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2 | CRIBBAGE | |
3 | from | |
4 | According to Hoyle | |
5 | ||
cd2cb096 | 6 | Cribbage is believed to have been invented by Sir John Suckling (1609-1642). |
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7 | Probably it is an elaboration of an older game, Noddy. The original game |
8 | was played with hands of five cards; the modern game gives each player | |
9 | six. That is virtually the only change from Suckling's directions. | |
10 | ||
11 | Players: | |
12 | ||
13 | Two. There are variants for three and four players, described | |
14 | later. | |
15 | ||
16 | Cards: | |
17 | ||
18 | The pack of 52. The cards in each suit rank: K (high), Q, J, 10, | |
19 | 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A. The counting values are: K, Q, J, 10, each 10 | |
20 | (wherefore these are called tenth cards); ace, 1; each other card, its | |
21 | index value. | |
22 | ||
23 | Cribbage Board: | |
24 | ||
25 | Indispensable to scoring (unless you have a computer!, ed.) is | |
26 | the device known as the cribbage board. This is a rectangular panel, long | |
27 | and narrow, in which are four rows of 30 holes each. (See illustration.) | |
28 | At one end, or in the center, are two or four additional holes, called | |
29 | game holes. The board is placed between the two players, and each keeps | |
30 | his own score on the two rows of holes nearest himself. Each is supplied | |
31 | with two pegs. Before the first hand, the pegs are placed in the game | |
32 | holes. On making his first score, the player advances one peg an | |
33 | appropriate number of holes (one per point) away from the game end of the | |
34 | board. The second score is recorded by placing the second peg an | |
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35 | appropriate distance ahead of the first. For each subsequent score, the |
36 | rear peg is jumped ahead of the other, the distance between the two pegs | |
37 | always showing the amount of this last score. | |
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38 | |
39 | The traditional mode of scoring is down (away from the game end) | |
40 | the outer row, and up the inner row. "Once around" is a game of 61 points. | |
cd2cb096 | 41 | "Twice around" is a game of 121 points. |
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42 | |
43 | Preliminaries: | |
44 | ||
45 | Cards are drawn; the lower deals first. If cards of equal rank | |
46 | are drawn, both players draw again. Dealer has the right to shuffle last. | |
47 | Nondealer cuts, and must leave at least four cards in each packet. | |
48 | ||
49 | Dealing: | |
50 | ||
51 | Each player receives six cards, dealt one at a time face down, | |
52 | beginning with the nondealer. The turn to deal alternates. The dealer | |
53 | has an advantage. | |
54 | ||
55 | Laying Away: | |
56 | ||
57 | After seeing his hand, each player lays away two cards face down. | |
58 | The four cards laid away, placed in one pile, form the crib. The crib | |
59 | counts for the dealer. Nondealer therefore tries to lay away balking | |
60 | cards -- cards that are least likely to create a score in the crib. | |
61 | ||
62 | The Starter: | |
63 | ||
64 | After both hands have laid away, nondealer lifts off a packet from | |
65 | the top of the stock (the rest of the pack). Again, each packet must | |
66 | contain at least four cards. Dealer turns up the top card of the lower | |
67 | packer, which is then placed on top of the stock when the packets are | |
68 | reunited. The card thus turned up is called 1 the starter. If it is a | |
69 | jack, dealer immediately pegs 2, called 2 for his heels. | |
70 | ||
71 | The Play: | |
72 | ||
73 | Nondealer begins the play by laying a card from his hand face up | |
74 | on the table, announcing its counting value. Dealer then shows a card, | |
75 | announcing the total count of the two cards. Play continues in the same | |
76 | way, by alternate exposure of cards, each player announcing the new total | |
77 | count. The total may be carried only to 31, no further. If a player adds | |
