The deal
The crib
Once the cards have been dealt, each player chooses four cards to retain, discarding the other one or two face-down to form the "crib" that will be used later by the dealer. At this point, each player's hand and the crib will contain exactly four cards.Example cribs
Two players
Three players
The starter
The player on the dealer's left cuts the undealt portion of the deck (leaving at least 4 cards), and the dealer reveals the top card of the bottom section, called the "starter" or the "cut", placing it on top of the deck face up. (It is illegal to peek at any other cards in the deck during this process.) If this card is aThe play
The play (often called pegging) starts with the player on the dealer's left and continues clockwise. Each player lays one card in turn onto the table so that it is visible, stating the cumulative value, or ''count,'' of the cards played so far. (For example, the first player lays a 4 and says "four", the next lays a 7 and says "eleven", and so on). Face cards are worth ten; aces are worth one. Each player's cards are retained face up on the table in front of that player, so that the hands can analyzed during play and then later be gathered and scored (see “The show,” below). The count must not exceed 31, so a player who cannot lay a card without bringing the count above 31 passes by saying "Go". The other players continue to lay cards in turn until no cards can be played without exceeding 31. Players must lay a card if able to do so without exceeding 31. The last player to lay a card scores two points if 31 is reached exactly ("31 for two"); otherwise one point is scored, e.g., "29 for one", or "30 for one", etc. The one-point score is known as "One for go", or simply "Go". The count is then reset to zero and play resumes, starting with the player to the left of the last card played. Players with cards remaining repeat this process until all cards have been played. The last card played is treated as a final "go" as described above: two points for making the final count 31, or one point otherwise. In addition to scoring one or two points for the last card, players score points according to the following rules: * fifteen-two **two points for making the cumulative count exactly fifteen ("fifteen two") * runs ** three points for completing a run of three cards, regardless of the order in which they are laid (a 6, then a 4, then a 5 is a run of three even though they were not laid in order) ** four points for completing a run of four ** five points for completing a run of five ** six points for completing a run of six ** seven points for completing the run of seven; e.g. playing 2, 4, 6, A, 3, 5 and 7 * pairs ** two points for laying a card of the same rank as the previous card, thus completing a pair ** six points for laying a third card of the same rank (a "pair royal" or "trips") ** twelve points for laying a fourth card of the same rank (a "double pair royal" or "quad") If a card completes more than one scoring combination, then all combinations are scored. For example, if the first three cards played are 5s, the second one scores two points ("ten and a pair") and the third scores eight (“fifteen-two and a pair royal for six, makes eight”). Card combinations cannot span a reset; once the total reaches 31 (or a Go has been scored) and counting has restarted at zero, cards already played are no longer available for runs or pairs. During this phase of play run combinations cannot span a pair; in a play of 2, 3, 3, 4 the pair interrupts the run so only the pair is counted for points. Players choose when to lay each card in order to maximise their score according to the scheme shown below. The first player to reach 121 wins the game.Example plays
Two players
Three players
The show
Once the play is complete, each player in turn receives points based on the content of their hand. Starting with the player on the dealer's left, players spread out their cards on the playing surface and calculate their score. The starter card turned up at the beginning of play serves as a fifth card shared in common by all hands; thus each player's score is based on their own four cards along with the starter card. Scoring combinations are the following: * fifteens **two points for each distinct combination of two or more cards totalling exactly fifteen (counting aces as one, face cards as ten) * runs ** three points for a run of three consecutive cards (regardless of suit) ** four points for a run of four ** five points for a run of five * pairs ** two points for a pair of cards of the same rank ** six points for three cards of the same rank (known as a "pair royal", comprising three distinct pairs) ** twelve points for four cards of the same rank (a "double pair royal", comprising six distinct pairs) * flush **four points for a flush, where all four cards in the hand are of the same suit, with an additional point if the starter card is also of that suit. (Note that four suited cards including the starter, but missing one of the cards in the hand, does not score for flush.) * his nob(s) **one point for holding the jack of the same suit as the starter card ("one for his nob" or "... his nobs") Common combinations are often recognized and scored as a unit. For example, a run of three cards with an additional card matching one of the three in rank, e.g., 2–2–3–4, is termed a "double run of three" and scores eight according to the above rules (two distinct runs of three and two for the pair); 2–2–3–4–5 is a "double run of four" for ten points (two distinct runs of four and two for the pair). Even more valuable are "triple runs", e.g., 2–2–2–3–4, scoring fifteen (three distinct runs of three, plus three distinct pairs) and "double-double" or "quadruple runs", e.g., 2–3–3–4–4, scoring sixteen (four distinct runs of three, plus two pairs). Combined runs may also include fifteens: a 24 hand, the largest commonly seen, can comprise a double-double run and four fifteens: for example, 4–4–5–5–6 or 6–7–7–8–8. The dealer scores their hand last and then turns the cards in the crib face up. These cards, in conjunction with the starter card, are scored by the dealer as an additional hand. The rules for scoring the crib are the same as scoring a hand, with the exception of the flush: a four-card flush in the crib is not scored unless it is also the same suit as the starter card (for a total of five points). The highest possible score for a hand is 29 points: a starter card of a 5, and a hand of 5, 5, 5, J with the jack being the same suit as the starter card. The score might be announced thus: Scores between 0 and 29 are all possible, with the exception of 19, 25, 26 and 27. Players may colloquially refer to a blank hand (one scoring no points) as a "nineteen hand".Example scores
