A GAME FOR 2, 3 OR 4 PLAYERS
(Ages: 8 to Adult)
is basically a two player game, but can be played with 4 players
as teams of 2 players each. E. S. Lowe (A Milton Bradley Company)
Derby Cribbage board has three tracks and allows the play of
3 players. This cut throat game for three is explained below.
TWO PLAYER GAME
OBJECT OF THE GAME: To be the
first to score 121 points by counting combinations of cards during
"play," "hands," and "crib."
Cribbage requires a standard 52 card deck, with
cards ranking from the King high to the Ace low.
The face cards have a value of 10, with the other
cards tallied according to their number, down to the Ace which
In cutting for deal, the low card wins;
and shuffles. After shuffling, the non-dealer cuts; the dealer
unites the cards and deals one card at a time first to his opponent,
then to himself alternately till each, has six cards. Each player
studies his hand and then discards two of his six face down without
his opponent seeing them. These four face down discards are placed
together, forming an extra hand known as the ''CRIB." There are therefore three hands of four cards
each for each deal. They are:
1. The opponent's hand
2. The dealer's hand
3. The Crib
The crib is counted by the dealer after each players hand has
been played and counted.
STARTING THE GAME:
After discarding to the Crib the opponent
cuts the pack and the dealer turns the top card of the lower
packet face up on top of the whole pack. This card is called
the "Start." It is not used in the play. It is counted
with each hand and the crib after play is completed. If
the "Start" is a Jack. the dealer pegs two holes on
the board at once. and this must be done before the dealer plays
his first card in order to be counted "Two for his heels."
PLAYING THE HANDS:
After cutting the "Start,"
the non-dealer plays any card from his hand, face up on the table,
in front of himself, calling out the value of the card he plays.
The dealer then plays any card from his hand,
face up on the table, in front of himself, calling out the sum
of his opponent's card and the card he plays. The non-dealer
then plays another card, calling out the sum of all cards that
have been played and then the dealer plays in the same manner.
Playing alternates until the sum of the cards played is 31 or
until neither player can play without exceeding 31. Either player
unable to play a card making the sum less than 31, says ''Go"
and the other player must go on playing till he reaches 31 or
until he cannot play a card making the sum less than 31. The
player coming nearest 31 scores a "go" and may peg
one hole on the board. If either player makes exactly 31 he pegs
two holes on the board. After a "go" or after 31 has
been reached, each player turns the cards he has played face
down on the table in front of himself.
The player who has the next turn begins the play
again and the play continues in the same manner till all of the
cards (8) have been played. The "last card" played
scores one point, but if the "last card" makes 31 two
points only are pegged and there is no "last" in this
SCORING DURING PLAY:
NUMBERS REFER TO TABLE BELOW (28
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(1) If either player plays a card making the sum
of the cards played exactly 15, he calls out "fifteen two"
and pegs two holes on his side of the board.
(2) Either player pegs two for 31 or (3) one for "go"
or "last card."
Two, three or four cards played in succession,
forming pairs, triplets or fours, entitle the player of the card
completing a pair, triplet, or four to score. (5) Peg two holes
for a "pair" (6) six holes for "three of a kind"
and (7) twelve holes for "four of a kind."
If either player plays a card completing a sequence
of three. four or five, etc., he calls out (8)"run of three"
or (9) "run of four" or (10) "a run of five,"
etc., and may peg three, four or five, etc., holes on the board.
The numbers in parentheses indicate the corresponding combinations
in the table of combinations and their values, on the chart below.
Sequences or "runs" need not be in numerical
order. For example, 9-7-6-8 or 6-7-8-9 are runs of four."
Ace is always low and is one in sequence with 2, but not in sequence
with King. A-2-3 Yes. Q-K-A No.
If a break in sequence is filled up, without the
intervention of a card not in order, the player completing the
sequence pegs one for each card in the sequence. For example:
In playing the cards, each player tries to peg
as many points as possible, by making the combinations indicated
in the table of scoring combinations.
SCORING OF HANDS:
After all of the cards have been played, the non-dealer
places his hand face up on the table and counts his hand, together
with the "start," first making as many of the scoring
combinations as possible and then pegging the number of holes
for their total value, counting aloud.
Then the dealer does the same, first with his
hand and the "start" and then with the "Crib"
and the "start." The non-dealer may win by scoring
game, 121, before the dealer can count his hand or "Crib."
