Cribbage

[Mickwhitt 4,624]

Hi all.  

She who must be obeyed has decreed that we are to play cribbage together to spend some quality time....

So. What the heck is it all about?

I've tried tutorials and such but I cant seem to grasp the idea about ditching two cards in the crib, especially when it makes a difference it its my crib or the opponents.

Also, what is your favourite type of score board, peg board. I'd like to make one myself ideally.  I did knock up a 21 point board for a game we call Brag, but its not big enough for crib. 

[Achto 27,575]

1 hour ago, Mickwhitt said:

I've tried tutorials and such but I cant seem to grasp the idea about ditching two cards in the crib, especially when it makes a difference it its my crib or the opponents.

 

When discarding - I call cards 5,6,7,8,& 9 crib builders. (they are easy to make points) I try not to discard these cards to my opponents crib but will gladly put them in my crib. Some times you can't help but throw them in your opponents crib in order to keep a better hand though.

 

After you have played long enough you will get to learn how your opponent plays. I pretty much know what some people have in their hand by the time they lay their second card down.

Edited January 2 by Achto

[Achto 27,575]

1 hour ago, Mickwhitt said:

Also, what is your favourite type of score board,

 

My favorite board is like this one. Once around the board and it allows up to 6 players.

[stevasaurus 22,739]

While in the Navy, we would play tons of Cribbage.  Once you get the hang of it, you can make the game really interesting by dealing 12 cards to each of two players and burying 4...or 15 cards and burying 5...or 18 cards and burying 6.  

   Cribbage boards are also very collectable.  I find ones made from Diamond Willow especially cool.

https://www.google.com/search?q=rare+cribbage+boards&sca_esv=595122014&hl=en&tbm=isch&sxsrf=AM9HkKnQo-6oE4uGg8dGm7qetNznpslZCg%3A1704216729671&source=hp&biw=1172&bih=525&ei=mUiUZbfcJu2U0PEPpoG12AU&iflsig=AO6bgOgAAAAAZZRWqWjvr2FWjtQQFfFZJH3BmCGXg2AO&oq=Cribbage+boards&gs_lp=EgNpbWciD0NyaWJiYWdlIGJvYXJkcyoCCAYyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgAQyBhAAGAUYHjIGEAAYBRgeMgYQABgFGB4yBhAAGAUYHjIGEAAYBRgeMgYQABgFGB4yBhAAGAUYHkjimgFQAFikQHAAeACQAQCYAUqgAa8HqgECMTW4AQHIAQD4AQGKAgtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ICCBAAGIAEGLEDwgIOEAAYgAQYigUYsQMYgwHCAgsQABiABBixAxiDAQ&sclient=img

 

 

diamond willow...

https://www.google.com/search?q=diamond+willow+cribbage+boards&tbm=isch&hl=en&chips=q:diamond+willow+cribbage+boards,online_chips:willow+wood:xA6M5sW4JFU%3D&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiniqaHoL-DAxWf2MkDHXeIDTUQ4lYoBnoECAEQQA&biw=1157&bih=525

Edited January 2 by stevasaurus

[ebinmaine 67,498]

I've played on occasion since I was maybe early teens (?) with my late grandparents. 

Trina has been playing ~ literally ~ longer than remembers. She doesn't recall NOT knowing how to shuffle and deal cards.  

 

We play cribbage nearly every Tuesday night at her Momma's place and Fridays here at home. 

Occasionally more.  

 

Trina is FAR BETTER than I'll ever be because she actually pays attention to the cut and what we're laying down. 

I just play hand to next hand and hope for the best.  🙃

 

For discard we nearly always drop K Q or any cards that don't complement another. 

I almost NEVER discard a 5. 

I'll sacrifice points before doing so unless it kills a double run or multiple "15" scores.  

 

I like Aces and 2. They're handy for that last ditch before 31. 

 

When starting a hand try NOT to set down a card that can make 15 on the next card. Ex. 5 through 10. 

That prevents the next player from getting a quick "15/2" 

 

Best advice?

Just play.  

You'll soon learn your own strategies.   

 

 

[stevasaurus 22,739]

Notes:

1.  The best card to lead is a "4".  No points possible unless the 4 is paired.

2.  The are no 19 count hands possible.

3.  The "Perfect Counting Hand is 29.

4.  You play the hand as a "Counting Hand" or a "Pegging Hand" when you decide what cards to put in the Crib...depends on whose Crib it is.

5.  Pay attention to the cards your opponent plays.  While not a given, it will give you an edge and a winning average.

6,  All games range between Luck and Skill.  From Candy Land to Chess.  Like Checkers, Cribbage is one of those games that does have a stratagy that can let an experienced player win more often.  Just ask my wife...I usually win 4 out o 6 games.   

7.  The Kings are the most worthless cards in the deck.

Edited January 2 by stevasaurus

[stevasaurus 22,739]

You also should consider this.  Never let your wife win.  She will not respect that.  It is better to explain what you did to win and let her chew on it.    I know...good luck with that.  

I play Chess...I have always improved my game by loosing and learning from my mistakes.  Winning has always been an oppertunity to teach someone to be a better opponent. 

Edited January 2 by stevasaurus

[Achto 27,575]

55 minutes ago, stevasaurus said:

All games range between Luck and Skill.

