How to Play Cribbage

Posted on August 18th, 2009 by aileen

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Cribbage is a card game that can be played by 2-4 people. There are several things that makes cribbage different from other card games. This game uses a cribbage board to keep track of scores. There is also the presence of a crib where unwanted cards are placed.

Here are some things you need to know to before playing the game.

Things you’ll need:

A deck of cards
A cribbage board
Pen and Paper

Cribbage board

You need a cribbage board and 2 pegs for each player. You can use pen and paper to keep track of the scores if you don’t have a cribbage board. A player wins the game when his peg goes beyond the cribbage board or when he reaches 121 points.

Deal

A player shuffles the cards a few times and places the deck faced down on the table. Each player picks a card from the deck. The one with the lowest card becomes the dealer. Each player receives 6 cards.

The Crib

Each player keeps 4 cards and puts the 2 unwanted cards in the crib.

The Cut

Any player, besides the dealer, gets the deck and cuts it to set the top card. This card is a wild card and will be used at the end of a round. If this wild card is a jack, the dealer scores 2 points.

Scoring

Players put down cards alternately. The total is stated every time a player lays down a card. Jacks, Queens and Kings are worth 10 points. An ace scores you a point.
When a player doesn’t have a card to put down that won’t exceed 31, he passes and says “go”. The next player will lay down as many cards as he can for as long as it won’t exceed 31. When he finally says go and the number still doesn’t exceed 31, the player receives a point. If his last card made a total of 31, the player receives 2 points.
Players receive 2 points upon reaching 15 points.
Pairs can also make you earn points. If the player before you puts down a 4 and you followed it with another 4, you will receive 2 points. The player who puts down the last 4 will get 12 points.
A point is given to the last player who gets to put down the final card. If the last card makes the total of 31, the player gets another point.

Counting Cards

Your cards are counted at the end of a round

If you have the jack with the same suit as the wild card, you immediately get 1 point.
Straights are also worth a point.
Any card combination that totals to 15 is worth 2 points.
A flush will give you 4 points. The wild card can’t be used to make a flush. You get an additional 1 point if the wild card has the same suit as your flush.

Playing cribbage is fun. Learn the rules of the game and spend an afternoon playing with your friends. If you enjoyed this article, might as well read how to play poker and as an addition learn the Top ten easy-to-do card tricks.
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