Cribbage

BASICS OF PLAYING CRIBBAGE

Object of Game

The object of the game is to score 121 points with certain card combinations as they are played. After all the cards are played, you also count points in your hand.

What is needed to play Cribbage

A standard 52 deck of cards is used along with cribbage board that has at least 2 sets of 121 holes and 4 pegs, 2 pegs for each player. Pegs are used to keep track of the points that you have scored throughout the game. Scoring is called pegging, and is done by placing the back peg ahead of the front peg by the number of “points” you scored.

The Basics

Cribbage can be played with 2, 3, or 4 players. For this class, we are only going to learn how to play with 2 people. (Once you learn this, it is easy to learn how to play with 3 or 4 players)

There are 4 basic stages to a game of cribbage (called a round)

1.     Discard cards into the crib

2.     Play cards for pegging points

3.     Count points in your hands

4.     Count points in the crib (only the dealer)

Whoever cuts the lowest card, deal first. For a game with 2 players, the dealer deals six cards to each player

Pick up the cards that are dealt to you, and put them in order from smallest to largest; Ace being the smallest and King being the largest. (You do not have to put them in order, but it can make it easier to play the game and count your points). You need to discard 2 cards into the crib so that you have four left in your hand.

Strategy: Determine which combination of cards to keep that will get the most points. Try to keep cards in your hand that are pairs, runs, flushes, and combinations that add up to 15. If it is not your crib, you discard as weak of a combination of 2 cards as possible. If it is your crib, you may try and discard cards that will add value to the crib.

The cards that you discard are placed face down in a pile in front of the dealer. This pile is known as the crib. The crib is a four card hand that is made up of discards which the dealer will count for extra points at the end of the hand.

After discarding, the person who is not the dealer cuts the remaining deck of cards and the dealer pulls the top card off of the cut deck. The cut card is placed faced up on top of the remaining deck where it will come into play later in the game. It will be used as a wild fifth card to count points at the end of the round. If the cut card is a Jack, the dealer gets 2 points. (Some people play where the non-dealer immediately gets 3 points)

After the cut, the game can begin. Each game is called a round. The person who did not deal, lays a card face down from their hand. As they lay the first card down, they need to announce the face value of that card.

Card values

·        An Ace has a value of 1

·        Cards from 2 to 10 have the value of their number

·        All picture cards (Jacks, Queens Kings) have a value of ten

Scoring points: As the game is played the following points can be obtained while the value of the cards play adds up to 31 or less.

·        When the cards add up to 15-you get 2 points

·        Any Pairs played (two of the same card)-you get 2 points

·        Three-of-a-kind- you get 6 points

·        Four of a kind– you get 12 points

§        Runs of 3 or more (they DO NOT have to be in order. Or the same suit EX: if a 4,3 and 5 is played, that is 3 points) you get 1 point for each card in the run. If the next player discards another card in the run, they get 4 points,,,etc.

·        The person who reaches 31 gets 2 points, but if 31 can not be reached, the last card gets 1 point.(note: the count can not go over 31).

·        Muggins- if a player misses points played and the other play catches them, the other player gets those point (it is up to the those playing if they want to use the Muggins rule)

Strategy: As you play the game, the object is to try and “make” points and stop the other person from making points. Don't start off with a 5. Odds are the next player has a card in their hand worth 10. It is best to begin with a 4, a 3, or a 2. Aces are good to keep because they can get you to 31.

After the first card is played, then the dealer lays down one of their cards in an attempt to get “points”. As each card is laid down, the cumulative total of the discarded cards needs to be called out. Players alternate laying cards down in their own piles. Each player continues to lay down a card until the value reaches 31 or you cannot go over 31, in which case you say “go”.

The other person continues to play until they can reach 31,in which case, they will get 2 points. If the value is under 31, they get 1 point. You must play a card if the value will total 31 or under.

Once all the cards have been played, it is time to count your hand. The person that did not deal counts their hand first.

When counting each hand, the cut card you get to use the cut card in your count. Each player tallies up their hand aloud. You can use a card more than once in different combinations.

·        For each combination of cards that add up to 15 -you get 2 points.

·        Each pair of cards (two of the same card)-you get 2 points

·        Three-of-a-kind- you get 6 points

·        Four of a kind– you get 12 points

·        Runs of 3 or more (cards that are in numerical order, but do not have to be same suit)- you get 1 point for each card in the run. When counting runs

§        A run of three, with one card duplicated (double run) counts 8.

§        A run of four, with one card duplicated, counts 10.

§        A run of three, with one card triplicated (triple run), counts 15.

§        A run of three, with two different cards duplicated, counts 16.

·        Flush (four or more of the same suit in your hand)- not including cut card-you get 4 points. Flush including cut card- you get 5 points.

NOTE: for the crib the cut card and the crib cards all need to be the same suit.

·        If you have a jack that matched the suit of the cut card-you get 1 point

·        Muggins- if a player misses points in their hand and the other play catches them, the other player gets those point. (it is up to the those playing if they want to use the Muggins rule)

Once the non dealer has counted their points; the person who has the crib (the dealer), gets to count the points from the crib for their points. After the dealer counts their main hand, the dealer then counts the cards that are in the crib.

For each point from your hand and the crib, you will peg that number of holes on the peg board

After each hand and crib is counted, all the cards are stacked back together, shuffled, and the person who did not deal the last game deals out 6 cards for a new round (game). The dealer alternates every time a new hand is dealt.

As before, the person who did not deal cuts the deck for the “cut card”. That person also places the first card down the game continues to be played as above.

Miscellaneous Notes:

A PERFECT 29! The highest possible score for combinations in a single Cribbage deal is 29, and it may occur only once in a Cribbage fan'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

19 Points: It is impossible to have a hand worth 19 points. So if you hear a person counting their hand say "nineteen," it's just a slang way of saying zero.

Skunk: When you win by 31 or more points.

Double Skunk: When you win by 61 or more points

CRIBBAGE Scoring Cheat sheet