If the play ends with a total lower than 31, whichever player was the last to play a card pegs 1 point for "last card". When neither player can play without going over 31 (either because both players have played all their cards or because all cards left in the players' hands have pip values so high that they would take the total over 31 if played), the play ends. If your opponent says "Go" then you may continues playing cards and scoring for any combinations you make (see below). A player who cannot play without exceeding 31 does not play a card but says "Go". The pip values of the cards are:Īce = 1 2 to 10 = face value jack = 10 queen = 10 king = 10.Īs each card is played, the player announces the running total, but this total must not exceed 31. In this stage of the game the total pip value of the cards played by both players must not exceed 31. Starting with the non-dealer, the players take turns to play a single cards face up in front of themselves. If the start card is a jack, the dealer immediately pegs 2 points - this is called "two for his heels". This turned up card is called the "start" card. Replaces the upper part, places it face up on top of the pack. The dealer takes out the top card of the lower part, turns it face up and, after non-dealer The non-dealer cuts the pack of undealt cards, lifting the upper part without showing its bottom card. Any card combinations in the crib will count for the dealer, so non-dealer will try to throw cards that are unlikely to make valuable combinations. These four cards are set aside until the end of the hand. The undealt part of the pack is placed face down on the table.Įach player must choose two cards to discard face down to form the "crib". The dealer shuffles, the non-dealer cuts the cards, and dealer deals 5 cards to each player one at a time. Subsequently the turn to deal alternates. The player cutting the lower card deals, and the other player immediately pegs 3 points for "last" as compensation. That way the distance between the pegs shows the amount most recently scored, and the opponent can thereby check it has been scored correctly.Ĭut cards to determine who deals first. When a player scores points, the rear peg is moved in front to show the new score. In any case, each player has two pegs: the forward peg shows the player's score to date, and the rear peg shows the previous score. However it is clear that it is now more common for both players to start from the same end, like this:
The above diagram shows the players starting at opposite ends of the board and pegging in opposite directions, which is the way I was taught and is consistent with for example Popular Card Games by Lawrence H Dawson - Wills, Bristol & London (1933). The holes in the board represent scores from 1 to 61. The points are recorded by means of a board and pegs. Points are scored mainly for combinations of cards either occuring during the play or occuring in a player's hand or in the cards discarded before the play, which form the "crib". To be the first to score 61 points accumulated over several deals. Cards rank K(high) Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 A(low). Two players using a standard 52 card pack. Matthew Probert reports that Five Card Cribbage is popular around Hampshire and Surrey, although the six card game is also played there. For example, in South Wales it is played in pub leagues in combination with Nine Card Don (see the Don page for details). However the five card version does still survive in parts of Britain. The more modern Six Card Cribbage has now almost entirely replaced the original Five Card Cribbage game described on this page. It is basically a game for two players, though adaptations for 4 players in fixed partnerships, and for 3 players also exist. Cribbage is traditionally supposed to have been invented in the early 17th Century it evolved from the earlier game Noddy.