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6cca9b39 KM |
1 | .\" Copyright (c) 1980 Regents of the University of California. |
2 | .\" All rights reserved. The Berkeley software License Agreement | |
3 | .\" specifies the terms and conditions for redistribution. | |
cd2cb096 | 4 | .\" |
6cca9b39 | 5 | .\" @(#)cribbage.n 5.1 (Berkeley) %G% |
cd2cb096 KA |
6 | .\" |
7 | .so macro | |
8 | .na | |
9 | .PH "CRIBBAGE" | |
10 | .sp 2 | |
11 | .ce | |
12 | from | |
13 | .sp | |
14 | .ce | |
15 | .ul | |
16 | According to Hoyle | |
17 | .sp 2 | |
18 | .PG | |
19 | Cribbage is believed to have been invented by Sir John Suckling (1609-1642). | |
20 | Probably it is an elaboration of an older game, Noddy. The original game was | |
21 | played with hands of five cards; the modern game gives each player six. That | |
22 | is virtually the only change from Suckling's directions. | |
23 | .HP "Players." | |
24 | Two. There are variants for three and four players, described later. | |
25 | .HP "Cards." | |
26 | The pack of 52. The cards in each suit rank: K (high), Q, J, 10, 9, 8, | |
27 | 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A. The | |
28 | .ul | |
29 | counting values | |
30 | are: K, Q, J, 10, each 10 (wherefore these are called | |
31 | .ul | |
32 | tenth cards); | |
33 | ace, 1; each other card, its index value. | |
34 | .HP "Cribbage Board". | |
35 | Indispensable to scoring (unless you have a computer!, ed.) is the device | |
36 | known as the | |
37 | .ul | |
38 | cribbage board. | |
39 | This is a rectangular panel, long and narrow, in which are | |
40 | four rows of 30 holes each. (See illustration.) At one end, or in the center, | |
41 | are two or four additional holes, called | |
42 | .ul | |
43 | game holes. | |
44 | The board is placed between the two players, and each keeps his own score on | |
45 | the two rows of holes nearest himself. Each is supplied with two | |
46 | .ul | |
47 | pegs. | |
48 | Before the first hand, the pegs are placed in the game holes. On | |
49 | making his first score, the player advances one peg an appropriate number | |
50 | of holes (one per point) away from the | |
51 | .ul | |
52 | game end | |
53 | of the board. The second score is recorded by placing the second peg an | |
54 | appropriate distance ahead of the first. For each subsequent score, the | |
55 | rear peg is jumped ahead of the other, the distance between the two pegs | |
56 | always showing the amount of this last score. | |
57 | .PG | |
58 | The traditional mode of scoring is down (away from the game end) the | |
59 | outer row, and up the inner row. "Once around" is a game of 61 points. | |
60 | "Twice around" is a game of 121 points. | |
61 | .HP "Preliminaries." | |
62 | Cards are drawn; the lower deals first. If cards of equal rank are drawn, | |
63 | both players draw again. Dealer has the right to shuffle last. Nondealer | |
64 | cuts, and must leave at least four cards in each packet. | |
65 | .HP "Dealing." | |
66 | Each player receives six cards, dealt one at a time face down, beginning | |
67 | with the nondealer. The turn to deal alternates. The dealer has an | |
68 | advantage. | |
69 | .HP "Laying Away." | |
70 | After seeing his hand, each player | |
71 | .ul | |
72 | lays away | |
73 | two cards face down. The four cards laid away, placed in one pile, form the | |
74 | .ul | |
75 | crib. | |
76 | The crib counts for the dealer. Nondealer therefore tries to lay away | |
77 | .ul | |
78 | balking cards -- | |
79 | cards that are least likely to create a score in the crib. | |
80 | .HP "The Starter." | |
81 | After both hands have laid away, nondealer lifts off a packet from the top | |
82 | of the | |
83 | .ul | |
84 | stock | |
85 | (the rest of the pack). Again, each packet must contain at least four cards. | |
86 | Dealer turns up the top card of the lower packer, which is then placed on | |
87 | top of the stock when the packets are reunited. The card thus turned up is | |
88 | called | |
89 | .ul | |
90 | 1 the starter. | |
91 | If it is a jack, dealer immediately pegs 2, called | |
92 | .ul | |
93 | 2 for his heels. | |
94 | .HP "The Play." | |
95 | Nondealer begins the play by laying a card from his hand face up on the | |
96 | table, announcing its counting value. Dealer then shows a card, announcing | |
97 | the total count of the two cards. Play continues in the same way, by | |
98 | alternate exposure of cards, each player announcing the new total count. | |
99 | The total may be carried only to 31, no further. If a player adds a card | |
