raptor, dishing a shot to its rear which locked up it's drive pod. Subsequent hits completely removed its opponent's bar spinner and the accompanying weapon shaft. With Ghost Raptor's weaponless, JackPot continued to attack, eventually detaching Ghost Raptor's left-side drive pod from the base, leaving it completely exposed. JackPot delivered a final hit before Ghost Raptor was counted out, giving JackPot the win by KO.
JackPot vs Lock-Jaw JackPot snaps off Lock-jaw's weapon chain Now 2-0, JackPot was put against BattleBots legend Donald Hutson and Lock-Jaw. In response, JackPot was armed with the same setup used against Ghost Raptor. This proved to be a good strategy as JackPot had the longer weapon reach and dislodged Lock-Jaw's weapon belt on the first hit. After a second head-to-head collision, Lock-Jaw's forks got underneath the sides of JackPot and pushed it into the rails. JackPot continued to attack, delivering shots which caused smoke to pour out of Lock-Jaw's drive motors until eventually throwing it onto its back and severely limiting it's opponent's movement. Lock-Jaw bravely fought on until JackPot's weapon chain also came off. The two Bots engaged in a pushing match until Lock-Jaw finally gave out, emitting plumes of smoke from it's left side. Lock-Jaw was counted out, giving JackPot the win by KO. This made Vegas Combat Robotics only the second team to go undefeated in the fight cards.
JackPot vs ROTATOR JackPot strikes ROTATOR's left wheel guard JackPot is knocked onto it's back against the rails JackPot progressed forward into the Top 32 bracket seeded the No.11 seed, where it faced No.22 seed Victor Soto and ROTATOR. For the fight, JackPot was armed with a rear wedge in place of its self-righting mechanism, intending to play ROTATOR's game by alternating between offense and defence. JackPot had a strong start to the fight, immediately charging wedge-first into ROTATOR and sending them into the rails before attacking with its weapon disks. JackPot got underneath ROTATOR again and slammed it below the Pulverizer operated by team ROTATOR. With the weapon halted, JackPot whipped around and struck the left wheel guard of ROTATOR. Both bots regrouped in the center of the box, in which ROTATOR began to turn the tide in its favour. ROTATOR got its back forks momentarily under JackPot, before striking it weapon first, then attacking the flanks and rear near team JackPot's corner of the BattleBox. JackPot's wedge was appended by ROTATOR's forks, before being pressed into the corner again. JackPot then met ROTATOR in a huge weapon-to-weapon collision, which sent ROTATOR flying and threw JackPot onto its back against the arena barrier. Without a self-righting mechanism, JackPot was counted out, eliminating it from the tournament.
BattleBots: Bounty Hunters
JackPot vs. Deadlift Deadlift roasts JackPot. JackPot also took part in the Tombstone Bounty Hunters bracket with the potential to win a portion of $25,000. To do it, JackPot first met up with fellow newcomer Deadlift, who was looking for a second chance after its strong performance that fell short. As the match began both Bots immediately charged at each other, causing JackPot to ramp up over Deadlift. JackPot was constantly put under pressure as Deadlift won the battle for low ground and nearly got a lift in. JackPot was then taken and slammed into the Screws by Deadlift, disabling JackPot's weapon. JackPot was chased around the arena until it was flipped over on it's side and roasted by Deadlift's flamethrower, lighting one of Deadlift's weapon motor's on fire. As JackPot's self-righter was on its right side and it was stuck on its left side, JackPot was unable to self-right and was counted out, giving Deadlift the win by KO.
World Championship VI
JackPot vs. Deadlift JackPot's first battle of the 2021 season came against Deadlift, who previously eliminated them from their BattleBots: Bounty Hunters bracket last season. This fight became the first YouTube exclusive battle of the season, released exclusively to Facebook Supporters on January 6, 2022 before being made public on January 9, 2022. JackPot starts on the back foot. JackPot went into this fight with the spare weight to be partnered by Ace, the repurposed minibot Needle who fought alongside Tracer during the 2020 season. As the fight began, both bots charged forwards with JackPot veering slightly towards the new BattleBox hazard to offer time to spin up its primary weapon. Ace holds up Deadlift. Deadlift was able to evade its early attempts to hit and threatened with its flamethrower, but oversteered and took a shot from JackPot's die-mond disks. As Deadlift recovered, JackPot began steering erratically and was shunted from the side, nearly lifted in the process. Unable to drive properly due to the chain for the front-left wheel becoming locked up by debris, JackPot's right wedgelets were stuck upwards and Deadlift saw a chance to slide underneath and attack with its flamethrower. Damage to the rear of Deadlift is revealed. Deadlift then got to the rear end of JackPot and shoved it weapon-first into the arena barrier between two sets of screws. JackPot's minibot Ace was able to get into the action after being shoved into the Upper Deck by Deadlift. After gyroing backwards several yards, the main bot had broken the affected chain and was able to drive without issue. Deadlift is immobile under the pulverizer. As Ace hooked its forks beneath Deadlift, JackPot lined up an attack with its 'die-mond' disks, stripping armor away. From here, JackPot was able to consistently win the ground game and make meaningful contact with its primary weapon as more pieces came away from Deadlift. RoboGym Robotics' bot was experiencing drive issues of its own, heading for the screws before becoming stuck in a killsaw slot. Deadlift escaped but not without suffering more hits from JackPot, who pushed it into the barrier. It was no longer moving, but there was not enough time left for an official count-out. The fight went the distance, but the judges ruled unanimously in favor of JackPot.
JackPot vs. Malice JackPot clashes weapons with Malice. JackPot and Malice deflect away after exchanging blows. JackPot delivers a massive kick to Malice's front. Shrapnel smashes the lights above the BattleBox as JackPot hits Malice once more. Another view of JackPot smashing the BattleBox lights. JackPot's second fight as well as its first televised match of the 2021 season came against Bunny Liaw and Malice. For this match, JackPot went in with its front plow decorated with a roulette wheel and the phrase "Show me the Bunny!" across the front. However, JackPot had to use its lighter weapon disk called the Heartbreaker to remain under the weight limit. Both bots spun up their weapons as the fight commenced, dodging one another to start. JackPot landed the first hit of the match which saw Malice gyro onto its wheel and land a hit in return on JackPot's plow. After a glancing hit, Malice was flung into the corner of the BattleBox with the next hit, bouncing back onto its wheels. The two robots exchanged several minor hits before JackPot sent Malice twisting in the air, hindering Malice's drive on one side. The casino-themed bot coerced Malice back into the middle of the arena before delivering a brutal shot which not only sent Malice bouncing halfway across the box, but caused debris to shatter a light and send shards of glass falling onto the floor. JackPot then punted Malice onto the screws, as it became clear Malice could only drive in circles. Although JackPot's primary weapon began to smoke and slow to a halt, Malice was already being counted out as its right-side wheel had locked up. The knockout was confirmed, putting JackPot at 2-0 as its undefeated Fight Night streak stretched to five battles.
