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1.1 root 1: .\"
2: .\" @(#)cribbage.n 1.1 (Berkeley) 5/19/83
3: .\"
4: .so macro
5: .na
6: .PH "CRIBBAGE"
7: .sp 2
8: .ce
9: from
10: .sp
11: .ce
12: .ul
13: According to Hoyle
14: .sp 2
15: .PG
16: Cribbage is believed to have been invented by Sir John Suckling (1609-1642).
17: Probably it is an elaboration of an older game, Noddy. The original game was
18: played with hands of five cards; the modern game gives each player six. That
19: is virtually the only change from Suckling's directions.
20: .HP "Players."
21: Two. There are variants for three and four players, described later.
22: .HP "Cards."
23: The pack of 52. The cards in each suit rank: K (high), Q, J, 10, 9, 8,
24: 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A. The
25: .ul
26: counting values
27: are: K, Q, J, 10, each 10 (wherefore these are called
28: .ul
29: tenth cards);
30: ace, 1; each other card, its index value.
31: .HP "Cribbage Board".
32: Indispensable to scoring (unless you have a computer!, ed.) is the device
33: known as the
34: .ul
35: cribbage board.
36: This is a rectangular panel, long and narrow, in which are
37: four rows of 30 holes each. (See illustration.) At one end, or in the center,
38: are two or four additional holes, called
39: .ul
40: game holes.
41: The board is placed between the two players, and each keeps his own score on
42: the two rows of holes nearest himself. Each is supplied with two
43: .ul
44: pegs.
45: Before the first hand, the pegs are placed in the game holes. On
46: making his first score, the player advances one peg an appropriate number
47: of holes (one per point) away from the
48: .ul
49: game end
50: of the board. The second score is recorded by placing the second peg an
51: appropriate distance ahead of the first. For each subsequent score, the
52: rear peg is jumped ahead of the other, the distance between the two pegs
53: always showing the amount of this last score.
54: .PG
55: The traditional mode of scoring is down (away from the game end) the
56: outer row, and up the inner row. "Once around" is a game of 61 points.
57: "Twice around" is a game of 121 points.
58: .HP "Preliminaries."
59: Cards are drawn; the lower deals first. If cards of equal rank are drawn,
60: both players draw again. Dealer has the right to shuffle last. Nondealer
61: cuts, and must leave at least four cards in each packet.
62: .HP "Dealing."
63: Each player receives six cards, dealt one at a time face down, beginning
64: with the nondealer. The turn to deal alternates. The dealer has an
65: advantage.
66: .HP "Laying Away."
67: After seeing his hand, each player
68: .ul
69: lays away
70: two cards face down. The four cards laid away, placed in one pile, form the
71: .ul
72: crib.
73: The crib counts for the dealer. Nondealer therefore tries to lay away
74: .ul
75: balking cards --
76: cards that are least likely to create a score in the crib.
77: .HP "The Starter."
78: After both hands have laid away, nondealer lifts off a packet from the top
79: of the
80: .ul
81: stock
82: (the rest of the pack). Again, each packet must contain at least four cards.
83: Dealer turns up the top card of the lower packer, which is then placed on
84: top of the stock when the packets are reunited. The card thus turned up is
85: called
86: .ul
87: 1 the starter.
88: If it is a jack, dealer immediately pegs 2, called
89: .ul
90: 2 for his heels.
91: .HP "The Play."
92: Nondealer begins the play by laying a card from his hand face up on the
93: table, announcing its counting value. Dealer then shows a card, announcing
94: the total count of the two cards. Play continues in the same way, by
95: alternate exposure of cards, each player announcing the new total count.
96: The total may be carried only to 31, no further. If a player adds a card
97: that brings the total exactly to 31, he pegs 2. If a player is unable to
98: play another card without exceeding 31, he must say "Go," and his opponent
99: pegs 1, but before doing so, opponent must lay down any additional cards he
100: can without exceeding 31. If such additional cards bring the total to
101: exactly 31, he pegs 2 instead of 1.
