Cribbage - The distinctive board used since the early 17th century

What is Cribbage?

Cribbage is a game created by Sir John Suckling, who was an English poet back in 1630, that descended from an English card game known as Noddy.

Cribbage belongs to the family of card games known as adders — games in which the idea is to add successive card values to a running total with the aim of making certain totals, in this case, 31.

Cribbage’s most distinctive and interesting facet is its use of a board to keep score, rather than a pen and paper. This also makes scoring more efficient which in turns makes the game more fast-paced and engaging.

The Cards and Cribbage board

Cribbage is played with an ordinary 52-card deck with the jokers removed. The cribbage boards used to keep score are traditionally made of wood, with 30, 60 or 120 holes per player.

A typical Cribbage board template is a sequence of holes, known as streets, laid out in a cyclic fashion. Scores are kept across the whole game, so two pegs are used per player. These pegs are used in an alternating fashion, such that the previous peg always remains to show the previous score.

While that forms the essential score-counting part of the board, there are also certain other boards that incorporate a separate game-counter, which shows the number of games won by each side. This game is tailored for 2 or 3 players, however, players can form teams of two in a four player game.

Object of the Game

The object of the game is to accumulate points to the target 121 points (or 61 points). Points are earned by making card combinations.

Draw, Shuffle, Cut, and Deal

The Draw, Shuffle, and Cut

From a shuffled pack face down, each player cuts a card, leaving at least four cards at either end of the pack. If both players cut cards of the same rank, each draws again. The player with the lower card deals the first hand. Thereafter, the turn to deal alternates between the two players, except that the loser of the game deals first if another game is played. The dealer has the right to shuffle last, and the dealer presents the cards to the non-dealer or Pone — in cribbage Pone is the name given to the non-dealer player in a two-player game, or the player to the dealer's left in a three or four-handed game — for the cut prior to the deal. (In some games, there is no cut at this time.)

The Deal

The dealer distributes six cards face down to the opponent and himself, beginning with the opponent.

The Crib

Each player looks at their six cards and lays away two of them face down to reduce the hand to four. The four cards laid away together constitute the crib. The crib belongs to the dealer, but these cards are not exposed or used until after the hands have been played.

Before the Play

After the crib is laid away, the Pone cuts the pack. The dealer turns up the top card of the lower packet and places it face up on top of the pack. This card is the starter. If the starter is a jack, it is called His Heels, and the dealer pegs (scores) 2 points at once. The starter is not used in the play phase of Cribbage, but is used later for making various card combinations that score points.

The Play

After the starter is turned, the non-dealer or Pone lays one of his cards face up on the table. The dealer similarly exposes a card, then Pone again, and so on — the hands are exposed card by card, alternately except for a Go, as noted below. Each player keeps his cards separate from those of his opponent.

As each person plays, he announces a running total of pips reached by the addition of the last card to all those previously played. (Example: The Pone begins with a four, saying Four. The dealer plays a nine, saying Thirteen.) The kings, queens and jacks count 10 each; every other card counts its pip value (the ace counts one).

The Go

During play, the running total of cards may never be carried beyond 31. If a player cannot add another card without exceeding 31, the player says Go and the opponent pegs 1. After gaining the Go, the opponent must first lay down any additional cards the player can without exceeding 31. Besides the point for Go, the player may then score any additional points that can be made through pairs and runs (described later). If a player reaches exactly 31, the player pegs two instead of one for Go.

The player who called Go leads for the next series of plays, with the count starting at zero. The lead may not be combined with any cards previously played to form a scoring combination; the Go has interrupted the sequence.

The player who plays the last card pegs one for Go, plus one extra if the card brings the count to exactly 31. The dealer is sure to peg at least one point in every hand, for the dealer will have a Go on the last card if not earlier.