JackPot vs. Tombstone The first big collision. Entering the Round of 32 as the No.10 seed with its 2-0 record, JackPot met Ray Billings and Tombstone. For this fight, JackPot was equipped with its most defensive configuration - a steel plow at the front and a single, heart-shaped vertical spinner. Out of the gate, JackPot and Tombstone charged at one another, and Tombstone's S7 steel blade first made contact with the Las Vegas machine's plow. Both robots spun to opposite ends of the BattleBox to re-calibrate. The second impact sent Tombstone flying into the screws and cost JackPot its top armor panel, as it also flew into the corner of the arena. JackPot's weapon was no longer spinning and two of its lithium polymer batteries hung loose, but Tombstone's left-side drive was not running. Both weapons came to a stop as Tombstone attempted to creep out of its starting square, but referee John Remar noted it could only crab-walk, so began a count. Tombstone was eliminated from the competition and JackPot advanced.
JackPot vs. Blip Sparks fly as JackPot and Blip collide. JackPot is counted out. Next up for JackPot was Aren Hill and his flywheel flipper Blip. JackPot was again joined by Ace for this fight. However, straight out of the gate, Blip started to circle JackPot, looking for an angle with their flipper. JackPot got stuck on the floor and Blip began to get a foothold in the match. Blip again circled the Vegas bot and eventually slid underneath, flipping it over onto their die-mond disks. Blip maneuvered JackPot to the pulverizer and fired it against their underside. As Blip retreated, it became clear that one of JackPot's forks was stuck upwards and the robot did not have enough torque in its weapon to right itself. JackPot was counted out and was eliminated from the competition.
JackPot vs. Riptide Riptide gets the better of JackPot early on. JackPot lands on its face. The knockout shot. JackPot returned for the post-season exhibitions, facing Riptide in what was subbed the Main Event of Vengeance in Vegas. As both robots collided in the middle of the BattleBox, JackPot took a little longer to get its Die-mond disks up to speed than its opponent. As such, Riptide delivered the first hit of the fight, sending JackPot backwards and into the screws of the Upper Deck. The follow-up shot threw JackPot through the air, but it landed upright. However, it struggled to escape as Riptide dished out a third attack in quick succession, throwing Jeff Waters' robot into the short corner and forcing it to land on its face. Riptide had also lost a weapon belt in these exchanges, but thanks to its redundancy, this did not affect the power of its eggbeater drum. As JackPot did not have the torque in its weapon to self-right, Riptide turned its attention to Ace before attempting to right JackPot in an act of sportsmanship. Although it was now out of the short corner, JackPot was upside-down and its self-righting arms were seemingly no longer working.  Riptide delivered one final blow which sent JackPot flailing across the BattleBox. Two of its lithium polymer batteries came loose and lay next to the defeated bot as a count mercifully began on JackPot. Riptide took the win by knockout.
re:MARS all:STARS BattleBots Challenge (2022)
JackPot vs. Malice (Exhibition) JackPot with its experimental weapon setup pre-fight. Despite only being a reserve for the event, JackPot fought in a single grudge match against Malice, which was also a 2021 season rematch. For this battle, JackPot had its 'Die-mond' blades fitted in a unique configuration to assist with self-righting. It was also without a front wedge as this had been damaged beyond repair during the main season, and the wedge for their newest JackPot build was not compatible with version of the robot. Malice throws JackPot into the wall early on. JackPot immediately maneuvered to the left as it got its blades up to speed, while Malice, debuting its forks in this battle, gave chase. Jeff Waters' robot struck its opponent's front, before a second hit caused the Vegas bot to be thrown into the rails. JackPot remains stuck. JackPot was left struggling to recover as Malice tore into its self-righter. This impact caused part of the arena to come loose, resting against JackPot as it remained stuck. Malice powered down its weapon to get a controlled shove on its opponent in an attempt to extend the fight. Once freed from the wall, the drum of Malice made contact with JackPot's weapon, helping to get the Vegas Combat Robotics robot back onto its wheels. Malice rips away JackPot's front panel. While Malice's drum returned to top speed without hesitation, the weapon of JackPot spun slowly as it dashed around the BattleBox, resulting in several further impacts which favored Bunny Liaw's team. The 'Die-mond' disks were now warped and could no longer spin, leaving JackPot weaponless for the remainder of this fight. Malice remained aggressive, attacking the front of JackPot as it continued to meet the horizontal spinner head-on. This resulted in Jeff Waters' robot losing a front panel, and as the battle entered its final minute, its drive had significantly slowed as well. "Well, give JackPot some credit; at least it can take a punch... or ten." — Chris Rose as Malice's attacks continue Malice's final hit. JackPot was unable to defend itself against attacks to its left flank, which ultimately left it dead over the killsaws. As the blades rose to cut against JackPot's frame, Malice dealt one final blow which overturned JackPot in the corner of the arena. A count began and Malice took the win by knockout. Footage from this fight was originally shown in Episode 66 of the Skorpios Builder Blog, prior to the event's official release in November 2024.
World Championship VII
JackPot vs. Skorpios JackPot's first Fight Night opponent of World Championship VII was Skorpios. For this battle, JackPot once again employed the use of its minibot, Ace, to help win the ground war against Skorpios. JackPot attacks Skorpios from the side. As the fight began, both robots spun up and positioned themselves near the center of the box, with JackPot landing a glancing blow on its opponent's tire. Skorpios pushes JackPot into the Upper Deck. However, Skorpios managed to escape before taking any serious damage, clipping Ace with its hammer saw as it backed away. The two engaged again, with Skorpios getting underneath and pushing JackPot towards the Upper Deck. As they collided with the deck, the Vegas bot's spinner bounced off of Skorpios' front armor, causing JackPot to flip onto its back. JackPot is flipped over and unable to self-right. Skorpios took advantage, shoving it away and dropping the hammer saw onto JackPot's exposed underbelly, but pulled back when smoke began to pour from inside in a hit which damaged the speed controller for its weapon. JackPot attempted to use its new and improved self righter to get back on its feet, but was unable to flip itself back over. As it was counted out, Skorpios got its weapon functioning again and dueled with Ace, driving around the smaller bot and eventually landing a hit that flung it onto the screw mount behind the red square. A fire erupts within the defeated JackPot. With both robots immobilized, JackPot was declared knocked out, finally incurring a loss within the fight cards. Adding injury to insult, once the result was declared, a plume of smoke rose from the defeated vertical spinner, followed by gouts of flame which killed JackPot's receiver for its self-righter.
