General cribbage strategy tips Don't lead a 5 or a 10-card. If you do, you give your opponent the chance to score 15-2. Aim to bait your opponent to create runs during play.
Any one of the following 24 tips may be enough to win a game for you. LAYING AWAY (early in game) Non-dealer: 1 Give opponent's crib 'balking' cards—wide cards, separated by two or more ranks, reduce chances of a sequence; 10-point cards are also good balkers. May 05, 2020 Place a card face up from your hand onto the table. Decide who gets to go first by picking a dealer. Whoever is sitting left of the dealer gets to go first. Have each player take a turn putting a card face-up on the table from their hand.
DeLynn Colvert - Tip #10
Twenty-Six Theory, part 1
Previous NextNow that you know how to run traps, play offense, play defense, fake flushes, dump Js, entice the play, use psychological tricks, apply logic and have a solid end game what's left to learn? How can my game be improved to insure winning, even against an expert player?
Remember what Lord Kelvin said way back in the 19th Century:
'When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind.'
To carry this thought a bit further, can you honestly say that you can play the first card of the first hand with absolute certainty? And the second card? In fact, can you play the entire hand with absolute certainty? Do you know when to play on? When to play off? If not, your knowledge of cribbage IS of a meager and unsatisfactory kind!
Suppose you the non-dealer. Your very first hand consists of the 4-5-Q-K. Do you know the correct card to lead? The 4? No. The correct card to open the game is the K.
You're the dealer and your first hand consists of the 4-5-6-K. Your opponent leads a K. Do you know the correct response? the 5 for 15-2? Pair the K? No. The correct play is the 6. Both the K lead by the nondealer, and the 6 response by the dealer are made with absolute certainty.
But wait, earlier in these tips, leading from a card lower than a 5 was recommended as the percentage play, the play with 57% less chance of your opponent scoring. And for the dealer, if the K is led, why not play a 5 for 15-2 or at least pair the K? Why lay off?
The Twenty-Six Theory
An explanation of these controversial plays will come later. But first, I have developed a mathematical method of play that has been tried and proven, with thousands of games charted, tens of thousand of hands analyzed, and the results thoroughly studied. During this study, a method of play slowly evolved, a theory of play. A theory I have named the Twenty-Six Theory.
This Twenty-Six Theory, if played consistently, should improve you winning average a full 6%. Insignificant, you're thinking. But in this tough, subtle game of cribbage, 6% is the winning edge. Beating Uncle Jake by 6% is quite an achievement! Of course, players of lesser skill will fall at a much higher rate. On the tournament trail, my winning average is 58.1% or a full 16.2% over breaking even, and this has been accomplished against highly skilled players. This winning percentage comes from consistently using the Twenty-Six Theory.
By applying the Twenty-Six Theory your winning average will bound upwards against players of all skill levels. The Twenty-Six Theory is the ultimate cribbage weapon! The weapon that tells you exactly what card to play and when to play it, almost without exception.
Remember the old 'Law of Averages'? That law has built the gambling empires, creating fortunes for the gambling houses? The law that beats you at roulette, beats you at the dice table, beats you at the blackjack tables? This same law can work for you at cribbage too. A Law of Averages operates in cribbage, just as surely as it operates in any card game.
But cribbage is a subtle card game, in fact, one of the most subtle card games devised by man. Players learn the basics quickly, and become competitive quickly. So quickly, in fact, that in a 121-point game, average players are actually dueling over the ten points or so (and usually much less) that can actually be controlled by the players, and not controlled by the luck of the draw. This small edge makes playing the 'averages' that much more important. Every point earned, or lost, through skillful, or unskillful play, is critical to winning consistently, or losing consistently. And this is where the Twenty-Six Theory comes in.
- Republished from Play Winning Cribbage by permission. Text copyright © 2002 by DeLynn Colvert. All rights reserved.
Previous NextHave you ever played cribbage? Or do you know how to play cribbage? Or do you want to learn to play this amazing card game?
Whatever it is that you want, we have got you covered. The article below will explore the various aspects of cribbage, including cribbage rules, strategy, best cribbage hand, and more.
Basics of Playing Cribbage
Below we will tell you all the basics of this strategic and fun card game cribbage including how to play cribbage. To learn the cribbage card game basics, you will need two things first – a deck of cards and a cribbage board.
The good thing is that you can easily find both of these things at your local store and that too at a price less than $15.
Object of Cribbage Card Game
The cribbage card game’s objective is to score 121 points that are pegged over the board with the points which are in your hands. Your every hand determines how many points you will get.
Description of Cribbage Board
You will find three variations of colors in a standard cribbage board, and each color has 121 points pegged on it. The board also has three pegs, one for each color. These pegs are there to help you keep track of the points during the game. The pegs are kept in a small compartment, which is at the back of the board.
How To Play Cribbage?
Step 1
To start playing the game of cribbage, you need at least two people. You can also play it with three or four people. Here is a brief of guidelines that will help you:
- In two people set up, the dealer deals six cards for each of the players.
- If there are three players, then the dealer will deal five cards to each of the players while keeping one to the offside.
- In a four-player setup, the dealer will deal five cards for each of the players. They do this by sitting opposite each player.
Knowing the dealer rules is essential when we want to learn how to play cribbage. The lowest card formula decides the player who becomes the dealer in the cribbage card game. For it, the full deck of cards is placed in front of the pacers. After this, each player gets a turn and draws a card from the deck. The player who draws the lowest card from the deck becomes the dealer.
According to the cribbage rules, every time a new hand is dealt, the dealer changes people. These dealer rules are also similar in the various cribbage game online.
