Info

History

Cribbage was invented by English poet and playwright Sir John Suckling around 1631. This fast-paced card game is unusual in that it traditionally uses a board to keep track of the score.

Cribbage is a two, three or four player game. A standard two-player cribbage board has four parallel rows of 30 holes each plus two pegs for each player. Two rows are used by each player; thus each player moves his or her pegs around a 60-hole track, advancing one hole for each point scored. Each player is given two pegs, one peg marking the player's current score and the other peg the player's previous score. Each time new points are earned, the players rear peg moves ahead of the forward peg as many holes as the number of points earned. By convention, players travel up the board's outer tracks and down the inner tracks, which means that one player moves around a track clockwise and theother moves counterclockwise.

The object of the game is to be the first to score 121 points, which is the same as going around the board twice and then moving one more point.

How to Play

The Deal

To begin, each player cuts a card, and the player drawing the low card deals the first hand. Aces are always low. The deal shifts to the other player--or in a three- or four-player game, to the player on the left--each hand. The dealer automatically deals six (or five in three- and four-handed play) cards to each player. Players look at their cards, and each player discards two (or one in three- and four-handed play) to form the "crib." (In three-handed play, one card is added to the crib from the deck to make four cards.) The nondealer cust the deck and the dealer turns the top card face up. This card is known as the starter (or cut card). If the card is a Jack, the dealer immediately scores two points (known as "the heel" or "His Heels.")

The Play (or Pegging)

Starting with nondealer, each player in turn plays one card from his or her hand face up on the table. During the play, also known as the "pegging" phase, cards are kept in front of their owners after they are played so that players can count their hands later on.

Upon playing a card, the sum, or running total, of all the cards played so far is displayed. Aces count 1, face cards are 10 and other cards have their own face values. For example, if the nondealer begins by playing a queen, "ten" would be displayed. If the dealer then played an eight, "eighteen" would be displayed. If the nondealer then played an ace, "nineteen" would be displayed.

The running total may not exceed 31. A player who plays a card that makes the total 31 exactly scores two points, and the total is then reset to zero. The other player then continues by playing a card, which begins a new running total. If a player cannot play a card without making the total exceed 31, he is said to "go." The opponent then plays one or more cards, if possible, without going over 31, and earns a point for making the opponent "go" (or, more accurately, for having played the last card on the way to 31). But if the opponent is able to reach 31 exactly, he or she earns only the usual 2 points for 31, not an additional one for the go.

If a player is forced to "go" and the opponent cannot play a card (or any more cards) without going over 31, the opponent also is then forced to "go," which does not, however, give the first player to "go" a point. Only one player earns a go on each trip to 31. After both players "go," the count is reset to zero. A new running total is begun when the next card is played.

Play continues until both players have played all their cards. The last player to play a card scores a point (sometimes also called a "go," sometimes called a point for "last card.")

Scoring

Overview

Besides points for 31 and "go," points may be earned during the play of the hand as described below.

• Fifteens: Making the running total 15 scores two points. A player accomplishing this says, in playing his or her card, "fifteen, for two" or just "fifteen two."
  
  
• Pairs: Making a pair by playing a card of the same rank as the opponent's last-played card scores two points. "Twenty, for a pair," a player would say if the opponent begins the play with a king and the player matches it.
  
  
• Three of a Kind: Making three of a kind by playing another matching card after the opponent has made a pair scores 6 points, and says "for six" after announcing the running total.
  
  
• Four of a Kind: Making four of a kind by playing another matching card after the opponent has made three of a kind scores 12 points, and says "for 12" after announcing the running total.
  
  
• Runs: Making a run of three or more scores the number of cards in the run. A run consists of a sequence of three or more cards of successive ranks, such as 2-3-4 or 9-10-J. The cards need not be played in a particular order to constitute a run; 2-4-3, 4-3-2, or any other arrangement would still be a run of three, as long as the cards were played on three successive plays. If the cards 7, 4, and 6, are played in that order, totaling 17, the next player could play a 5 and say, "22, for a run of 4," scoring four points. Both players may score runs using some or all of the same cards; in the example, after the 7, 4, 6, 5, the next player could now play and 8 or a 3 for a run of five, scoring five points. There are no additional scores for double, triple, or quadruple runs, as there are when counting a hand (as explained below); only simple runs count during pegging.

Strategy

Basics

To play cribbage well, a player needs to learn two things: how to discard and how to peg, or play the hand. There's considerable luck in cribbage, but as in any game in which players have important decisions to make, the more skillful player will often come out on top.