JackPot vs. ROTATOR JackPot armed with its single disk and Twin Peaks configuration. Keen to avoid an 0-2 start, JackPot's second Fight Night battle was against former quarter-finalist ROTATOR in a rematch from their World Championship V Round of 32 encounter. The team equipped JackPot with its 52lb "Heartbreaker" disk to fight Victor Soto's bot, as well as a split plow design which the team called "Twin Peaks". As JackPot drove out of its starting square, it raised its lifter as ROTATOR led with its hinged forks and managed to evade the Vegas team's powerful weapon. ROTATOR then turned and both weapons collided, switching between its forks and undercutter as it swiped against the front of JackPot. Jeff Waters' robot escaped and drove towards the short corner, but ROTATOR gave chase and slammed into JackPot's twin plows. It then intersected JackPot as it drove away, ripping its right-side plow away. "Okay! We've got bot parts flying... ROTATOR's ditched the ground game and is now just slinging that weapon into JackPot with no fear whatsoever!" — Chris Rose as JackPot struggles for mobility ROTATOR focuses on JackPot's underside. JackPot lost drive on its right side and arced around the BattleBox, losing power to its vertical spinner soon after. Now hurt, JackPot suffered more attacks to its sides as ROTATOR's team honed in on its wheels. Although its lifter was still raising and lowering, ROTATOR remained the aggressor as its opponent drove in circles. "ROTATOR continuing its assault, but JackPot's weapon is still spinning, Kenny! Victor has got to be oh-so careful." — Chris Rose The killsaws attack JackPot as it is counted out. However, JackPot's weapon came back to life, meaning the Vegas team continued to pose a threat to Victor Soto's robot. ROTATOR continued to attack the vulnerable underbelly and JackPot's weapon stopped once more. ROTATOR shoved it into the rails and hauled it to the killsaws as Jeff Waters' robot could only arc in place. ROTATOR rammed its blade into JackPot once more, and JackPot suddenly stopped moving. The killsaws cut into its frame as ROTATOR backed away. JackPot was counted out and fell to an unprecedented 0-2 record.
JackPot vs. Ribbot JackPot's third Fight Night match was against World Championship V quarter-finalist Ribbot, both of which were desperate to avoid taking up a 0-3 record. For this, it again sported a "Heartbreaker" spinner along with flat red front panels, and was accompanied once more by the minibot Ace. Ribbot loses its shell. Both portions of the machine immediately attempted to give chase, with JackPot already having its forks raised. JackPot itself promptly reversed towards the blue square screws to avoid an oncoming Ribbot, but was launched into them by the latter's undercutter. The Vegas Combat Robotics machine sustained two more hits to its left and rear panels, though the recoil of the second attack was enough to dislodge Ribbot's frog 'head' cover. JackPot maneuvered towards the center, meeting and deflecting another spinner attack from Ribbot. Ace, which had attempted to breach Ribbot's ground clearance, sustained a crippling blow from Ribbot's undercutter as a result, losing a wheel and becoming completely immobilized. With its minibot now out of action, JackPot chased Ribbot across the BattleBox. A violent series of weapon exchanges followed as the two heavyweights met again over the inner perimeter killsaw slots. Kenny Florian: "These two weapons so powerful, Chris." Chris Rose: "Oh!" Kenny Florian: "And there goes Ribbot's left-front tire!" Chris Rose: "Ribbot with the countershot! JackPot in trouble, but self-rights! [Ribbot tears off JackPot's front-left panel] Oh-ho!" Kenny Florian: "Another big hit! That one took off one of JackPot's wedges. What a start to this fight!" — During a series of violent weapon exchanges between the two competitors Ribbot, down a wheel, strikes the front of JackPot. JackPot ripped off Ribbot's front-left tire, the attack also causing the damaged hub to fall off. In response, Ribbot flipped JackPot over, forcing it to self-right, before tearing off its front-left panel. JackPot survived more direct hits and grinding attacks to its chassis, along with another blow from Ribbot's disk which momentarily lifted it off the floor. Recovering from this, it was quick to meet Ribbot once more in the arena center. Again, JackPot was thrown onto its back by Ribbot, while in the process of taking more damaging and spark-generating hits from the latter's undercutter. Ribbot loses a second wheel, courtesy of JackPot. JackPot levered itself back upright as before, now with the forks raised further and trailing the back of the machine. Both competitors circled around each other, with JackPot avoiding Ribbot's attempts to hit its sides and front-right corner further. During these maneuvers, JackPot proceeded to tear Ribbot's entire left-rear wheel off, severely hampering its opponent's maneuverability for the rest of the match. With Ribbot making its way towards the bottom-left corner, it retreated to the center at first, before luring Ribbot across the bottom perimeter. This had the effect of causing Ribbot to drive disc-first into the spiked bumper. Capitalizing on this, JackPot lifted and buffeted Ribbot against the bumper with its "Heartbreaker". In doing so, it allowed the recoil of Ribbot's disk to spin and flip it over into the bottom-left corner. "What a sequence from JackPot - using Ribbot's energy against itself!" — Kenny Florian, shortly after JackPot sends Ribbot recoiling JackPot takes Ribbot to the screws. JackPot made another fast charge, waving its forks and swerving to a halt beside the struggling Ribbot. Raising its forks while spinning slowly in circles, it reversed towards the center once again, as Ribbot kept crawling and grazing the nearby paddle on its remaining wheels. JackPot gingerly approached and hit the front-right corner of Ribbot, again waving its forks in the air as Ribbot's mobility seemed to worsen. With Ribbot now by one of the red square screws, JackPot rammed it into the hazard itself as the battle passed the 1:30 mark. During this moment, however, the "Heartbreaker" seemed to lose power, slowing down noticeably as it waved its forks and headed back to the center again. With Ribbot struggling for mobility on its remaining wheels, it would remain tentative until the former was able to direct its disk away from the screws. "Now, JackPot has to continue to be aggressive. Can't just sit back and wait, unless Ribbot is not moving... like now!" — Chris Rose as JackPot hangs back against a less mobile Ribbot A violent exchange sees JackPot flung across the arena. JackPot - with its "Heartbreaker" back up to speed again - steadily weaved and charged into Ribbot. The resulting collision sent both competitors recoiling; Ribbot against the screws, and JackPot into a violent spin which also flipped the machine over. JackPot self-righted quickly, but initially became more hesitant to follow on from this attack. This was until it circled around Ribbot during the final minute, and threw it into the air once the spinners of both robots connected. The attack sent Ribbot into a near-180 degree aerial spin, with JackPot landing another similar hit and initiating more weapon-on-weapon exchanges. Ribbot struggles for mobility in the closing seconds. Again, JackPot's "Heartbreaker" slowed down, and the Las Vegas machine became tentative as it sped back into the center. As soon as this happened, it appeared that JackPot suddenly lost movement in its right wheels, while Ribbot maneuvered itself over and took damage from the killsaws. More tentative movements followed as the match entered its final thirty seconds, with JackPot waving its forks around once again. A knockout win seemed likely once Ribbot became high-centered over the killsaws, prompting a count-out to be started during the closing seconds. Team Ribbot encouraged JackPot's Jeff Waters to land one final hit, but this never materialized, while a burst of movement from Ribbot allowed the count-out to cease. The end buzzer sounded, and the match ended in a judges' decision. JackPot was subsequently declared to have won, pushing its Fight Night match record up to 1-2.
