We live in an age where the so-called Cult of the New can dominate the board gaming conversation. Games that recently hit the market (or will be doing so soon) are often seen as superior to those that hit the table months, years, or decades ago. As I write this, the most recent BGG Top 50 Statistics GeekList on BoardGameGeek has 49 games that were released between 2002 and 2024; but only one game older than that: Crokinole at #44 having an origin date of 1876. This one outlier is it. I’d love to try Crokinole someday, but a good board for this game can set you back a few Benjamins (granted, there are a few of questionable quality on Amazon Prime that come in lower than this). A Cribbage board, on the other hand, is dirt cheap (one of the boards at that link is $6.95 and comes with two decks of cards).
Cribbage is a game that hails from the 17th century: either 1630, 1662, 1672, or 1674 (depending on the source). However, you slice it, this game is over 350 years old and is still enjoyed all over the globe. This game has been described as Britain’s National Card Game and, according to The Penguin Book of Card Games, is the only card game that can be legally played in licensed British pubs without needing to get permission from the local authorities. This is a fascinating game!
In our Back in the Day articles revisiting classic experiences, we won’t discuss how to play these games…they are old, and if you want to learn how to play, feel free to search the ‘net for answers. We’ll instead focus on what still works, and what doesn’t, while making a recommendation on whether you need to dig this one out of your attic or not!
Deal → Play → Show
Everything about Cribbage is beautifully anachronistic. The game has three stages, two of which involve scoring (using similar, but not quite the same, mechanics). Scoring is segregated into such small segments and timing that you really can’t do this using paper and pencil. You need a cribbage board.
During the Deal, players choose which cards to keep, and which to put into the dealer’s crib (see below). A common card is revealed that will be used in the Show.
During the Play, players reveal successive cards, adding their values. Points are scored for pairs, triplets, or quads; for runs of 3+ cards; or for reaching a count of exactly 15 or 31. Players cannot play a card that would result in a total above 31, instead calling ‘Go’ and passing the play. If nobody can play, the player who played the last card scores and the count starts over, continuing until all cards have been revealed.
During the Show, players score various elements of their hand and the revealed common card. Points are scored for pairs, triplets, or quads; for runs of 3+ cards; for cards totalling 15; and for flushes of 4 or 5 cards (so long as all cards of the player’s hand are used in the flush). The dealer always scores last, but then looks at their crib and scores it as a separate hand.
The player to first score 121 points immediately ends the game (even if in the midst of the Play or the Show). Games are often played as a part of matches (e.g., best of 5 games; best of 7 games).
But there is more… so much more! Score 121 points before your opponent reaches 91 points and you have just won two games (i.e., a skunk); do it before they reach 61 points and you have just won three games (i.e., a double-skunk); do it before they reach 31 points and you have just won the match, no matter how long it might have been set to be (i.e., a triple-skunk). Jacks are special if they are the revealed common card, or if they match the suit of the revealed common card. The Muggins rule allows the game to become seriously cut-throat by allowing a player to steal points during the Show if their opponent fails to notice points in their hand or crib. Because of the strict order of scoring, in some regions of the world, the dealer may shuffle the cards then offer their opponent an opportunity to cut (something that is not done in Cribbage); if the opponent accepts the deck and cuts, they have just become the dealer and will now count last this round!
This really is a beautiful game.
What doesn’t work?
If being honest, there is nothing about the game of Cribbage that fails as a modern game. For some, just that fact that it is an abstract will be an issue. It is not poker, nor any other form of game with bluffing or what-have-you. It is a game where you look at a set of cards and have to know how to split them into those you keep and those you put into a crib (knowing if this is your crib, or your opponent’s crib). It is a game where you look at the sub-set of cards you kept, and have to know which order to play them in (adjusted for the order in which your opponent is playing theirs) to best score while keeping your opponent from doing so. It is a game where you need to be able to spot the pairs, sums, and suits to get all the points from your hand (and your crib, if you dealt).
Final Thoughts
It is a wonderful time… but it has an old, folksy-yet-aristocratic feel to it. It might even seem archaic to some. The constant in-your-face math aspect of the game might turn someone off, to be honest. But if given a good teacher and a gentle hand to start…there is nothing stopping even the youngest potential gamer from becoming a life-long devotee to this centuries old game.
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