78 | a card that brings the total exactly to 31, he pegs 2. If a player is | |
79 | unable to play another card without exceeding 31, he must say "Go," and | |
80 | his opponent pegs 1, but before doing so, opponent must lay down any | |
81 | additional cards he can without exceeding 31. If such additional cards | |
82 | bring the total to exactly 31, he pegs 2 instead of 1. | |
83 | ||
84 | Whenever a go occurs, the opponent of the player who played the | |
85 | last card must lead for a new count starting at zero. Playing the last | |
86 | card of all counts as a go. (Since nondealer makes the opening lead, | |
87 | dealer is bound to peg at least 1 in play.) | |
88 | ||
89 | Besides pegging for 31 and go, the player may also peg for certain | |
cd2cb096 | 90 | combinations made in play, as follows: |
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91 | |
92 | Fifteen: | |
93 | Making the count total 15 pegs 2. | |
94 | Pair: | |
95 | Playing a card of same rank as that previously played pegs | |
96 | 2. Playing a third card of the same rank makes pair royal | |
97 | and pegs 6. Playing the fourth card of the same rank | |
98 | makes double pair royal and pegs 12. | |
99 | ||
100 | The tenth cards pair strictly by rank, a king with a king, | |
101 | a queen with a queen, and so on. (King and jack do not | |
102 | make a pair, although each has the counting value 10.) | |
103 | Run: | |
104 | Playing a card which, with the two or more played | |
105 | immediately previously, makes a sequence of three or more | |
106 | cards, pegs 1 for each card in the run. Runs depend on | |
107 | rank alone; the suits do not matter. Nor does the score | |
108 | for run depend upon playing the cards in strict sequence, | |
109 | so long as the three or more last cards played can be | |
110 | arranged in a run. Example: 7, 6, 8 played in that order | |
111 | score 3 for run; 5, 2, 4, 3 played in that order score 4 | |
112 | for run. | |
113 | ||
114 | Any of the foregoing combinations count, whether the cards | |
115 | are played alternately or one player plays several times | |
116 | in succession in consequence of a go. But a combination | |
117 | does not score if it is interrupted by a go. | |
118 | ||
119 | Showing: | |
120 | After the play, the hands are shown (counted). Nondealer | |
121 | shows first, then dealer's hand, then crib. The starter | |
122 | is deemed to belong to each hand, so that each hand includes | |
123 | five cards. Combinations of scoring value are as follows: | |
124 | ||
125 | Fifteen: | |
126 | Each combinations of two or more cards that total | |
127 | fifteen scores 2. | |
128 | Pair: | |
129 | Each pair of cards of the same rank scores 2. | |
130 | ||
131 | Run: | |
132 | Each combination of three or more cards in sequence | |
133 | scores 1 for each card in the run. | |
134 | Flush: | |
135 | Four cards of the same suit in hand score 4; four | |
136 | cards in hand or crib of same suit as the starter | |
137 | score 5. (No count for four-flush in crib.) | |
138 | His Nobs: | |
139 | Jack of same suit as the starter, in hand or crib, | |
140 | scores 1. | |
141 | ||
142 | It is important to note that every separate grouping of cards that | |
143 | makes a fifteen, pair, or run counts separately. Three of a kind, pair | |
144 | royal, counts 6 because three sets of pairs can be made; similarly, four | |
145 | of a kind, double pair royal, contain six pairs and count 12. | |
146 | ||
147 | The highest possible hand is J, 5, 5, 5 with the starter the 5 of | |
148 | the same suit as the jack. There are four fifteens by combining the jack | |
149 | with a five, four more by combinations of three fives (a total of 16 for | |
150 | fifteens); the double pair royal adds 12 for a total of 28; and his nobs | |
151 | adds 1 for a maximum score of 29. (the score of 2 for his heels does not | |
152 | count in the total of the hand, since it is pegged before the play.) | |
153 | ||
154 | A double run is a run with one card duplicated, as 4-3-3-2. | |