JackPot vs. Captain Shrederator JackPot ahead of the fight. JackPot's fourth and final Fight Night opponent was Captain Shrederator, itself having to be completely rebuilt following its controversial loss to Riptide. With a potential Round of 32 place at stake, Jeff Waters' machine again entered the BattleBox with the "Heartbreaker" weapon and a large angled wedge to counter Team LOGICOM's shell spinner. JackPot closes in on Captain Shrederator. While its opponent hesitated to move at first, JackPot immediately charged out of the blue square, pursuing Captain Shrederator as it veered into the bottom-left corner. In doing so, it scored an early hit as Captain Shrederator ricocheted off the spiked bumper into its spinner. This was followed by a second hit, once JackPot cornered Captain Shrederator into the nearby paddle. With Captain Shrederator unable to make a controlled drive out of the corner, the Las Vegas entry capitalized by getting underneath and inflicting a series of light blows to its shell. JackPot takes a chunk out of Captain Shrederator's shell. After both machines separated, JackPot closed back in and inflicted two heavier blows to Captain Shrederator, sending sparks flying each time. Again, both robots broke free, with JackPot quick to attack Captain Shrederator a few more times as it still lingered in the bottom-left corner. JackPot proceeded to drive back to the center of the BattleBox after this, with Captain Shrederator also getting its shell up to full speed. Charging into Captain Shrederator, it inflicted a massive weapon-on-weapon blow which sent it gyrating back towards the center. Landing on its wheels, JackPot rushed back to its opponent, before Captain Shrederator tried to nudge it. JackPot pins its opponent with its weapon spun down. In response, it gingerly maneuvered Captain Shrederator back towards the red square, where it landed another hit with its "Heartbreaker" spinner. JackPot pushed and steered Team LOGICOM's robot back into the bottom-left bumper, inflicting another series of blows to its opponent's shell. JackPot pinned Captain Shrederator against the bumper, during a moment where neither robot's spinners were rotating. Upon being released, Captain Shrederator attempted to escape once again, but was quickly rounded up and attacked by JackPot yet again as its base chassis experienced major steering problems. JackPot continued to batter Captain Shrederator across the perimeter, with Captain Shrederator also getting hit by the blue team pulverizer at one point. Kenny Florian: "...and one of those shots might have damaged Shrederator's directional system, Chris. They keep driving themselves into walls, almost like their controls got flipped!" Chris Rose: "Well, whatever the case, Jeff Waters has been surgical so far." — As JackPot pressures Captain Shrederator across the lower perimeter of the BattleBox As the battle approached the 1:30 mark, both robots were in the bottom-right corner. JackPot bumped into a hellraiser before lifting Captain Shrederator up against the bottom-right paddle. It again clipped the side of Captain Shrederator with its "Heartbreaker", all while positioning it alongside the blue square screw mount. JackPot hit Captain Shrederator twice more while repositioning itself on the other side of the BattleBox. This was followed by another charge towards an evading Captain Shrederator, causing it to be lifted upwards and deflected into a nearby screw mount. Captain Shrederator gets up to speed in the red square. As JackPot turned away, it was hit on the left-hand side by a recoiling Captain Shrederator, though this had no significant effect on its drive. JackPot proceeded to repeat this tactic on Captain Shrederator, this time deflecting it into an Upper Deck screw. Not willing to give up its pursuit, it next collected and pushed Captain Shrederator back into the bottom-right corner. Though its "Heartbreaker" appeared to lose much of its initial power, the green machine managed to pin the white, red and blue machine against the bumper. "...take a look at JackPot's blade. Something doesn't look right. If they can't get that weapon up to full speed, Shrederator still got more than a puncher's chance here." — Kenny Florian, noticing the issue with JackPot's spinner Both robots duel near the Upper Deck. Like before, both machines separated, giving each of them time to spin up their weapons once again. Sparks and debris flew as JackPot took another glancing blow to its wedge from Captain Shrederator. JackPot responded by hitting and throwing Captain Shrederator into the red square screws, tearing a large chunk out of its shell in the process. Having destabilized the weapon of Team LOGICOM's machine, it continued to round up and hit its opponent with the "Heartbreaker", amidst calls of encouragement by Captain Shrederator's driver Jonathan LaPlain. On the next collision, JackPot briefly launched Captain Shrederator off the floor using the wedge, and continued to aggressively ram its spinning foe with its ever-slowing "Heartbreaker". Despite having the spinner be reversed and effectively incapacitated, it relied on its wedge to steer Captain Shrederator back into the Upper Deck screws. Another fast ram followed with ten seconds to go; JackPot then crossed over the active killsaw slots in an attempt to make one final charge. However, the end buzzer sounded just as it got close to and steered towards Captain Shrederator, forcing Jeff Waters to back out. "...JackPot was the more aggressive bot from the get-go. And again, Jeff Waters did a nice job of controlling Shrederator, by pinning it and not letting it get spun up. Now, if the judges believe Shrederator disabled JackPot's weapon, that'll score them big time damage points, but I still think this one goes to the Las Vegas locals." — Kenny Florian shares his assessment of the battle Irrespective of this, JackPot did enough to win the unanimous judges' decision, confirming a 2-2 Fight Night finish.
JackPot vs. Witch Doctor JackPot made the Round of 32 as the No.30 seed, where it took on the No.3 seed and World Championship VI runner-up, Witch Doctor. JackPot tries to hunt down Witch Doctor early on. Early in the fight, JackPot gave chase as both weapons spun up to speed. Witch Doctor turned sharply to face Jeff Waters' machine, then the pair went weapon-to-weapon. This exchange saw Witch Doctor get underneath JackPot, grazing its underside and tearing away its left-side lifting fork. The two-time runner-up struck the front of JackPot again, momentarily halting the dual diamond disks, which were slow to spin back up. Witch Doctor throws JackPot onto the Upper Deck. It then became clear that JackPot's primary weapon had been disabled, and Mike Gellatly took advantage. Witch Doctor delivered a hit which sent JackPot twisting through the air, landing inverted and atop the Upper Deck. JackPot was able to self-right and exited into the short corner, where Witch Doctor was patrolling. However, it was the No.3 seed which took a blow from the pulverizer before both robots escaped. Sensing defeat, JackPot drove head-on into Witch Doctor in an attempt to break its primary weapon, but upon colliding again, was thrown into a backflip. "JackPot fighting from behind. They know they have to try and break Witch Doctor's weapon, and Jeff Waters' bot might be tough enough to do it!" — Kenny Florian refuses to rule JackPot out yet JackPot runs into Witch Doctor's disk, paying the price. JackPot then drove back towards its opponent, again trying to break Witch Doctor's primary weapon. This resulted in JackPot being thrown upward, landing harshly on the housing for the screws. Witch Doctor pops JackPot up in the air again. With its lifter, dual disks and drive now severely hampered, Witch Doctor sensed blood and attacked the exposed rear of JackPot, hurling the Vegas bot into the screws again. The wounded No.30 seed arced in place and with assistance from one of the paddles, was shunted towards the center of the BattleBox. JackPot's season comes to an end. Witch Doctor rammed JackPot into the Upper Deck before getting around to its side and driving the Vegas Combat Robotics robot across the arena and into the wall. This impact visibly buckled the frame of JackPot, who lay immobile in the blue square. Chris Rose: "Look, JackPot is just bent in half!" Kenny Florian: "WOW!" Chris Rose: "That's 250lbs of twisted steel that now looks like an accordion." Kenny Florian: "That's insane!" — Chris and Kenny react to JackPot's mangled corpse A rear view of the immobile JackPot. As a count mercifully began on JackPot, Witch Doctor hung back, celebrating its win and a place in the Round of 16. However, JackPot was eliminated from the tournament at this stage.
BattleBots: Champions II