100 | that brings the total exactly to 31, he pegs 2. If a player is unable to | |
101 | play another card without exceeding 31, he must say "Go," and his opponent | |
102 | pegs 1, but before doing so, opponent must lay down any additional cards he | |
103 | can without exceeding 31. If such additional cards bring the total to | |
104 | exactly 31, he pegs 2 instead of 1. | |
105 | .PG | |
106 | Whenever a | |
107 | .ul | |
108 | go | |
109 | occurs, the opponent of the player who played the last card must lead for a | |
110 | new count starting at zero. Playing the last card of all counts as a go. | |
111 | (Since nondealer makes the opening lead, dealer is bound to peg at least | |
112 | 1 in play.) | |
113 | .PG | |
114 | Besides pegging for 31 and go, the player may also peg for certain | |
115 | combinations made in play, as follows: | |
116 | .sp 2 | |
117 | .ti +4 | |
118 | .ul | |
119 | Fifteen. | |
120 | .IP | |
121 | Making the count total 15 pegs 2. | |
122 | .EP | |
123 | .sp 2 | |
124 | .ti +4 | |
125 | .ul | |
126 | Pair. | |
127 | .IP | |
128 | Playing a card of same rank as that previously played pegs 2. Playing | |
129 | a third card of the same rank makes | |
130 | .ul | |
131 | pair royal | |
132 | and pegs 6. Playing the fourth card of the same rank makes | |
133 | .ul | |
134 | double pair royal | |
135 | and pegs 12. | |
136 | .PG | |
137 | The tenth cards pair strictly by rank, a king with a king, a queen with a | |
138 | queen, and so on. (King and jack do not make a pair, although each has | |
139 | the counting value 10.) | |
140 | .EP | |
141 | .sp 2 | |
142 | .ti +4 | |
143 | .ul | |
144 | Run. | |
145 | .IP | |
146 | Playing a card which, with the two or more played immediately previously, | |
147 | makes a sequence of three or more cards, pegs 1 for each card in the | |
148 | .ul | |
149 | run. | |
150 | Runs depend on rank alone; the suits do not matter. Nor does the score | |
151 | for run depend upon playing the cards in strict sequence, so long as | |
152 | the three or more last cards played can be arranged in a run. | |
153 | .ul | |
154 | Example: | |
155 | 7, 6, 8 played in that order score 3 for run; 5, 2, 4, 3 played in that order | |
156 | score 4 for run. | |
157 | .EP | |
158 | .PG | |
159 | Any of the foregoing combinations count, whether the cards are played | |
160 | alternately or one player plays several times in succession in consequence | |
161 | of a go. But a combination does not score if it is interrupted by a go. | |
162 | .HP "Showing." | |
163 | After the play, the hands are | |
164 | .ul | |
165 | shown | |
166 | (counted). Nondealer shows first, then dealer's hand, then crib. | |
167 | The starter is deemed to belong to each hand, so that each hand includes | |
168 | five cards. Combinations of scoring value are as follows: | |
169 | .sp 2 | |
170 | .ti +4 | |
171 | .ul | |
172 | Fifteen. | |
173 | .IP | |
174 | Each combinations of two or more cards that total fifteen scores 2. | |
175 | .EP | |
176 | .sp 2 | |
177 | .ti +4 | |
178 | .ul | |
179 | Pair. | |
180 | .IP | |
181 | Each pair of cards of the same rank scores 2. | |
182 | .EP | |
183 | .sp 2 | |
184 | .ti +4 | |
185 | .ul | |
186 | Run. | |
187 | .IP | |
188 | Each combination of three or more cards in sequence scores 1 for each card | |
189 | in the run. | |
190 | .EP | |
191 | .sp 2 | |
192 | .ti +4 | |
193 | .ul | |
194 | Flush. | |
195 | .IP | |
196 | Four cards of the same suit in hand score 4; four cards in hand or crib | |
197 | of same suit as the starter score 5. (No count for four-flush in crib.) | |
198 | .EP | |
199 | .sp 2 | |
200 | .ti +4 | |
201 | .ul | |
202 | His Nobs. | |
203 | .IP | |
204 | Jack of same suit as the starter, in hand or crib, scores 1. | |
205 | .EP | |
206 | .PG | |
207 | It is important to note that every separate grouping of cards that makes | |
208 | a fifteen, pair, or run counts separately. Three of a kind, | |
209 | .ul | |
210 | pair royal, | |
211 | counts 6 because three sets of pairs can be made; similarly, four of a | |
212 | kind, | |
213 | .ul | |
214 | double pair royal, | |
215 | contain six pairs and count 12. | |
216 | .PG | |
217 | The highest possible hand is J, 5, 5, 5 with the starter the 5 of the same | |
218 | suit as the jack. There are four fifteens by combining the jack with a | |
219 | five, four more by combinations of three fives (a total of 16 for fifteens); | |
220 | the double pair royal adds 12 for a total of 28; and | |
221 | .ul | |
222 | his nobs | |
223 | adds 1 for a maximum score of 29. (the score of 2 for | |
224 | .ul | |
225 | his heels | |
