Use and Care Manual

Rules of Cribbage

Cribbage is a card game that is thought to have been invented in the 17th century by Sir John

Suckling. It was also the favorite card game of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Franklin. Here's how to

play:

Number of players: Best for two players although three- and four-handed variations also exist.

Object: To reach 121 points for the traditional or long game; 61 points for the short game. Points

are scored by forming specific combinations of cards.

The cards: Standard 52-card deck. Cards are assigned a point value equal to rank. Aces are low

and count 1; face cards count 10.

The Cribbage board: A regulation board has four rows of 30 holes, marked off in groups of

five and organized in two rows of two (two for each player). The pegs that come with the board

are typically different colors to identify individual players. Each player has two pegs. Before

play begins, the four pegs are placed at the start end of the board. The movement of the pegs, up

the outside row and down the inside row back to the start, shows the progress of each player's

game. The complete trip of the pegs is equal to 61 points. The traditional game is two trips, or

121 points. Use the two pegs in alternating fashion (the first peg indicates the previous score; the

second peg indicates the most recent score); in this way, scores can be checked for accuracy.

(Don't worry if you lack a Cribbage board because paper and pencil can substitute as a way to

keep score. However, a Cribbage board is preferable.) See the sections on scoring for a complete

guide on how to score points and move the pegs.

Dealing: Players cut for low card to determine first dealer. If this results in a tie, cut again. The

nondealer immediately pegs 3 points for compensation, which occurs only once. Henceforth,

players alternate dealing, as well as alternate taking turns during a game. Each player is dealt six

cards, one at a time. Both players select two cards from their hands and place them facedown to

form the "crib," which belongs to the dealer. The crib is not shown or used until the end of play.

The crib is essentially an extra hand scored for the dealer. Deciding which cards to place in the

crib, whether or not you are the dealer, is an enormous part of cribbage strategy.

The cards you select for the crib depend on whose crib it is.

If the crib belongs to your opponent (left), put the 5 and 8

into the crib because you can use the 4 to begin play and later