JackPot vs. Big Dill JackPot competed in BattleBots: Champions II, where it faced a much-improved Big Dill in the opening round of the penultimate Slugfest bracket. The Vegas team opted for their 52lb single, heart-shaped disk for this battle. Big Dill gets an early lift in on JackPot. As the fight began, Big Dill immediately dashed toward JackPot, box-rushing and attempting to lift Jeff Waters' machine. Though it missed the first flip, Big Dill met JackPot head-on and overturned the Vegas machine. This charge, however, snapped the belt leading to Big Dill's vertical spinner, disabling it for the remainder of the fight. Undeterred, Big Dill turned but became caught in the killsaw slots, allowing JackPot to score a free hit on the front of Big Dill. JackPot stares down a wounded Big Dill. Big Dill tried to again lift JackPot but failed to get enough leverage on this occasion, instead seeing its weapon belt snap. Its rightmost fork was now also bent upward as JackPot became the aggressor, clamping Big Dill between its lifting arms. The pair duelled in the corner and JackPot fired up its vertical spinner again, despite Killi Pepper's attempts to hinder the Top 32 finisher. Big Dill lifts JackPot. With Big Dill's primary weapon down, JackPot honed in its opponent and struck its front and sides. Also appearing to be experiencing drive issues at this stage, Big Dill arced across the floor and JackPot retreated to spin its weapon up again. JackPot attacked Emmanuel Carrillo's bot head on, but it was the wounded Big Dill who got the better of the exchange, hoisting JackPot before letting it go. "OH! Battle of the lifters... Big Dill winning that exchange." — Kenny Florian Both robots come to blows. JackPot attempted to take advantage of Big Dill's drive issues, forcing it from the center of the arena to the short corner. Big Dill was able to escape as JackPot reversed and punted Killi Pepper aside. Both robots engaged in a pushing match over the killsaw slots, and with neither willing to let up, locked horns until Killi Pepper returned in an attempt to high-center its larger opponent. The right fork on Big Dill's lifter was now bent outward and the main robot began to smoke. JackPot is held under the pulverizer. With around a minute remaining, JackPot reversed under a pulverizer and suffered a hammer blow. Big Dill looked to capitalize and halted the weapon of JackPot momentarily, which was then stopped by the 100lb hammer as it came down on the Vegas bot's lifting mechanism again. "JackPot has done the bulk of the damage here, Kenny, but Big Dill determined to win the Aggression and Control categories." — Chris Rose as the fight enters its final minute Able to drive considerably more freely than earlier in the fight, Big Dill gave chase and got around to JackPot's side, shoving it toward the short corner and into the spiked rails. Big Dill's wheels smoked as it pinned JackPot in the closing seconds, desperately seeking to make up for damage sustained. Both robots survived to a judges' decision and JackPot took the win by unanimous vote.
JackPot vs. Lucky "We know Lucky is a really good flipper. It's got an amazing driver - Matt Olson. Me and him have a history of racing RC cars together. I know what he's capable of, so I'm going into that match expecting a really good driving fight." — Jeff Waters JackPot's semi-final opponent was Lucky, itself fresh from a victory against Overhaul in the opening round. During the pre-match build-up, it was revealed by Kenny Florian that it had suffered a spinner failure, caused by debris entering and getting caught in the weapon shaft. While keeping the same configuration as in its previous fight - including the heart-shaped spinner - JackPot was accompanied by the minibot Ace, and thoroughly 'beefed up' to withstand potential shock damage from Lucky's flipper attacks. "Best way to win this fight would be to make sure, if we're going head-to-head, that we have the lower ground game. And if we're not going head-to-head, I gotta make sure that I get to his side or if he doesn't get to my side. The other thing that we're gonna have to look out for is... just any kind of shock damage. They're gonna shoot us really high in the air. So, we're just gonna make sure everything is all beefed up and can take all the G-forces from landing." — Jeff Waters Ace sets up Lucky for a hit from JackPot. Immediately, both JackPot and Ace split up; the main heavyweight was tapped and pushed past the Upper Deck screws by Lucky. Ace proceeded to follow the duo, momentarily disrupting the Canadian machine by driving its forks underneath the latter's left wheels. Initially, the minibot's contributions were minimal. After briefly wedging under JackPot, Ace took advantage of Lucky getting stopped by the killsaw slots, chasing and locking forks with it near the inner perimeter. This was sufficient to halt Lucky, and allow JackPot to inflict multiple blows to its opponent's left wheelguard. Chris Rose: "JackPot's minibot Ace tryin' to get involved. Little friendly fire, but it is chasin' down Lucky like a mosquito!" Kenny Florian: "Oh, look at that!" Chris Rose: "Oh! Oh, no!!" Kenny Florian: "Ace helping out JackPot, Chris! That was beautiful!" Chris Rose: "What a great job by the minibot! You’re going to get a little somethin' extra on your paycheck this week, pal!" — As Ace disrupts Lucky, allowing JackPot to land its first spinner attacks Lucky unbalances JackPot momentarily. Sparks flew as the blows tore chunks out of the wheelguard, as well as damage Lucky's left-rear wheel sufficiently enough for it to delaminate and tear apart later on. Even so, JackPot continued to be bumped and chased by Lucky, until the TKO Robotics entry again stopped suddenly over the BattleBots logo. Ace seized its next opportunity to help its heavyweight companion, driving under and controlling Lucky into the bottom-left corner. There, all three robots converged; Ace holding Lucky in place as JackPot attacked its front corners and flipper panel. "What a nuisance for Lucky... that he's dealing with a two-on-one fast break by the Las Vegas tandem, of JackPot and Ace!" — Chris Rose as JackPot and Ace again team up against Lucky Following this tag-team maneuver, JackPot reversed across the front of the control booth. There, it buffeted a charging Lucky away with a powerful slam, before zig-zagging across the bottom-right corner to dodge its opponent's next shove. JackPot would, in turn, follow Lucky across that side of the BattleBox, before luring it to the red square. There, it again churned away at Lucky's wheelguard, but was forced to back out as Lucky started pushing it in response. Having returned to the bottom-right corner, JackPot engaged in another head-to-head collision with the ever-persevering Lucky. Lucky pushes JackPot back, but misses its next flip. However, the gyroscopic forces of JackPot's vertical spinner caused it to flip over as soon as it was forced into the air by Matt Olson's machine. Lucky forced JackPot up against the nearby paddle as it tried to self-right, then dragged it on its side into the bumper beside it. At the same time, Ace rushed in to try and prise JackPot away from its opponent. This put the minibot in a dangerous place as JackPot continued its self-righting attempts, pointing its spinner directly in front of its smaller counterpart. Contact between JackPot's weapon, the wall and Ace resulted in the latter being incapacitated and losing its right fork. Lucky gets JackPot onto the Upper Deck. Worse still, both of JackPot's weapon belts snapped in the ensuing hits, disabling the spinner as it kicked back onto its wheels. From that point, it was continuously pushed across the BattleBox by Lucky, which in turn struggled to find enough reach to turn it over with the flipper. JackPot raised its lifter to counter Lucky's clearance advantage, but to no avail. It then found itself being pushed against, then over the Upper Deck screws. Chris Rose: "JackPot's weapon no longer spinning and now Lucky's trying to take advantage! But [Lucky] still can't land a punch! Another whip!" Kenny