How to Play a Cribbage Board
Cribbage has the distinction of being the only card game that can legally be played for small stakes in English pubs. In cribbage, score is tracked through the use of a pegged board. Each player has two pegs they use to race up the outside and back down the inside of the cribbage board. The peg in the front represents the player’s current score and the peg behind it represents the player’s previous score. A complete trip of the pegs around the board covers a total of 60 holes, not including the finishing hole for the winning peg. In cribbage, games typically last until one player scores 61, 121 or 181 points.
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Instructions
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1
Shuffle then cut the cards to determine the first dealer. The player that cuts the lowest card is the dealer.
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2
Shuffle the cards and let the non-dealer cut when it is your turn to deal.
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3
Deal six cards, one at a time and face down, to each player.
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4
Place the un-dealt portion of the deck face down on the table.
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Choose two cards from your hand to discard face down. Both the dealer and non-dealer must complete this step. Set the cards aside for use later in the game.
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Turn the top card of the deck face up and place it on the table next to the deck. This is the start card. If the start card is a Jack the dealer scores two points and moves her peg two holes.
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Play a card from your hand face up on the table in front of you and announce the points from that card if you are the non-dealer. Face cards are worth 10 points, Aces are worth one point and every other card is worth the face value of the card.
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Play a card from your hand face up on the table in front of you and announce the total points from that card and the previous card played if you are the dealer. Keep your cards in a separate face up pile than the non-dealers played cards.
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Continue alternating between the dealer and non-dealer playing cards and announcing the running total until 31 is reached. You cannot play a card that brings the total over 31. The player that plays a card bringing the total to 31 receives two points and can move her back peg two places ahead of her front peg. If no player can play a card because all the cards would bring the total over 31 then the last player to play a card receives one point and can move their peg.
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10
Flip the played cards face down and continue alternating until all the cards in both players’ hands have been played.
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Score two points during play if you play a card that makes the total 15, or if you play a card the same rank as the previous card played. Score six points if you play a third card of the same rank after a pair is played. Score 12 points if you play a fourth card of the same rank after a three of a kind is played. Score one point for each card played in a sequence of three or more cards of rank in sequence.
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Continue alternating between dealers and playing in the same fashion until one player scores 61 points or more.
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