The Go Confusion

The cribbage rules for scoring Go sometimes cause confusion. You earn a point for go when your opponent cannot go. This may be (a) because the player has no cards (sometimes called One for last), or (b) because the player cannot play without going over 31 (One for the go). In either case if a player makes the total 31 the player scores only 2 points on the cribbage board, not 3 (because the go is included, as described above). However, the player may well make 15 with the last card (in which case the player does score 3).

Example 1

• Alice (Pone) plays a 4, for a total of 4, and says 'Four.'
• Bob plays a 7, for a total of 11, and says 'Eleven.''
• Alice plays another 4, for a total of 15, and says 'Fifteen for two.' [and pegs 2 points]
• Bob plays a Jack, for a total of 25, and says 'Twenty-five.'
• Alice cannot go, as any of her remaining cards would take the total over 31. She says 'go.'
• Bob plays a 5, for a total of 30, and says 'Thirty, and one for the go' [and pegs 1 point]
  
  The count now goes back to zero, and the play continues. Since Bob played the last card, Alice goes first now.
• Alice plays a 7, for a total of 7, and says 'Seven.'
• Bob plays an 8, for a total of 15, and says 'Fifteen for two.' [and pegs 2 points]
• Alice plays a 9, for a total of 24, and says 'Twenty-four for three.' [and pegs 3 points for her run of 7-8-9]
• Bob cannot go, as he has run out of cards. He therefore says 'Go,' and Alice pegs a point for the go. She also has run out of cards and so the game proceeds to the next phase.

Example 2

• Bob (Pone) plays a 4, for a total of 4, and says 'Four.'
• Alice plays another 4, for a total of 8, and says 'Eight for two.' [and pegs 2 points for the pair]
• Bob plays a third 4, for a total of 12, and says 'Twelve for six.' [and pegs 6 points for the pair royal ]
• Alice plays a 3, for a total of 15, and says 'Fifteen for two.' [and pegs 2 points]
• Bob plays a 2, for a total of 17, and says 'Seventeen for three.' [and pegs 3 points for the run 4-3-2]
• Alice plays a 5, for a total of 22, and says 'Twenty-two for four.' [and pegs 4 points for the run 5-4-3-2]
• Bob cannot go without going over 31, and so says 'Go.'
• Alice plays a 9, for a total of 31, and says 'Thirty-one for two.' [and pegs 2 points. 'One for the go' is only scored when the scoring player does not make 31.]
  
  The count is now reset, and Bob plays first, as Alice played last.
• Bob plays a Queen, for a total of 10, and says 'Ten.'
• Alice cannot go, as she has run out of cards, and so says 'Go.' [Bob pegs 1 point for the go.]

Renege

If a player says 'Go' when they had a card they could legally play, this is a breach of the rules called a renege.

Renege in Cribbage is when you should play a card but do not. For example, if you say 'Go' when you could have played a card without going over 31. In Cribbage you must always play a card if you can, so reneging is against the rules.

The ACC Cribbage Rules state that (in ACC-sanctioned tournament play), a player may correct a go call before either player pegs a point or before the opponent plays a card. If this does not happen and the player subsequently plays a renege card, the opponent may claim a renege up to the time they play the next card or announces the count of their hand.

When a renege is claimed, any cards played after the renege or "go" are returned to the players, and any points pegged (or scored) are cancelled. The player who was reneged against gets two points for each renege card: for example, if the count is 25 and a player holds A, 5, and 6 and does not play any of the three cards and says "go," that is a "triple renege," and the opponent gets six points (two for each card). See penalties in cribbage for details of other penalty points that can be scored in cribbage.

An optional rule that is sometimes played forbids a player from scoring a go when the player is in the stinkhole (on 120 points). This is not part of the standard rules, however.