Florian: "Look at this, Lucky's got JackPot against the screws... get him up there, big fella!" — Kenny Florian as Lucky pushes JackPot up onto the Upper Deck JackPot sits atop Lucky. Jeff Waters quickly backed his machine off the platform as the fight entered its halfway point. Now in the top-left corner, JackPot's troubles were not yet over. A head-to-head ram allowed Lucky to scoop and hold it in place under the pulverizer, which struck JackPot's right-rear corner. The hazard's intervention resulted in JackPot sitting on top of its opponent for several seconds, raising its forks to no avail. Eventually, it was catapulted towards the retracted pulverizer by Lucky, and pinned against the spiked bumper during its attempts to self-right. Lucky launches JackPot in the corner. As the match entered its final minute, Waters raised objections to the prolonged pinning, telling Lucky's Matt Olson that he should 'back away' and release JackPot. In response, Lucky threw JackPot against the Lexan, though this would play to JackPot's advantage as it lifted itself back onto its wheels and drove away. It soon became evident that Lucky's left drive had malfunctioned, though JackPot displayed a lapse in control as it skirted over the rising killsaws. Without a working spinner, it was unable to mount a sustained final attack, instead resorting to nudging and engaging in another pushing match with the half-immobile Lucky as time ran out. "...this is gonna be an interesting judges' decision, here. Both had some good opportunities. Both scored some nice damage. JackPot's weapon, though, went down early. That's gonna certainly factor into the decision, but Lucky had mobility issues down the stretch. Does that put JackPot over the top? This is going to be very close..." — Kenny Florian weighs his thoughts on the impending judges' decision JackPot returns to its square while Lucky struggles to drive. In assessing this semi-final, the judges proceeded to call a 2-1 split decision. While having lost the use of its spinner and incapacitated its own minibot partway through, JackPot progressed upon receiving the majority votes from Derek Young and Lisa Winter.
JackPot vs. Cobalt In the Sin City Slugfest final, JackPot faced Cobalt and was again equipped with its single, heart-shaped disk. JackPot strikes Cobalt. Both robots spun up immediately, though neither opted for the instant box-rush. Cobalt accelerated toward JackPot but missed, forcing the pair to reset. Cobalt became stuck on the BattleBox floor temporarily so turned. In doing so, JackPot's minibot Ace managed to get underneath the former Most Destructive Robot Award winner, lifting its wheels off the floor. Battery smoke fills the BattleBox as JackPot sinks its blade into Cobalt. This allowed Jeff Waters a free hit on Cobalt, who lodged its heart-shaped disk into the back end of Cobalt, rupturing a battery in the process. Smoke quickly began to pour from John Mladenik's machine and fill the BattleBox, compromising visibility. With its lifter raised, JackPot dragged the wounded Cobalt into the Upper Deck in an attempt to free itself, but the pair remained connected as the Robotic Death Company machine burst into flames. Cobalt then lost power to its disk as fire engulfed its chassis, and as the Las Vegas bot crashed from hazard to hazard, Cobalt and JackPot were finally free. Cobalt drove away, but was still ablaze with ninety seconds of the fight remaining. Ace remained a menace, hassling Cobalt before JackPot drove up its front, deflecting upside-down before righting itself with its weapon. Cobalt is immobilized. Cobalt looked to chase JackPot, but became caught on the killsaw slot and suffered another strike from Jeff Waters' bot. Damage to Cobalt post-fight. This hit proved enough to immobilize Cobalt and it was swiftly counted out, ending its run at this stage.
JackPot vs. Whiplash JackPot qualified for the Golden Bolt tournament as champion of the fourth Sin City Slugfest bracket. In Round 1, it took on the winner of the second bracket, Whiplash. JackPot is chased down by Whiplash. Whiplash rushed towards JackPot in the opening seconds, giving chase as JackPot looked to get its heart-shaped disk up to speed. Matt Vasquez drove Whiplash's forks under the right flank of JackPot but failed to make the most of this attack as the Vegas bot escaped. JackPot then struck the front-right wheel of Whiplash, shearing the bolt holding it in place as the wheel came away in the opening thirty seconds. JackPot strikes a three-wheeled Whiplash. In spite of this, Whiplash was able to control its opponent, pinning it near the drivers' booths while tanking glancing shots to its front. Matt Vasquez backed up on to Ace, but fled before the minibot had a chance to high-center his robot. JackPot's weapon was halted momentarily as Whiplash again charged face-first into Jeff Waters' entry, opting to then drive it into the short corner. Whiplash pinned JackPot again, but failed to lift as Kenny Florian questioned the functionality of its primary weapon. "Starting to wonder if there may be something wrong with the lifter arm on Whiplash. Matt Vasquez has had plenty of changes to use it, and so far, we haven't seen it move." — Kenny Florian Whiplash forces JackPot into the screws. The fight returned to the middle of the arena as JackPot's vertical spinner, by contrast, appeared unaffected from Whiplash's attacks as the fight passed the halfway mark. JackPot struck the frame of Whiplash again, peeling up its top armor on the right side. In retaliation, Whiplash managed to force JackPot into the screws behind the blue starting square, tipping the Vegas bot onto its face. JackPot self-righted, but was pinned by the visibly wounded Whiplash. The Vegas Combat Robotics machine fled to spin up again but the 2020 season runner-up gave chase. Both bracket winners avoided shots from the pulverizer and Whiplash drove JackPot weapon-first into the spiked barriers, overturning it again. JackPot was now missing the tip of its right fork as its lifter appeared warped. "Listen, being a pushbot for this entire match is gonna hurt him in both the Damage and Control categories, but he's doing about as much as he can to give Jeff Waters a fight here" — Kenny Florian as the fight enters its closing stages JackPot chips away at Whiplash despite being pinned. Whiplash continued to hold JackPot against the arena in bursts, but the damage began to mount up against the Vasquez family with under thirty seconds remaining. JackPot's weapon continued to deal damage, buckling the remainder of Whiplash's top armor as JackPot was held under the pulverizer in the final seconds. A split decision was announced following another close encounter. With two judges voting in its favor, JackPot was deemed the winner, ending Whiplash's run for the Golden Bolt trophy at this stage.
JackPot vs. End Game Next up for JackPot was a fight against the reigning Golden Bolt champion, End Game. JackPot meets End Game head-on. The defending champion quickly sought to cut down the angle, penning JackPot near the corner in the opening seconds. Ace looked to get to the rear of End Game, but struggled as the main robots squared off. This exchange buckled the forks of End Game, but stopped JackPot's weapon entirely as Ace successfully proved a nuisance to the Vegas team's opponents, forcing it to gyro in place. It then inadvertently became caught under JackPot, allowing End Game to grind down the front of JackPot and force it back into the short corner. "OH! They had the opportunity of a lifetime, now high-centering themselves. What's going on Ace? Whose team are you on?!" — Kenny Florian questions Ace's motives End Game eviscerates Ace. End Game flung JackPot over, and despite getting the upper hand in this semi-final clash, sacrificed one of its front forks. Jeff Waters recovered and began circling his opponent in search of an opening to attack, but as JackPot turned back into End Game, Ace became caught between them and was thrown across the BattleBox in a devastating blow to the Vegas team's minibot. End Game delivers the knockout shot. End Game followed this up with an attack on JackPot, who was first thrown into a backflip before being tipped upside-down. This proved enough to disable the Slugfest winner as a count soon followed, ending its winning streak in the Golden Bolt semi-finals.