226 | does not count in the total of the hand, since it is pegged before the play.) | |
227 | .PG | |
228 | A | |
229 | .ul | |
230 | double run | |
231 | is a run with one card duplicated, as 4-3-3-2. Exclusive of fifteens, a | |
232 | double run of three cards counts 8; of four cards, 10. A | |
233 | .ul | |
234 | triple run | |
235 | is a run of three with one card triplicated, as K-K-K-Q-J. Exclusive of | |
236 | fifteens, it counts 15. A | |
237 | .ul | |
238 | quadruple run | |
239 | is a run of three with two different cards duplicated, as the example | |
240 | 8-8-7-6-6 previously given. Exclusive of fifteens, it counts 16. | |
241 | .PG | |
242 | No hand can be constructed that counts 19, 25, 26 or 27. A time-honored | |
243 | way of showing a hand with not a single counting combination is to say | |
244 | "I have nineteen." | |
245 | .PG | |
246 | The customary oder in showing is to count fifteens first, then runs, then | |
247 | pairs, but there is no compulsion of law. | |
248 | .ul | |
249 | Example: | |
250 | A hand (with starter) of 9-6-5-4-4 will usually be counted "Fifteen 2, | |
251 | fifteen 4, fifteen 6 and double run makes 14," or simply "Fifteen 6 and | |
252 | 8 is 14." | |
253 | .HP "Muggins." | |
254 | The hands and crib are counted aloud, and if a player claims a greater | |
255 | total than is due him, his opponent may require correction. In some | |
256 | localities, if a player claims less than is due, his opponent may say | |
257 | "Muggins" and himself score the points overlooked. | |
258 | .HP "Scoring." | |
259 | The usual | |
260 | .ul | |
261 | game | |
262 | is 121, but it may be set at 61 by agreement. Since the player wins | |
263 | who first returns to the game hole by going "twice around," the scores | |
264 | must be pegged strictly in order: his heels, pegging in play, non-dealer's | |
265 | hand, dealer's hand, crib. Thus, if nondealer goes out on showing his | |
266 | hand, he wins, even though dealer might have gone out with a greater | |
267 | total if allowed to count his hand and crib. | |
268 | .PG | |
269 | When the game of 121 is played for a stake, a player wins a single game | |
270 | if the loser makes 61 points or more. If the loser fails to reach | |
271 | 61, he is | |
272 | .ul | |
273 | lurched, | |
274 | and the other wins a double game. | |
275 | .HP "Irregularities." | |
276 | .ul | |
277 | Misdeal. | |
278 | There must be a new deal by the same dealer if a card is found faced in the | |
279 | pack, if a card is exposed in dealing, or if the pack be found imperfect. | |
280 | .PG | |
281 | .ul | |
282 | Wrong Number of Cards. | |
283 | If one hand (not crib) is found to have the wrong number of cards after | |
284 | laying away for the crib, the other hand and crib being correct, the | |
285 | opponent may either demand a new deal or may peg 2 and rectify the | |
286 | hand. If the crib is incorrect, both hands being correct, nondealer | |
287 | pegs 2 and the crib is corrected. | |
288 | .HP "Error in Pegging." | |
289 | If a player places a peg short of the amount to which he is entitled, he | |
290 | may not correct his error after he has played the next card or after the | |
291 | cut for the next deal. If he pegs more than his announced score, | |
292 | the error must be corrected on demand at any time before the cut for the | |
293 | next deal and his opponent pegs 2. | |
294 | .HP "Strategy." | |
295 | The best balking cards are kings and aces, because they have the least | |
296 | chance of producing sequences. Tenth cards are generally good, provided | |
297 | that the two cards laid away are not too | |
298 | .ul | |
299 | near | |
300 | (likely to make a sequence). When nothing better offers, give two | |
301 | .ul | |
302 | wide | |
303 | cards -- at least three apart in rank. | |
304 | .PG | |
305 | Proverbially the safest lead is a 4. The next card cannot make a 15. | |
306 | Lower cards are also safe from this point of view, but are better | |
307 | treasured for go and 31. The most dangerous leads are 7 and 8, but | |
308 | may be made to trap the opponent when they are backed with other | |
309 | close cards. Generally speaking, play | |
310 | .ul | |
311 | on | |
312 | (toward a sequence) when you have close cards and | |
313 | .ul | |
314 | off | |
315 | when you do not. However, the state of the score is a consideration. | |
316 | If far behind, play on when there is any chance of building a score | |
317 | for yourself; if well ahead, balk your opponent by playing off unless | |
318 | you will surely peg as much as he by playing on. |