Discarding

The best cards to be dealt are fives, because they form fifteens with 10s, Js, Qs, and Ks. The best possible cribbage hand, in fact, is mostly fives: 5-5-5-5-J (worth 28, or 29 if the jack is His Nobs.)

Combinations adding to five are good, too, especially when repeated and matched with a 10. For example, 2-3-3-K, is worth six, but a 10, J, or Q starter card will add four points to its value and a 2, 3, or K starter will be worth six more points.

If it's your crib, try to help yourself by putting something good there. Fives are good, pairs, or cards that touch (to form a run.) But never break up your hand in hopes of getting a good crib. Your hand is where you need to score most of your points; high-scoring cribs are unusual and require luck or an opponent's mistake.

Double runs should almost always be kept; chances of a quadruple or triple run are high enough to warrant keeping a double run even if you must help your opponent's crib a bit. An exception would be a hand like 5-5-10-10-9-8, when the best play is to throw the 9 8.

When faced with a choice of face cards to discard, throwing a King into the opponent's crib is better than throwing a Queen or Jack, since it's hardest to form a run with a King (eg. a K needs a Q-J, whereas a Q needs K-J or J-10 and a J needs K-Q, Q-10, or 10-9.) For your own crib, of course, a Jack is best and a King is worst. Try not to put cards that are close together into the opponent's crib.

When there's a conflict between helping the opponent's crib and keeping your own hand intact, consider the score of the game. If you're ahead and it's okay if you both score big, you might take a chance on giving the opponent a big crib. But if you're behind, you want to play defensively and slow down the game, which means you should give up your own best hand to avoid helping the opponent.

Try to avoid putting combinations into the opponent's crib that could result in a 24 hand (quadruple runs involving 8-7-6 or 6-5-4.)

Putting a five into your own crib is a good idea if it doesn't do much in your hand. The opponent is likely to throw at least one 10 card into your crib on most deals.

If it's late in the game and you need to peg out from a short distance from home, it's good to keep a combination of cards totaling 11. This often allows you to score two points for 31.

Pegging

Playing the hand requires careful thinking. Consider how many different cards will allow the opponent to score if you make a particular lead. For example, leading a Queen gives the opponent seven chances to score: any of the deck's four fives or three queens will let the opponent score two points (either for fifteen or a pair.) If you hold a five and another Queen, though, the opponent has two fewer cards to score, and can't score at all without allowing you a counterplay.

The safest opening leads are cards below a five, since they don't allow the opponent to make a fifteen right away. If you have only one low card, you may want to save it for later; thus, with a hand such as K-Q-J-A, you lead the King (the opponent is a little less likely to pair this than the Queen or Jack, since those form runs more ways.) If instead you lead the Ace, the opponent may play 11, you 21, and the opponent 31, which is bad for you. But if you held K-Q-J-2, you should lead the 2 because now you can safely pair any face card the opponent may play without worrying about a three-of-a kind or an easy 31. The opponent could still hit 31 with a nine, it's true, but this is much less likely.

If possible, try to cover yourself in case the opponent pairs you or makes fifteen. For example, if you hold 2-3-6-9, lead the 3 rather than the 2, because if it's paired you can make fifteen.

Try to figure out the opponent's likely hand from the cards he or she has played so far. At the same time, try to disguise your own hand. If you have two or three cards of the same suit, play them in preference to like cards of other suits in order to mislead the opponent into thinking you have a flush.

Low pairs such as Aces can be very good to hold when you need to peg a lot of points. If the opponent says go, you can play them consecutively and score the pair (plus a point for the go.)

If you're the dealer and you hold two cards that would form a run with a five (3-4, 4-6 or 6-7), you have a good chance to score a run by saving these cards if, as is fairly likely, your opponent holds a five. Your opponent won't likely lead the five, and may well hold it to the end, after 31 has been reached. Chances are then good that the last three cards played will give you a run, plus a point for last card.

Every pegging decision should take into account the score of the game. If you need to peg out because the opponent will count first and is likely to go out, or if the opponent is close to pegging out and you just need to hold on because you will count first, your pegging strategy will be very different from your strategy early in the game. Ask yourself whether offense or defense is more important and play accordingly. Suppose, for example, the opponent leads a card that you can pair: Should you? Generally yes; even though it risks giving your opponent a six-point play if the opponent was leading from a pair. In the long run making the pair will gain more points than it will lose. If, however, six points would give the opponent the game, you should play differently, emphasizing defense. Similarly, it's all right to make a run that may allow the opponent a longer run when you're playing offensively, but not when defense is essential.