102: .PG
103: Whenever a
104: .ul
105: go
106: occurs, the opponent of the player who played the last card must lead for a
107: new count starting at zero. Playing the last card of all counts as a go.
108: (Since nondealer makes the opening lead, dealer is bound to peg at least
109: 1 in play.)
110: .PG
111: Besides pegging for 31 and go, the player may also peg for certain
112: combinations made in play, as follows:
113: .sp 2
114: .ti +4
115: .ul
116: Fifteen.
117: .IP
118: Making the count total 15 pegs 2.
119: .EP
120: .sp 2
121: .ti +4
122: .ul
123: Pair.
124: .IP
125: Playing a card of same rank as that previously played pegs 2. Playing
126: a third card of the same rank makes
127: .ul
128: pair royal
129: and pegs 6. Playing the fourth card of the same rank makes
130: .ul
131: double pair royal
132: and pegs 12.
133: .PG
134: The tenth cards pair strictly by rank, a king with a king, a queen with a
135: queen, and so on. (King and jack do not make a pair, although each has
136: the counting value 10.)
137: .EP
138: .sp 2
139: .ti +4
140: .ul
141: Run.
142: .IP
143: Playing a card which, with the two or more played immediately previously,
144: makes a sequence of three or more cards, pegs 1 for each card in the
145: .ul
146: run.
147: Runs depend on rank alone; the suits do not matter. Nor does the score
148: for run depend upon playing the cards in strict sequence, so long as
149: the three or more last cards played can be arranged in a run.
150: .ul
151: Example:
152: 7, 6, 8 played in that order score 3 for run; 5, 2, 4, 3 played in that order
153: score 4 for run.
154: .EP
155: .PG
156: Any of the foregoing combinations count, whether the cards are played
157: alternately or one player plays several times in succession in consequence
158: of a go. But a combination does not score if it is interrupted by a go.
159: .HP "Showing."
160: After the play, the hands are
161: .ul
162: shown
163: (counted). Nondealer shows first, then dealer's hand, then crib.
164: The starter is deemed to belong to each hand, so that each hand includes
165: five cards. Combinations of scoring value are as follows:
166: .sp 2
167: .ti +4
168: .ul
169: Fifteen.
170: .IP
171: Each combinations of two or more cards that total fifteen scores 2.
172: .EP
173: .sp 2
174: .ti +4
175: .ul
176: Pair.
177: .IP
178: Each pair of cards of the same rank scores 2.
179: .EP
180: .sp 2
181: .ti +4
182: .ul
183: Run.
184: .IP
185: Each combination of three or more cards in sequence scores 1 for each card
186: in the run.
187: .EP
188: .sp 2
189: .ti +4
190: .ul
191: Flush.
192: .IP
193: Four cards of the same suit in hand score 4; four cards in hand or crib
194: of same suit as the starter score 5. (No count for four-flush in crib.)
195: .EP
196: .sp 2
197: .ti +4
198: .ul
199: His Nobs.
200: .IP
201: Jack of same suit as the starter, in hand or crib, scores 1.
202: .EP
203: .PG
204: It is important to note that every separate grouping of cards that makes
205: a fifteen, pair, or run counts separately. Three of a kind,
206: .ul
207: pair royal,
208: counts 6 because three sets of pairs can be made; similarly, four of a
209: kind,
210: .ul
211: double pair royal,
212: contain six pairs and count 12.
213: .PG
214: The highest possible hand is J, 5, 5, 5 with the starter the 5 of the same
215: suit as the jack. There are four fifteens by combining the jack with a
216: five, four more by combinations of three fives (a total of 16 for fifteens);
217: the double pair royal adds 12 for a total of 28; and
218: .ul
219: his nobs
220: adds 1 for a maximum score of 29. (the score of 2 for
221: .ul
222: his heels
223: does not count in the total of the hand, since it is pegged before the play.)
