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Six Card Cribbage is two-player game that is widely played in English speaking parts of the world. In England, it is primarily a
pub game - indeed, it is one of the few games allowed by Statute to be played for small stakes. Cribbage is considered to
be a Game of Skill where players must balance a number of different objectives, remain quick witted enough to recognize combinations
in order to beat their opponent. It is a game where experience counts for a great deal -- though a little bit of luck
as in real life always helps :)
Cribbage is also a game where proper gaming etiquette is important. The proper rituals associated with cutting and dealing, playing and pegging, as well as the terminology, all serve the useful purpose of keeping things in proper order and maintain the game authenticity. Two players use a standard 52 card pack. Cards rank from high to low: K(high) Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 A(low).
Deal The first deal is determined randomly. The deal then alternates from hand to hand until the game is over. Discard Each player selects two cards to discard to form a 4-card crib. This 4-card crib is set aside until the end of the hand. The crib will count for the dealer. Non-dealer (or Pone) will try to throw cards that are unlikely to make valuable combinations, but must balance this against keeping a good hand for himself. Dealer, on the other hand, may sometimes find it pays to place good cards in the crib - especially if they cannot be used to best advantage in hand. Starter Card One of the undealt cards is turned face up. It is the starter card - it will count for combinations as part of both players' hands as well as for the dealer's crib. If the starter card is a Jack, the dealer immediately pegs 2 holes - this is called Two for his heels. Play of the Cards Starting with the non-dealer, the players take turns to play single cards. You play your own cards to form a face-up pile in front of yourself, keeping them separate from the other players' cards. In this stage of the game the total pip value of the cards played by both players must not exceed 31. The pip values of the cards are: Ace = 1; 2 to 10 = face value; jack = 10; queen = 10; king = 10. As each card is played, the running total is written next to the open cards (e.g., 'on table: 16'). . If a card is played which brings the total exactly to 31, the player who did it pegs 2 points - called '31 for 2'. A player who cannot play without exceeding 31 does not play a card but says 'Go', leaving his opponent to continue if possible, pegging for any further combinations made (see below). Bringing the total to exactly 31 pegs 2, but if neither player can lay a card without going over 31, then the last player to lay a card pegs one for the go or one for last. The cards that have been played are turned over and a fresh round of play starts with the unplayed cards in exactly the same way. The opponent of the player who played last in the previous round (scoring Thirty one for two or One for last) plays first in the new round. This second round of play again continues until neither can play without going over 31. The last player again scores "1 for last" or "31 for 2", and if either player has any cards left there is a further round. Play continues for as many rounds as necessary until both players' cards are exhausted. Towards the end, it may happen that one player has run out of cards but the other still has several cards. In that case the player who still has cards simply carries on playing and scoring for any combinations formed until all his cards have been played. Example: Player A has king-king-2-2; player B has 9-8-7-6. First round: A plays king - "10"; B plays 6 - "16"; A plays king - "26"; B says "go"; A plays 2 - "28"; A plays 2 - "30 for 3". A pegs 3, namely 2 for the pair of twos and 1 for playing the last card of this round. Second round: B plays 8 - "8"; A has no cards left so cannot do anything; B plays 7 - "fifteen two" (B pegs 2 points); B plays 9 "24 for 3 and 1 for last" (B pegs 4 points: three for the run 7-8-9 and one for playing the last card). Please note: it is never possible to score "one for last" and "31 for 2" at the same time. They are alternatives. If you make exactly 31 for two points you do not get an additional "one for last". Tactical note: It is often worth keeping low cards in hand for this phase of the game, especially when there is a strong possibility of being able to peg out before one's opponent. Scoring During Play A player who makes any of the following scores during the play pegs them immediately:
The Show All of the cards that were put down during the play are now retrieved and score for combinations of cards held in hand. First the non-dealer's hand is exposed, and scored. The start card also counts as part of the hand when scoring combinations. All valid scores from the following list are counted:
After a non-dealer's hand has been shown and the score pegged, dealer's hand is shown, scored and pegged in the same way. Finally the dealer exposes the four cards of the crib and scores them with the start card. The scoring is the same as for the players' hands except that a flush in the crib only scores if all four crib cards and the start card are of the same suit. If that happens the flush scores 5. No Skunks Allowed! In a non-standard cribbage variation, some play that if the loser scores 61-90 points in 121 pt game, he/she is skunked and loses a double stake; if the loser scores 60 or fewer, he/she is double skunked and loses a triple (or quadruple) stake. At PlayJava.com only standard classical cribbage rules the day -- in $Ticket games no player can lose more than a single entry fee. |