Cribbage is typically played with a standard 52-card deck.
The dealer shuffles the deck and deals six cards to each player. Each player then selects four cards to keep for their hand and places the other two cards face down in the crib.
A scoring board or Cribbage pegs (small pegs used to track points on a Cribbage board) are used to keep score.
Gameplay:
Pegging: The non-dealer (known as the pone) cuts the deck to determine the starter card, which is placed face up on the table. Players take turns playing one card at a time, trying to form combinations that total fifteen or reach thirty-one without exceeding it. Players use Cribbage pegs to keep track of points earned during pegging.
Scoring Hands: After pegging, players score points for the combinations in their hands and the crib. Points are awarded for pairs, runs, flushes, and combinations totaling fifteen. The dealer scores their hand first, followed by the pone’s hand and then the crib.
The Show: The dealer exposes the crib and scores it along with their hand. The pone then exposes their hand and scores it. Any points earned are added to the players’ total scores on the Cribbage board.
Winning the Game: The game typically continues until one player reaches the agreed-upon number of points, usually 121. The player who reaches or exceeds this point total first wins the game.
Additional Notes:
Cribbage is a game of skill, strategy, and luck, with players making decisions about which cards to keep in their hand and which to put in the crib to maximize their scoring potential.
The unique scoring combinations, such as runs (consecutive cards of the same suit) and fifteen twos (pairs of cards that total fifteen), give Cribbage its distinct character.
Cribbage is often played socially, in clubs, or in tournaments, with different levels of expertise ranging from casual players to highly skilled competitive players.