 

Got that right!! If you don't get some decent cards all the skill in the world is worthless. Getting stuck with a couple 19 point hands in one game is painful. 

[Rob J. 1,942]

7 hours ago, Achto said:

 

My favorite board is like this one. Once around the board and it allows up to 6 players.

That’s the one I have. 

[ebinmaine 67,498]

It's Tuesday!!

 

 

 

[Rob J. 1,942]

My wife taught me how to play while I was in the Navy as well. She’s originally from Michigan. I played spades growing up down south. She played euchre and cribbage. She got tired of losing at my game. So we started playing her games. I mastered her games in short time and now we don’t play much anymore. 😂 have to learn how to lose I guess. That’s a lot tougher than winning. 

[Achto 27,575]

3 minutes ago, Rob J. said:

have to learn how to lose I guess. That’s a lot tougher than winning.

 

My wife thinks cribbage is a full contact sport. If I get too many good hands in a row she gives me a slap on the shoulder.

[ebinmaine 67,498]

2 minutes ago, Achto said:

 

My wife thinks cribbage is a full contact sport. If I get too many good hands in a row she gives me a slap on the shoulder.

 

Trina nearly cuffed me in the snout!!  

 

[WHX?? 48,815]

We never played cribbage in the Navy although I wouldn't have minded it. All we ever played was poker and got kinda old. Couple of shipmates did play Euchre tho. 

[8ntruck 7,004]

My wife and I play a game every day right after I return from walking the dog.  She is ahead in the current series of games 6 to 3.  Seems I'm kind of in a dry spell on getting good hands - lost the last 4 games.  Had two 19 cribs in today's game.  I whined a bit about that.  No sympathy.

 

The average score for a hand is about 8 points. 

The 29 hand is three fives and a jack in your hand, and a five in the cut.

 

My wife seems to think that she should win every game, and most of the games should be skunks (winning by 30 points or more).  

[Achto 27,575]

8 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

The 29 hand is three fives and a jack in your hand, and a five in the cut, that is the same suit as your jack.

 

[stevasaurus 22,739]

Actually, I'm lucky.  Chris and I are pretty much equal players, and the one that pegs first usually wins the game.  

   Any of you guys ever play Hearts ??  That game is one of my favorites.  

[Mickwhitt 4,624]

I'm finding your input very encouraging,  I've never played cards so it's kind of like learning a foreign language for me.

 

I looked up some of the statistics about crib. It's pretty staggering how many hand permutations there are. I think I'll stick to Eric's plan of just playing from hand to hand lol.

 

I was going to jot down the couple of permutations there are to make 15, turns out there are 71 of them so I'll scratch that idea. 

 

And the crib and hand taken together is completely mind blowing....

2,317,817,502,000 nine card combinations. Phew. 

 

Cards is hard, I need to find something more relaxing lol. 

[ebinmaine 67,498]

Trina has a very particular type of competitive drive that I just do not possess. Remember her acronym, BBT.

She learned two different types of a very hardcore heavily disciplined area of martial arts, Side by side, in about 8 years.

 

She plays cribbage and most other things to win. She doesn't get all up in your face or angry or anything like that. She just has that type of Desire to accomplish.

 

I'm not at all like that. I play because I want to chillaxalate.  

[Handy Don 12,227]

22 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

I'm not at all like that. I play because I want to chillaxalate. 

Why did I give up nearly all multi-player or otherwise competitive games? Too often having other players taking it too seriously and getting upset at my cavalier play!

I do enjoy kids’ games with the grands as a learning exercise.

[ebinmaine 67,498]

19 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

Why did I give up nearly all multi-player or otherwise competitive games? Too often having other players taking it too seriously and getting upset at my cavalier play!

 

 

Same here. I enjoy winning when I do and you better believe I razzzz the losers but it really makes no actual difference to my life whatsoever.

[Achto 27,575]

3 hours ago, Handy Don said:

I do enjoy kids’ games with the grands as a learning exercise.

 

I think that cribbage is a great learning game for kids. They learn how to do some basic math in their head, no buttons required. 

[Achto 27,575]

3 hours ago, Mickwhitt said:

I was going to jot down the couple of permutations there are to make 15, turns out there are 71 of them so I'll scratch that idea

 

Combo's that make 15 are great but I always like getting a run. A run of 3 plus a pair in the run makes an easy 8 points, add some 15's in with that & you can have a great hand.

 

One thing that I have always found weird is that a flush of 4 cards in your hand counts as 4 points. The draw card does not have to match your hand but if it does then it counts as 5 points. When you are counting a crib hand the only way that the flush counts is if the draw card also matches, adding up to 5 points.

[WHX?? 48,815]

4 hours ago, stevasaurus said:

Any of you guys ever play Hearts

Hearts & spades all time favs Steve. I love playing those with my sisters. 

Edited January 3 by WHX??

[WHX?? 48,815]

4 hours ago, Mickwhitt said:

I've never played cards

Just the opposite here Mick. Cindy never played cards tho Dan tried to teach her at tractor camp once. Good luck with that Dan I can't even teach her old maid or spoons no less cribbage. 

I end up playing with myself...  Ahh well ummm I mean on apps on the phone...