BattleBots Proving Ground
JackPot vs. Gigabyte (7/9/2023) JackPot fought Gigabyte in BattleBots Proving Ground at the live show, BattleBots: Destruct-A-Thon. For this battle, JackPot ditched its lifting arms in favor of a large, wide front plow. It also sported its single heart-shaped disk. The decisive shot. JackPot quickly hunted Gigabyte down, tanking a glancing blow from the veteran shell spinner. As they then went weapon-to-weapon, both robots were thrown to opposite ends of the BattleBox just five seconds into the fight. JackPot lay high-centered near the screws in the blue square and Gigabyte lost its directional indicator, desperately trying to right itself having landed inverted. The fight's referee declared a double knockout, with Gigabyte being deemed the sole winner after the fact. Post-fight, while the result remained the same, the method was deemed a single KO on the Vegas bot.
JackPot vs. Bloodsport (9/9/2023) JackPot and Ace ahead of their first fight against Bloodsport. JackPot's minibots: Ace and Supreme Ruler. JackPot returned to Proving Ground again in September 2023, where it took on Bloodsport, accompanied by Axe and Jeff Waters' own robot, Supreme Ruler. Bloodsport and JackPot collide. The fight started off with bot robots taking their time to spin up their weapons. JackPot was clipped on its left-front side by the long bar of Bloodsport but responded with a weapon-to-weapon attack, causing both robots to deflect in opposite directions. JackPot hits the underside of Bloodsport. JackPot was now inverted and used its self-righter to get back on its wheels. However, Bloodsport was now at a disadvantage as this hit disabled its weapon, rendering it useless for the rest of the match. JackPot remained aggressive and continued attacking Bloodsport with the help of its minibot, Ace. Bloodsport is counted out. While Ace struggled to free Bloodsport, Justin Marple's bot was eventually counted out, causing JackPot to win the fight by knockout after just a minute.
JackPot vs. Bloodsport (9/10/2023) JackPot took on Bloodsport for a second time over the weekend. The big hit between both robots. Bloodsport opened with a charge to the opposite side of the box, before turning to engage JackPot, landing a glancing blow. Bloodsport then went weapon to weapon and bouncing away before going head on once again, this time causing both robots to be sent flying across the box. Bloodsport would get the better of the exchange, as JackPot would be knocked onto its back and unable to self-right. Bloodsport drives JackPot into the screws. Bloodsport would then go in and destroy one of JackPot's minibots before landing another shot, this time to one of JackPot's rear wheels, sending JackPot into a corner. Bloodsport would reengage, bending JackPot's side out before ramming the stricken robot into the screws. This would allow JackPot to temporarily self-right onto the screws before Bloodsport hit it again, launching themselves into the corner. With JackPot still moving, Bloodsport knocked them onto a corner wall before coming in once again with an attack. With this attack, Bloodsport allowed JackPot to be counted out.
JackPot vs. Disarray (10/28/2023) JackPot returned again across the weekend of October 28-29, 2023, where it fought returning World Championship VIII hopeful Disarray. It was again armed with its 'Heartbreaker' disk. Disarray is punted over by JackPot. Disarray drove to the middle of the arena as JackPot approached with its lifter raised. The rookie bot backed up slightly before going weapon-to-weapon with the Sin City Slugfest finalist. Disarray lies immobile next to the screws. These impacts cost Disarray several weapon belts and as it looked to recover, JackPot delivered a follow-up shot to its left side, tearing off the fin and leaving a gash in Disarray's weapon. Parts littered the BattleBox floor as Disarray was thrown back on impact, landing inverted against the Upper Deck. Though Disarray was able to prove its self-righter could work, it lost all mobility and began smoking as it was counted out. JackPot ultimately won by knockout in under a minute.
JackPot vs. Disarray (10/29/2023) JackPot fought Disarray for a second time during the Sunday show. Disarray self-rights. JackPot remained patient as Disarray began more tentatively. It then met Disarray head-on, ripping into its side fin. The knockout shot. JackPot landed another hit to the front of Disarray, throwing it upside-down. The drisk of Disarray dragged it back towards the short corner before it slammed into the Upper Deck. Disarray was again able to showcase its self-righting mechanism as it hoisted itself over. However, JackPot was lurking and struck the rear of Disarray, tearing its back panel and hitting its lithium polymer batteries. As thick, white smoke began to pour from Disarray, it was counted out and ended the weekend unbeaten.
BattleBots FaceOffs
JackPot vs. Disarray JackPot returned to the arena in Fall 2024, where it faced three opponents in BattleBots FaceOffs. One of these was a rematch against a completely rebuilt Disarray.
JackPot vs. Lucky JackPot squared off against Lucky, following their encounter in the Sin City Slugfests where Jeff Waters' team came out on top.
JackPot vs. Malice JackPot also took on Malice in a rematch from World Championship VI and re:MARS all:STARS 2022.
BattleBots Proving Ground
JackPot vs. Rescue Force JackPot took on Rescue Force during a live show in January 2025, armed with brand new 47lb cutting blades and accompanied again by Ace. Rescue Force attacks JackPot early on. Early in the battle, JackPot struggled to damage Rescue Force and found its blades halted by the rookie robot. However, Ace drove under Rescue Force and helped to high-center it. JackPot damages Rescue Force. This allowed JackPot an opportunity to land a shot, but Rescue Force's urethane armor absorbed the impact and JP Montello's machine pushed the former Golden Bolt qualifier back into the screws. Jeff Waters' robot retaliated by shoving Rescue Force back on top of Ace, spinning its weapon back up and landing a blow which peeled up its top plate. Ace slides under Rescue Force. JackPot raised its lifter, initiating several weapon-on-weapon blows which favored the Las Vegas-based team. The pair battled near the drivers' booths, where JackPot was able to carve into the front armor of Rescue Force and get it stuck again on top of Ace. This teed it up for a side assault from JackPot, which sliced into the flank of Rescue Force. Rescue Force tries to pin JackPot. Rescue Force remained aggressive, however, again pushing back and getting underneath JackPot. With the weight of its opponent pressing down on the front, this forced Rescue Force's rear wheels off the floor though and prevented it from capitalizing on this. Though its weapon was not consistently running, Rescue Force was able to push JackPot from its right side. Both robots collide. The pair met head-on once more, and although Rescue Force appeared undeterred at first, one last attack to the flank chewed up more of the urethane chassis and knocked Rescue Force out cold. Ace maneuvered to its rear as JackPot attacked from the front, driving both its opponent and Ace to the screws of the Upper Deck. Rescue Force is counted out late on. As Rescue Force was counted out, Jeff Waters' bot tussled with Ace in the final seconds and picked up another win.
BattleBots FaceOffs
JackPot vs. Orbitron JackPot will compete in a special FaceOffs group called 'Battle of the Verts'. It will take on Canadian entry Orbitron in this group.
JackPot vs. Terrortops JackPot will also fight Terrortops in a rematch from RoboGames 2023.
JackPot vs. Magnitude Another of JackPot's group opponents is It will take on Magnitude in this group, piloted by veteran competitor Chad New.

