|
Cribbage Game Rules
| Object of
the game The Layout of cribbage How to play Cribbage Strategy The Play Play Strategy The Opening Lead Play Of The Hand After The Initial Lead Scoring System Counting the Points End of Game Points The Scoring System |
 click here for more information on 21st Century Cribbageand to download a full version demo |
Object of the gameThe first player to cross the finish line, 121 points, wins the game. Points are scored by combining cards in pairs, runs, and combinations that add up to 15, during the play and after counting your hand and crib. The Layout When the game starts your hand of six cards is displayed face up
at the bottom of the screen just above the command bar. Your opponent's hand, the
computer, is displayed face down at the top of the screen. The crib hand, with the two
discards from your opponent, is displayed across the middle of the screen waiting for your
discards. The cribbage board floats above the table at the right of the screen. At the start of a game each player is dealt six cards and must immediately discard two, face down, to the crib. The crib is an extra hand that alternates players between deals. The player with the crib is called the dealer the other player is called the elder. Points in your hand accumulate from pairs (2 or more of a kind), runs (3 or more in sequence) and combinations of cards that add to 15. What you discard to the crib depends on whether you are the dealer or the elder during that round. At the end of the round the points in the crib go to the dealer. Strategy-cribDeciding which two cards to discard to the crib is an important
part of each hand. You should assess the value of your hand for pairs, runs and
combinations of cards that can total 15 in order to maximize the actual and potential
value of your hand. Generally a hand value between 10 and 20 points is considered good and
7 is about average. For the record the highest scoring single hand is 29 (four 5s and a
J). For information on Cribbage Strategy Play StrategyIt is generally not a good idea to start the play with a 5 or 10-valued card since it
is very likely your opponent will have a 10 or 5 to make 15 After the crib has been chosen. You must decide what card you want to start off with the opening lead. There is no safe opening lead because you have no idea what your opponent has in their hand. But here are some pointers that can help you in your decision, remember that if your lead is higher than four, your opponent may make 15. The play begins after the starter card is drawn.
Non-dealer plays first by laying one card from their hand to the table and announcing the
total. The dealer plays the next card and announces the total. The idea during play is to
acquire points by making pairs, runs or 15's from the played cards. You want to be careful
also not to lay out cards that are close in rank in order to avoid a run. The maximum
total of played cards is 31. The player that lays a card, which totals exactly 31,
receives 2 points. If a player cannot lay a card that keeps the total at 31 or less he
must announce a "Go" and pass the play. The remaining player must lay out their
remaining cards that keep the total to 31 or less and receives one point for the Go and
two points if he was able to total exactly 31. The play then continues again starting from
zero in this way until all cards are played out. The running total count is displayed at
the bottom of the screen. The player that lays the very last card of the play receives one
point This option plays a game of duplicate crib. In duplicate
crib you play one game to completion then in the next game you receive the cards that your
opponent was dealt in the previous game and visa versa for your opponent. This method of
play eliminates any luck in the deal. The Starter card is also repeated in the duplicate
game. |
| 1 (and Ace) | Seldom a good lead unless you also have a 4. Aces are valuable for pegging when the count gets up toward thirty-one. | ||
| 2 | Generally good, although this card may be valuable for pegging later. If you have two 2s and a 3, this is an excellent lead; if your opponent pairs it you get three of a kind; if your opponent plays a 10 then you get a fifteen. | ||
| 3 | Generally good, if you also have a 2, the 3 is an even better lead; if your opponent plays a 10, you get a fifteen; if he doesn't, you still have a deuce for pegging. If you have two 3s and a deuce, the lead is perfect. | ||
| 4 | Probably the best of all leads; doubly good if you also have an Ace. The 4 can't be made into fifteen and it is not as useful as a 1, 2 or 3 for pegging. Also, any card your opponent plays gives you an opportunity for a fifteen | ||
| 5 | The worst lead of the game because of the high probability that your opponent has a 10. | ||
| 6 | Generally alright. It is better if you have a nine because if your opponent plays a nine for fifteen, you can match it, for a pair. STOP | ||
| 7 | Seldom good. If your opponent plays an 8, you hesitate to play a 6 as that would bring the total to twenty-one, an open door for your opponent to make thirty-one. | ||
| 8 | Almost as dangerous as a 7. | ||
| 9 | Seldom a good lead. If your opponent plays a 6 for a fifteen and you pair it the count goes to twenty-one. | ||
| 10 | The most frequent lead. Especially good if the starter card is 5 or you have one in your hand as that reduces the possibility of your opponent having one to make a fifteen. |
| If you have a run of any cards, play the
middle one, I.E. if you have J Q K lead with the Q. If your opponent plays with any 10er,
you score. Play Of The Hand After The Initial Lead There is no simple answer to how you should play the hand after the opening lead. Just keep these five objectives mind mind as you play the hand. |
| 1 | Play to reach 15, scoring 2 points. | |
| 2 | Aim to hit 31 and score 2 points. | |
| 3 | Formation of Matches: - Pairing the previous
card played scores 2 points. - Making triplets (three of a kind) scores 6 points - Lining up quadruplets If, after a pairs has been made, another card of the same rank can be played immediately (provided that no Go or 31 has intervened), the player of the fourth card scores 12 points. |
|
| 4 | Look for straights: - Three card straight, 3
points - Four card straight, 4 points |
|
| 5 | Play defensive, prevent your opponent from reaching 15, matches, a straight,31, or the go. |
Counting the points After the play each player collects their cards from the table. The Elder player counts their hand first followed by the Dealers hand and then the Dealers crib. The game displays the card counts for you pointing out which cards contribute to which points. All points are recorded for you on the peg board. Your pegs move along the red (outside) track, the computer uses the blue (inside) track. Each player has two pegs that leapfrog over each other when points are made. The leading peg represents your current score. End of Game Points At the end of each game the point difference is calculated and you win or lose $1 per point. If you beat the computer by 10 points then you are awarded $10. If the loser has not scored higher than the Skunk mark (90 points) then the winner is awarded an extra game on the score card. An example is if you only play one game and you lose by more than 90 points, then it will show on the score card that you have lost two games. |
| The
Scoring System During the play points for runs (three or more cards in numerical
sequence) do not have to be laid out in order but do have to be adjacent. For example the
sequence 9,10,J and 10,J,9 are both worth 3 points.
Three of a Kind 6 Four of a Kind 12 Double Run (7-6-6-5) 8 Triple Run (7-6-6-6-5) 15 Quadruple Run (7-7-6-6-5) 16 Card Values Value Ace 1 Face Card 10 2-10 face value Reference Frank L. Brown (1985) How to Play Cribbage Well. Publishing Horizons, Inc. Columbus, Ohio. |