Step 2
After picking up the cards, you have to arrange them in a format of smallest to largest. The Ace is the smallest card in the cribbage card game, whereas the king is the largest card. This distribution of cards makes it different from the other popular card games like go fish and snaps.
However, the orderly setup of the cards is not a compulsory thing according to the cribbage rules.
Step 3
The points system of the cribbage card game: The Basic and Best Cribbage Hand
- Any of the cards which, when added, give a sum of 15 in total.
- If there is a pair of two similar cards.
- Flushes; when there are four or more than four cards of similar units.
- When there are three of a kind cards.
- If there are runs of three or more cards. The run cards are those which are in numerical order.
These are some hands that can get you points in the game. For the best results, you must form a cribbage strategy as it will let you win most.
Step 4
After you know how to play cribbage and its points system, the next important thing is making combinations of cards.
For having the best cribbage hand, you must determine the combination of cards that can gain you the most points. This is essential as you have to discard two cards if six are dealt, and one card of five are dealt. This leaves you with flour cards, and the best combination wins from the cards left in your hand.
Step 5
After dealing with the cards in the cribbage card game, you have to discard one or two cards from them, as we told in step 4. You must know which cards will gain you the most points and thus keep them in hand while discarding the remaining one or two cards.
The discarded cards are to be kept in a pile of cards in front of the dealer according to the cribbage rules. These cards are to be kept face down, and the pile is known as the crib. The crib is a hand of four cards, which is made up using the discarded cards. The dealer uses these cards at the end of the hand to count any extra points.
Which cards to discard is a vital aspect of how to play cribbage and thus study the cards well before discarding them.
Step 6
Cached
After discarding cards, the game starts. The person who is on the left side of the dealer, or in two players, the player other than the dealer cuts the remaining deck of the cards. After it, the dealer pulls off the top card of the cut deck.
The card which is cut in the game is known by the name of the cut card. This card is then put on the top of the remaining deck, and later it comes into play in the game. After this, the person left to the dealer or the one who didn’t deal in the two player game lays down the first card. The first card, which is laid down, is kept face down. When the player lays down the card according to the cribbage rules, they have to announce that card’s face value.
The highest face value of a card can be ten, and thus if the card is a queen, king, or jack, the value is 10. Typically the best card to start laying down is the highest card as it is the best cribbage strategy.
Step 7
When the player lays down, the card announcing the face value; the next turn is of the player to the left. In a two player game, the turn is of the dealer to lay down a card and announce the value. The second person or dealer lays down the card in an attempt to match the laid down cards and gain up to 15 of two points.
Another way of scoring two points in the cribbage card game is to lay down two similar cards one after another. For example – A player lays two just after a two.
A player can also score if they lay down in a run of three. For example – if one player lays down six, another lays down eight, and you lay down 7. This would lead to a person saying a 21 of the three and three peg points on the board. The last way of scoring a point in the cribbage game is to add up to a number of 31. This is the highest number that a player can add up to.
All these point-scoring rules are the same for the cribbage game online also.
Step 8
Repeat the 7th step again and again by laying the cards down. Do this while adding the cards until you reach the no 31, or you can’t go any further. In the situation where you can’t go, the person who laid the last card in the deck gets the point for going. Once a person gets a go, the person who can’t go until they reach 31 needs to start over. They do this by laying a card face up from the hand.
Step 9
Once every player lays down hands in the game, count your hands again. To begin counting of your hands, you have to determine various ways which can lead a card to a sum of 15 first.
If you have any of the cards summing up to 15 you, need to say 15 for the two. In case you have more than one 15, then you need to say 15 for four. This goes on until a player finishes the counting of combos, which sum up to 15. A player also needs to determine if they have any runs, three of a kind, or pairs.
Step 10
The first player who counts the hands according to the cribbage rules is the one who didn’t deal with the cards. In a cribbage card game that involves more than two players, it is the person sitting left to the dealer. This cycle, after completing the round, moves back to the dealer.
This is the time in the game when a cut card comes into play. A cut card can gain you a point during the counting of hands. Now the dealer counts their hands; remember they also have the discarded cards or cribs which were discarded in the beginning. They can also count them to add more points.
Step 11
Once the counting of hands concludes, the process of the game starts again. Only change this time is that the person who didn’t deal or was to the left of the dealer will deal this time. This cycle goes on with every time hands counting concludes.
The process of dealing and counting hands continues until one of the players has a total of 121 pints or more than it. Once any player has 121 or more, then it points, the game ends.
These are some of the steps which will help you to play the cribbage card game. So, now when you know how to play cribbage, when are you doing it? Whenever you play – you will surely enjoy it.
Some tips for a cribbage card game are:
- Always follow the cribbage rules as not doing so may result in your turn ending or points deduction.
- The best cribbage hand is the one that gains you 10 points in one go. So always look out for it.
- Cribbage strategy is a vital aspect of the game and thus, always think, observe, determine and then act. This will surely result in your favor and make you win the game.
- If you and your friends can’t catch up to enjoy the game, you can also go for a cribbage game online. There are various platforms that offer it online, and you can virtually enjoy it with your friends.
- The announcement of the card values by the other player must be remembered like go fish for making a hand. Thus always pay attention to other players.
Final Words
If you love card games, then you will surely love the cribbage card game. This is a strategic and fun card game that evolved from the English game of the “Noddy.” Sir John Suckling, a famous and wealthy English poet, was the man behind the invention of this game. Amazing thing about the game is that it allows players to exercise luck and anticipation at the same time.
How To Be Better At Cribbage
In cribbage, players need to make hands to score points. The players with the most hands in the game are winners, and the game ends when any of the players reach a score of 121 or more.