155 | Exclusive of fifteens, a double run of three cards counts 8; of four cards, | |
156 | 10. A triple run is a run of three with one card triplicated, as K-K-K-Q-J. | |
157 | Exclusive of fifteens, it counts 15. A quadruple run is a run of three | |
158 | with two different cards duplicated, as the example 8-8-7-6-6 previously | |
159 | given. Exclusive of fifteens, it counts 16. | |
160 | ||
161 | No hand can be constructed that counts 19, 25, 26 or 27. A | |
162 | time-honored way of showing a hand with not a single counting combination | |
163 | is to say "I have nineteen." | |
164 | ||
165 | The customary order in showing is to count fifteens first, then | |
166 | runs, then pairs, but there is no compulsion of law. Example: A hand | |
167 | (with starter) of 9-6-5-4-4 will usually be counted "Fifteen 2, fifteen | |
168 | 4, fifteen 6 and double run makes 14," or simply "Fifteen 6 and 8 is 14." | |
169 | ||
170 | Muggins: | |
171 | ||
172 | The hands and crib are counted aloud, and if a player claims a | |
173 | greater total than is due him, his opponent may require correction. In | |
174 | some localities, if a player claims less than is due, his opponent may | |
175 | say "Muggins" and himself score the points overlooked. | |
176 | ||
177 | Scoring: | |
178 | ||
179 | The usual game is 121, but it may be set at 61 by agreement. | |
180 | Since the player wins who first returns to the game hole by going "twice | |
181 | around," the scores must be pegged strictly in order: his heels, pegging | |
182 | in play, non-dealer's hand, dealer's hand, crib. Thus, if nondealer goes | |
183 | out on showing his hand, he wins, even though dealer might have gone out | |
184 | with a greater total if allowed to count his hand and crib. | |
185 | ||
186 | When the game of 121 is played for a stake, a player wins a single | |
187 | game if the loser makes 61 points or more. If the loser fails to reach | |
188 | 61, he is lurched, and the other wins a double game. | |
189 | ||
190 | Irregularities: | |
191 | ||
192 | Misdeal. There must be a new deal by the same dealer if a card | |
193 | is found faced in the pack, if a card is exposed in dealing, or if the | |
194 | pack be found imperfect. | |
195 | ||
196 | Wrong Number of Cards. If one hand (not crib) is found to have | |
197 | the wrong number of cards after laying away for the crib, the other hand | |
198 | and crib being correct, the opponent may either demand a new deal or may | |
199 | peg 2 and rectify the hand. If the crib is incorrect, both hands being | |
200 | correct, nondealer pegs 2 and the crib is corrected. | |
201 | ||
202 | Error in Pegging: | |
203 | ||
204 | If a player places a peg short of the amount to which he is | |
205 | entitled, he may not correct his error after he has played the next card | |
206 | or after the cut for the next deal. If he pegs more than his announced | |
207 | score, the error must be corrected on demand at any time before the cut | |
208 | for the next deal and his opponent pegs 2. | |
209 | ||
210 | Strategy: | |
211 | ||
212 | The best balking cards are kings and aces, because they have the | |
213 | least chance of producing sequences. Tenth cards are generally good, | |
214 | provided that the two cards laid away are not too near (likely to make a | |
215 | sequence). When nothing better offers, give two wide cards -- at least | |
216 | three apart in rank. | |
217 | ||
218 | Proverbially the safest lead is a 4. The next card cannot make | |
219 | a 15. Lower cards are also safe from this point of view, but are better | |
220 | treasured for go and 31. The most dangerous leads are 7 and 8, but may | |
221 | be made to trap the opponent when they are backed with other close cards. | |
222 | Generally speaking, play on (toward a sequence) when you have close cards | |
223 | and off when you do not. However, the state of the score is a | |
224 | consideration. If far behind, play on when there is any chance of building | |
225 | a score for yourself; if well ahead, balk your opponent by playing off | |
226 | unless you will surely peg as much as he by playing on. |