Results

Competitive Wins/Losses

• Wins: 12
• Losses: 8

Exhibition Wins/Losses

• Wins: 4
• Losses: 3

Total Wins/Losses

• Wins: 16
• Losses: 11

Competition	Wins	Losses
World Championship V	SubZero (Undercard Match) Ghost Raptor (Undercard Match) Lock-Jaw (Undercard Match)	ROTATOR
BattleBots: Bounty Hunters	None	Deadlift
World Championship VI	Deadlift (Untelevised Undercard Match) Malice (Undercard Match) Tombstone	Blip Riptide (Exhibition Match)
re:MARS all:STARS BattleBots Challenge (2022)	None	Malice
World Championship VII	Ribbot (Undercard Match) Captain Shrederator (Undercard Match)	Skorpios (Undercard Match) ROTATOR (Undercard Match) Witch Doctor
BattleBots: Champions II	Big Dill Lucky Cobalt Whiplash	End Game
BattleBots Proving Ground	Bloodsport Disarray Disarray Rescue Force	Gigabyte Bloodsport
BattleBots FaceOffs	TBD	TBD

Faruq Tauheed Introductions

"From Las Vegas, Nevada, place your bets. It's JackPot!"

"From Las Vegas, Nevada, you're heading for heartbreak. You can't deal with JackPot!"

"From Las Vegas, Nevada, ready to light you up like a slot machine. Give it up for JackPot!"

"This bot is from right here in Vegas and after he gives you a pounding, they'll find your body floating in the Bellagio Fountain. You want to win, you'll be stabbed like Caesar and be totally dead. He'll leave you like the Luxor with a hole in your head. It's JackPot!"

"From Nevada, the bot with hometown advantage. He'll outclass you in every way. He's got swag you can't manage. He's the king, you're the impersonator. He's blackjack, you're keno. He's the Bellagio, you're Circus Circus. He's Vegas, you're Reno. It's JackPot!"

"From Las Vegas, Nevada, 7 come 11, you're headed to robot heaven, it's JackPot!"

"From Las Vegas, Nevada, insurance? Insurance? Life insurance? You'll need it against JackPot!"

"This vicious bot can eviscerate anything it touches. And the captain is a plumber from Vegas, so he knows all kinds of flushes. A vertical spinner is this bot's plan of attack. And when it slices through your armor, let's just call that a plumber's crack. Give it up for JackPot!"

"Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! That's a sweet Las Vegas sound. It means you're in the money unless this deadly bot's around. You're never walking out of here like a pirate with his plunder because this only offers a single bet: the line's at six feet, and you're taking the under. It's JackPot!"

"They say that in Vegas, the house always wins. There's a four bedroom, two bath built with murder and sins. What slashes in Vegas, slays in Vegas where our next bot was born and it will even be your realtor if you wanna leave town real torn. It's a dire's market with JackPot!"

"You don't know Jack if you think you can beat this jack of all trades, hit the road, Jack, or get jacked up by his spinning blades. He has variety like a potluck. You have no pot of gold or rainbow, just him raking the pot while you are broke and in some pain, bro. Give it up for JackPot!"

"You got to know when to chokehold them, know when to stone-cold them, know when to claw away 'cause he'll never run. You better count your blessings if he doesn't put you through a table 'cause there will be no time for counting when your ass is done. Give it up for the gambler, it's JackPot!"

Trivia

"Fun fact, we got accepted that way. It wasn't until the day after we went live on Facebook that we were reminded WHY that name sounded so badass... However I searched it, I didn't see it at the time, but it was a very turbulent time and when production liked the name we didn't think much more on it"

— Team VCR explain JackPot's name change

• JackPot was originally going to be yellow and called Sabertooth, but the team decided to change it to avoid confusion with the Robot Wars competitor of the same name.
  
  
  • Ironically, Gabriel Stroud's Sabretooth attempted to enter World Championship VI, but was unable to attend filming due to COVID-19 related travel issues.
• When in The Pits and entering the BattleBox, JackPot sported what the team dubbed a 'Safety Tiara', which followed another trait of Las Vegas that involved placing feathers on the head.
• In its first two seasons, JackPot had an unbeaten 5-0 record across both Fight Nights.
  • By contrast, however, JackPot lost its opening two Fight Night battles in World Championship VII.
• For the 2021 season of BattleBots, Vegas Combat Robotics were dealt pit table #39.
• JackPot was originally set to face Cobalt, Warthog and Slammo! in its BattleBots FaceOffs group, before it swapped to Group B in late September.