"Fifteens"' (1) in hands or "Crib"
are counted by adding together all the different cards (including
the "start"), the indices of which will make exactly
fifteen, without using the same set of cards more than once.
Tens or face cards are valued at ten each .
Matching cards ("Pairs" 5, 6, 7) are
scored as in playing the hands.
"Sequences" (8, 9, 10) are counted as
in playing, but with the additional provision that, if a sequence
contains a pair such as 7-8-9-9, there are two sequences of three
using two different combinations 7-8-9 and 7-8-9. (11) This is
a double run of "three" with a "pair" and
counts 8 points (3+3+2).
(12) A "double run of four" such as
5-7-4-7-6 ("start") has two "runs of four,"
4-5-6-7 and 4-5-6-7 with a "pair" and counts 10 points
(13) A "triple run of three" such as
4-2-2-2-3 (''start'') has three "runs of three" with
three "pairs" and counts 15 points (3+3+3+2+2+2).
(14) A ''quadruple run of three, such as 4-3-3-2-2
("start") has four "runs of three" with two
''pairs" and counts 16 points (3+3+3+3+2+2).
A "Flush" (15) in hand has four cards
of the same suit and pegs 4.
(16) A hand or ''Crib'' containing four cards
of the same suit as the ''Start" pegs 5.
"His Nob" (17): Jack of the same suit
as the "start" in hand or in "Crib" counts
"one for his nob.'
After the first hand, the deal alternates and
the opponent of the first hand now becomes the dealer and has
the "Crib." Play continues until one player first reaches
121 points and wins the game.
PLAYING LAST CARDS:
All cards must be played. If
one player has played four cards and the other player has two
cards left - for example, 8 and 7 - the latter must play them,
calling "fifteen two" and ''last card." He then
Had the last two cards been a pair, 9 and 9, the
player calls "eighteen for a pair" and "last card"
and pegs 3.
Two "ten cards" and a 4 are
played making 24, and the dealer, having no card under 8, calls
"go.'' If the non-dealer has a 7, he may play it, calling
"31 two" and pegs 2. If the non-dealer has a 4, he
may play it, making a "pair" and a "go" and
pegging 3. If the non-dealer has 3 and 2, he plays them, making
a "run of three" and a "go" and pegging 4.
Dealer then plays remaining cards. No player may call a "go"
unless he has a card or cards that will not come in under 31.
The Cribbage Board is placed horizontally
between the two players. Each player uses two pegs moving one
peg ahead of the other (like footsteps) as he counts his points.
Each hole counts one point. Both players start at the same end
of the board, moving their pegs up the outside row of 30 holes
and then down the inside row of 30 holes The first player to
do this twice, plus at least one extra point (121 or more) WINS
When more than one game is played, each player
uses a third peg in one of the rows of 10 holes in the center
of the board, pegging one hole for each game he wins. When a
winner reaches 121 before his opponent reaches 61 points this
is called "Lurch" and the winner may peg 2 game holes.
E. S. Lowe's standard board and their folding
board are pegged as above. Lowe's E1505 deluxe board is a continuous
track from start to finish, as is their Derby Cribbage with 3
THREE PLAYER GAME -back to top-
E. S. Lowe's Derby Cribbage board is used when
playing with two or three players. Each player uses a track.
Once around from start to finish is the game.
The basic game play and scoring is the same as
in the two player game with the following exceptions.
Each player is dealt 5 cards and one card is dealt
to the "Crib"' Each player discards one card to the
"Crib." The player to the left of the dealer cuts the
deck for the "starter" and leads first. Play continues
When one player calls "go," the other
two must play in turn as many cards as they are able.
The player to the left of the dealer scores his
hand first, then the next player and finally the dealer's hand
and dealer's crib.
FOUR PLAYER GAME
The game is played in two partnerships.
Partners sit opposite one another. Each player is dealt 5 cards
and discards one to the "Crib." The player to the left
of the dealer cuts the deck for the "starter" and plays
first. When one player calls "Go" the others must play
in turn. Dealer partnership counts their hands last and they
also count the "Crib"
©1975 By Milton Bradley Co. under
Berne & Universal Copyright Conventions. Made in U.S.A.
1503 Standard Cribbage Board