224: .PG
225: A
226: .ul
227: double run
228: is a run with one card duplicated, as 4-3-3-2. Exclusive of fifteens, a
229: double run of three cards counts 8; of four cards, 10. A
230: .ul
231: triple run
232: is a run of three with one card triplicated, as K-K-K-Q-J. Exclusive of
233: fifteens, it counts 15. A
234: .ul
235: quadruple run
236: is a run of three with two different cards duplicated, as the example
237: 8-8-7-6-6 previously given. Exclusive of fifteens, it counts 16.
238: .PG
239: No hand can be constructed that counts 19, 25, 26 or 27. A time-honored
240: way of showing a hand with not a single counting combination is to say
241: "I have nineteen."
242: .PG
243: The customary oder in showing is to count fifteens first, then runs, then
244: pairs, but there is no compulsion of law.
245: .ul
246: Example:
247: A hand (with starter) of 9-6-5-4-4 will usually be counted "Fifteen 2,
248: fifteen 4, fifteen 6 and double run makes 14," or simply "Fifteen 6 and
249: 8 is 14."
250: .HP "Muggins."
251: The hands and crib are counted aloud, and if a player claims a greater
252: total than is due him, his opponent may require correction. In some
253: localities, if a player claims less than is due, his opponent may say
254: "Muggins" and himself score the points overlooked.
255: .HP "Scoring."
256: The usual
257: .ul
258: game
259: is 121, but it may be set at 61 by agreement. Since the player wins
260: who first returns to the game hole by going "twice around," the scores
261: must be pegged strictly in order: his heels, pegging in play, non-dealer's
262: hand, dealer's hand, crib. Thus, if nondealer goes out on showing his
263: hand, he wins, even though dealer might have gone out with a greater
264: total if allowed to count his hand and crib.
265: .PG
266: When the game of 121 is played for a stake, a player wins a single game
267: if the loser makes 61 points or more. If the loser fails to reach
268: 61, he is
269: .ul
270: lurched,
271: and the other wins a double game.
272: .HP "Irregularities."
273: .ul
274: Misdeal.
275: There must be a new deal by the same dealer if a card is found faced in the
276: pack, if a card is exposed in dealing, or if the pack be found imperfect.
277: .PG
278: .ul
279: Wrong Number of Cards.
280: If one hand (not crib) is found to have the wrong number of cards after
281: laying away for the crib, the other hand and crib being correct, the
282: opponent may either demand a new deal or may peg 2 and rectify the
283: hand. If the crib is incorrect, both hands being correct, nondealer
284: pegs 2 and the crib is corrected.
285: .HP "Error in Pegging."
286: If a player places a peg short of the amount to which he is entitled, he
287: may not correct his error after he has played the next card or after the
288: cut for the next deal. If he pegs more than his announced score,
289: the error must be corrected on demand at any time before the cut for the
290: next deal and his opponent pegs 2.
291: .HP "Strategy."
292: The best balking cards are kings and aces, because they have the least
293: chance of producing sequences. Tenth cards are generally good, provided
294: that the two cards laid away are not too
295: .ul
296: near
297: (likely to make a sequence). When nothing better offers, give two
298: .ul
299: wide
300: cards -- at least three apart in rank.
301: .PG
302: Proverbially the safest lead is a 4. The next card cannot make a 15.
303: Lower cards are also safe from this point of view, but are better
304: treasured for go and 31. The most dangerous leads are 7 and 8, but
305: may be made to trap the opponent when they are backed with other
306: close cards. Generally speaking, play
307: .ul
308: on
309: (toward a sequence) when you have close cards and
310: .ul
311: off
312: when you do not. However, the state of the score is a consideration.
313: If far behind, play on when there is any chance of building a score
314: for yourself; if well ahead, balk your opponent by playing off unless
315: you will surely peg as much as he by playing on.
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