Pegging

The object in play is to score points by pegging. In addition to a Go, a player may score for the following combinations:

• Fifteen: For adding a card that makes the total 15 Peg 2
• Pair: For adding a card of the same rank as the card just played Peg 2
  
  (Note that face cards pair only by actual rank: jack with jack, but not jack with queen.)
• Triplet: For adding the third card of the same rank. Peg 6
• Four: (also called "Double Pair" or "Double Pair Royal")
• For adding the fourth card of the same rank Peg 12
• Run (Sequence): For adding a card that forms, with those just played:
  • For a sequence of three Peg 3
  • For a sequence of four. Peg 4
  • For a sequence of five. Peg 5

(Peg one point more for each extra card of a sequence. Note that runs are independent of suits, but go strictly by rank; to illustrate: 9, 10, J, or J, 9, 10 is a run but 9, 10, Q is not.)

It is important to keep track of the order in which cards are played to determine whether what looks like a sequence or a run has been interrupted by a foreign card. Example: Cards are played in this order: 8, 7, 7, 6. The dealer pegs 2 for 15, and the opponent pegs 2 for pair, but the dealer cannot peg for run because of the extra seven (foreign card) that has been played. Example: Cards are played in this order: 9, 6, 8, 7. The dealer pegs 2 for fifteen when the dealer plays the six and pegs 4 for run when the dealer plays the seven (the 6, 7, 8, 9 sequence). The cards were not played in sequential order, but they form a true run with no foreign card.

Counting the Hands

When play ends, the three hands are counted in order: non-dealer's hand (first), dealer's hand (second), and then the crib (third). This order is important because, toward the end of a game, the non-dealer may "count out" and win before the dealer has a chance to count, even though the dealer's total would have exceeded that of the opponent. The starter is considered to be a part of each hand, so that all hands in counting comprise five cards. The basic scoring formations are as follows:

Combination Counts

• Fifteen: Each set of cards that total 15, 2 points each
• Pair: Two cards of equal rank, 2 points each
• Run: Sequence of 3+ cards, 1 point per card
• Flush: 4 cards of the same suit (not including the crib or the starter), 4 points
• 4 cards in hand or in the crib that are the same suit as the starter, 5 points
• His Nobs: Jack of the same suit as the starter either in hand or in the crib, 1 point each

Combinations

In the above list, the word combination is used in the strict technical sense. Each and every combination of two cards that make a pair, of two or more cards that make 15, or of three or more cards that make a run, count separately.

Example: A hand (including the starter) comprised of 8, 7, 7, 6, 2 scores 8 points for four combinations that total 15: the 8 with one 7, and the 8 with the other 7; the 6, 2 with each of the two 7s. The same hand also scores 2 for a pair, and 6 for two runs of three (8, 7, 6 using each of the two 7s). The total score is 16. An experienced player computes the hand thusly: Fifteen 2, fifteen 4, fifteen 6, fifteen 8, and 8 for double run is 16.

Note that the ace is always low and cannot form a sequence with a king. Furthermore, a flush cannot happen during the play of the cards; it occurs only when the hands and the crib are counted.

Certain basic formulations should be learned to facilitate counting. For pairs and runs alone:

1. A triplet counts 6.
2. Four of a kind counts 12.
3. A run of three, with one card duplicated (double run) counts 8.
4. A run of four, with one card duplicated, counts 10.
5. A run of three, with one card triplicated (triple run), counts 15.
6. A run of three, with two different cards duplicated, counts 16.

A PERFECT 29!

Perfect 29 Hand!

The highest possible score for combinations in a single Cribbage deal is 29, and it may occur only once in a Cribbage player's lifetime — in fact, experts say that a 29 is probably as rare as a hole-in-one in golf. To make this amazing score, a player must have a five as the starter (upcard) and the other three fives plus the jack of the same suit as the starter — His Nobs: 1 point — in the players hand. The double pair royal (four 5s) peg another 12 points; the various fives used to hit 15 can be done four ways for 8 points; and the jack plus a 5 to hit 15 can also be done four ways for 8 points. Total = 29 points.

Difficulty Counting?

The following list includes many of the hands that may give the beginner some difficulty in counting. Note that no hand can make a count of 19, 25, 26, or 27. (In the chart below J stands for His Nobs, the jack of the same suit as the starter.

