A card game for usually 2, but up to 4 people who draw, hold, and lay down cards in combinations meant to earn the most points.
Object of the Game - Be the first player to score 121 points.
Number of Players - The basic game is for two players, three and four player versions of the game are played with slight modifications to the rules.
The Cards
A standard pack of 52 playing cards is used.
The four suits are considered equal.
The rank and value of the cards are as follows:
Card/Values:
|card: | K| Q| J|10| 9| 8| 7| 6| 5| 4| 3| 2| A|
+------+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
|value:|10|10|10|10| 9| 8| 7| 6| 5| 4| 3| 2| 1|
Cribbage Board - A cribbage board, though not actually necessary, is almost always used to keep score. A has a track of holes for each player. Colored pegs are used to indicate the score. Each player uses 2 pegs, always moving the farthest back peg to the front so that both the total score and the latest increment can be easily observed.
Outline of Playing Sequence
The pack is cut to determine which player will deal first in the first game of a match; the low card wins the deal. (Aces are always low in cribbage.) Thereafter the loser of the previous game deals first.
The dealer shuffles and, after a mandatory cut by the pone (non-dealer), distributes one card alternately to each player, beginning with the pone, until each has six cards.
Each player discards two cards to form the crib, which belongs to the dealer.
The pone cuts the remainder of the pack to select a starter card, which is used in counting the value of each player's hand and the crib.
Play of the cards - Players alternately play (place face up on the table) one card at a time, starting with the pone. The cumulative value of the cards played is announced as each card is played. When a player cannot play a card without the cumulative total exceeding 31, that player calls "go", and the opponent scores 1 point and continues to play all cards possible (not exceeding a 31-count). If either player has remaining cards this is repeated. The player who calls "go" plays first in the following 31-count sequence. Points are scored during this play of the cards (see scoring chart).
When both players have played all their cards, the pone's hand is counted and pegged by the pone (see scoring chart). The dealer then does the same for the dealer's hand and then for the crib.
The deal alternates between the players until the game ends, which occurs when a player scores 121 points.
Score Chart
| points earned during|hand /|
|cards play| crib|
+------------------------------+------+------+
|Jack turned by dealer | | |
| as starter card | 2 | - |
|Jack in hand or crib of | | |
| same suit as starter card | - | 1 |
|combinations: | | |
| Two of a kind (pair) | 2 | 2 |
| Three of a kind (triple) | 6 | 6 |
| Four of a kind (quadruple) | 12 | 12 |
| Straights of three | | |
| or more cards: (per card) | 1 | 1 |
| 15-count (sum of any | | |
| combination of cards) | - | 2 |
| Four-card flush | | |
| (only in the hand) | - | 4 |
| Five-card flush | - | 5 |
| Reaching a 15-count exactly | 2 | - |
|*Reaching 31-count exactly | 2 | - |
|*"Go" (without reaching | | |
| 31-count) | 1 | - |
|*Final card played | | |
| (without reaching 31-count) | 1 | - |
+---------------------------- -+------+------+
* Only one of these scores can be earned with the play of a single card.
