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