Two players
Three players
The end
After the dealer has scored the crib, all cards are collected and the deal passes to the player on the dealer's left. The next round starts with the deal. Although the rules of cribbage do not require it (except in tournament play), the traditional method of keeping score is to use aMatch
A match (much like tennis) consists of more than one game, often an odd number (3 games, 5 games, 7 games etc.). The match points are scored on the cribbage board using the holes reserved for match points. On a spiral board, these are often at the bottom of the board in a line with 5 or 7 holes. On a traditional board, they are often placed in the middle of the board or at the top/bottom.Two player game
In a two player game of cribbage a player scores one match point for each game won. Their opponent will begin the next game as first dealer. If a player skunks their opponent (reaches 121 points before their opponent scores 91 points) then that player scores one extra match point for that game (two match points in total). If a player double skunks their opponent (reaches 121 points before their opponent reaches 61), then they score two extra match points for the game (four match points in total). If a player triple skunks their opponent (reaches 121 points before their opponent reaches 31 points), they automatically win the match regardless of how many match points are needed to win. Double and triple skunks are not included in the official rules of cribbage play and are optional. There are several different formats for scoring match points.Example match
Example of a full match using Free play rules. The match is first player to score 5 match points.Three player game
Winner takes all
When playing a three player match in a winner takes all format, the winner scores two match points (just like in two-way cribbage) for each game won. If he/she skunks just the third opponent, they score an additional match point (3 total) with second place receiving one point. If he/she double skunks both opponents, he/she still scores three match points but second place would not receive any points at all.Continued play
In continued play format, the winner of the match earns two match points for three player cribbage and four match points for five player cribbage (plus applicable match points if the player has skunked/double skunked their opponents). The remaining players play until there is a second winner, who scores one match point for three player cribbage and two match points for five player cribbage (with no extra points for skunking opponents). In five player cribbage, the remaining three players play until there is a third winner, who scores one match point (with no extra points for skunking opponents).Variations
*Three players: Five cards are dealt to each player and one card directly to the crib, and each player then discards one card to the crib, as shown in the examples above. Three players can score individually, with the winner the first to reach 121, or in a "two against one" team format, where the two-player team must score 121 to win before the lone player reaches 61. Another variation of the "two against one" team format, is that prior to the cut, the lone player picks up the crib, examines all 8 cards, and then discards 4 cards to the crib. Both the team and lone player need to reach 121 to win. :Another three player variation is to deal five cards to each player except the dealer who gets six cards. The dealer deals the first and last card to themself and then discards two cards to the crib, the other players each discard one card. *Four players: Five cards are dealt to each player, each of whom discards one to the crib. The players can play as individuals or as two sets of partners. *Five-card cribbage (called the "old game"): The two players are dealt five cards each, two of which are discarded into the crib. The crib thus consists of four cards but each hand only three. The first non-dealer gets a three-point start, the play (pegging) goes up to 31 only once and does not restart. The game is won by the first player to reach 61 points. *Five players #1: Five cards are dealt to each player except the dealer, who has only four cards. The four non-dealers each discard one card to the crib. *Five players #2: Five cards are dealt to each player. The players each discard one card to the crib. All hands are scored normally using the "starter" card. When the dealer counts the crib, the "starter" card is not used; only the five cards in the crib are used. (As usual for a crib, only a 5-card flush can score, so all 5 crib cards must be the same suit, and the dealer receives 5 points for this flush.) *Ten-Card: Usually played with two players, this variant consists of each player being dealt ten card to start. Each player still throws two to the crib but then split the remaining cards into two sets of four. Only one of these new hands is used during pegging but each will be counted separately during the reveal. This faster paced version results in higher scoring hands that require more strategy in creating the best combination of cards. *Muggins: This is a scoring variant in which a player who fails to count all the points to which he is entitled in the play or the show loses the unclaimed points to an opponent who calls "muggins" or "cut throat". *Lowball (or "Loser's Crib"): This is a ''References
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