Muggins (optional)

Each player must count his hand (and crib) aloud and announce the total. If the player overlooks any score, the opponent may say Muggins and then score the overlooked points for themself. For experienced players, the Muggins rule is always in effect and adds even more suspense to the game.

Example Hands

Hand 1

This is a complicated hand, so follow this standard counting procedure. First count the 15s. How many can you see?

Each of the 5s can make 15 with the 10 - that's 2 15s. Each of the 5s can also make 15 with the 6-4 - that's another 2 15s. That's 4 15s in total, making 8 points.

Now look for pairs. There is one pair of 5s, making a further 2 points - that's 10 in total.

Now look for runs. Each of the 5s can make a 4-5-6 run of 3 - that's 3 points per run, 6 points in all, and the hand total so far is 16. Finally, look for flushes and 'nobs' - there are none. So the hand scores 16.

Hand 2

Remember, count 15s first, then pairs, then sequences, then flushes and nobs. The answer is at the bottom of the page.

Hand 3

It is easy to miss 2 of the points in this hand. Check your answer.

End Game

Cribbage can be set at either 121 points or 61 points and the game ends once a player reaches the target points whether by pegging or counting the hand. If the non-dealer or Pone goes out first by the count of the hand, the game immediately ends and the dealer may not score either his hand or the crib.

If a player wins the game before the loser has passed the halfway mark (did not reach 31 in a game of 61, or 61 in a game of 121), the loser is lurched, and the winner scores for two games rather than just one. A popular variation played to 121, is a skunk (double game) for the winner if the losing player fails to pass the three-quarter mark — 91 points or more — and it is a double skunk (quadruple game) if the loser fails to pass the halfway mark (61 or more points).

Strategy

The Crib

The Crib. If the dealer is discarding for the crib, the dealer should salt it with the best possible cards, but at the same time retain good cards in the dealer's hand that can be used for high scoring. Conversely, for the non-dealer or Pone, it is best to lay out cards that will be the least advantageous for the dealer. Laying out a five would be the worst choice, for the dealer could use it to make 15 with any one of the ten-cards (10, J, Q, K). Laying out a pair is usually a poor choice too, and the same goes for sequential cards, such as putting both a six and seven in the crib. The ace and king tend to be good cards to put in the crib because it is harder to use them in a run.

The Play

As expected, the five makes for the worst lead in that there are so many ten-cards that the opponent can use to make a 15. Leading from a pair is a good idea, for even if the opponent makes a pair, the leader can play the other matching card from their hand and collect for a pair royal. Leading an ace or deuce is not a good idea, for these cards should be saved until later to help make a 15, a Go, or a 31. The safest lead is a four because this card cannot be used to make a 15 at the opponent’s very next turn. Finally, when the opponent leads a card that can either be paired or make 15, the latter choice is preferred.

During the play, it is advisable not to try to make a count of 21, for the opponent can then play one of the many 10-cards and make 31 to gain two points.

Play 5s Early

Play 5s as early as possible to avoid them being trapped. For example, if the hand is 5-J-Q-K and the opponent's hand is 3-6-7-8, the play might go like this. Leading with one of the ten-cards the opponent replies with the 8, hoping another ten-card will be played so that they can make 31 with the 3, and replying a 6 to the next ten-lead, resulting in: 10 - 6 - 5 - 7 for a three-point run and go. That is a six-point trap. If the opponent does not have a 5-shaped hand (has not played any 10s or 5s), the 5 should be a safe lead.

Answers

See Example Hands for the Questions

Answer Example Hand 2

13 points. The J-2 makes 15 with both 3s, that's 4; a pair of 3s adds 2 to make 6; two runs A-2-3 add 6 to make 12; the Jack of nobs adds 1 point to make 13.

Answer Example Hand 3

6 points. The 3-3-4-4-A adds up to 15, that's 2; two pairs add 4 to make 6. Did you miss the 15?