Cribbage Tips
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Cribbage Strategy Introduction
Cribbage rules and strategy. Learn how to play cribbage with this cribbage guide. Play gin rummy, play cribbage, play dominoes, play backgammon, play and practice chess. 2 million interactive chess games online (1485-present). Move pieces on Java virtual board, search. Cribbage strategy tips from gamecolony.com. Cribbage Strategy at everything2.com. George Rassmussen's notes on crib strategy. Cribbage Pro - Play Cribbage online any time and anywhere. Play the best online cribbage and download Cribbage Pro for your iPhone or Android mobile device. A collection of cribbage articles and tips by DeLynn Colvert, author of the book Play Winning Cribbage, hosted at the American Cribbage Congress (ACC).
To play cribbage well, you need to learn two things: how to discard and how to peg or play the hand. How to discard is divided into two sections: how to discard into your own crib and how to discard into your opponent's crib. Though there is a considerable luck in cribbage, the main portions of the game - hand recognition and counting, discarding to the crib and pegging - are heavily influenced by the strategies employed by the individual player.
Now about Luck: keep in mind, that the best cards to be dealt are fives, because they form fifteens with 10s, Js, Qs, and Ks. Combinations adding to five are good, too, especially when repeated and matched with a 10. For example, 2 3 3 K, is worth six, but a 10, J, or Q starter card will add four points to its value and a 2, 3, or K starter will be worth six more points.
Cribbage Strategy for Discarding for Your Crib
It is generally easier to discard when you have the crib; you don't have to worry about putting good cards into the crib. In discarding you have two aims:
1. To get as much as possible out of your hand
2. To build a good crib
Try to put something good into your crib - fives are good, pairs, any two cards totaling 15 (7 and 8, 9 and 6, or 5 and 10, J, Q, K) or cards that touch (to form a run).
According to player's statistics, you should put cards to your own crib which have high scoring potential. In order of preference, and as available, discards to own crib should look like this: 5-5, 2-3, 5-J, 5-6, 5-K, 5-10, 5-Q, 4-5, 7-8, etc. Some of these discards are strong enough to sacrifice points in the hand.
But never break up your hand in hopes of getting a good crib. Your hand is where you need to score most of your points. High-scoring cribs are unusual and require luck or an opponent's mistake.
In deciding what to throw away, The Starter Card must be considered but don't count on it too much. Try to hold cards that will be helped by several different starter cards.
Cribbage Discarding Tips
Cribbage Strategy for Discarding for Your Opponents Crib
Cribbage Tips
There is no such thing as a safe crib, but here are several ways you can reduce the chances for giving your opponent a big crib.
1. Avoid discarding cards that add up to five, a 3 and 2, or a 4 and 1.
2. Avoid giving the Q, J or 3, 4; they often produce runs. J has also a 25% chance of counting one point as Nobs.
3. Avoid two cards with just one between such as Q-10, 10-8 combination as it only takes one card from the dealer to complete the sequence.
4. Avoid 7s and 8s; they are big hand builders.
5. Don't discard two cards of the same suit.
So the good cribbage discard onto opponent's crib is: 10-K, 9-K, 6-K, 6-Q, 9-Q, 8-K, 7-10, 6-10, A-Q, 7-Q, 7-K, 8-Q, A-K and so on
Sometimes it pays to give your opponent something good. If four of your cards combine to make a good hand then, give your opponent what is left over.
Double runs should almost always be kept; chances of a quadruple or triple run are high enough to warrant keeping a double run even if you must help your opponent's crib a bit. An exception would be a hand like 5 5 10 10 9 8, when the best play is to throw the 9 8.
If you need to discard face cards, throwing a king into the opponent's crib is better than throwing a queen or jack, since it's hardest to form a run with a king
When there's a conflict between helping the opponent's crib and keeping your own hand intact, consider the score of the game. If you're ahead and it's okay if you both score big, you might take a chance on giving the opponent a big crib; but if you're behind, you want to play defensively and slow down the game, which means you should give up your own best hand to avoid helping the opponent.
Cribbage Strategy for Pegging
Try to lead your opponent during play. For example, if you start with a 7, your opponent could play an 8 for 15 and score 2 points. By leading, you can play a 9 to score 3 points for a Run.
If possible, try to cover yourself in case the opponent pairs you or makes fifteen. For example, if you hold 2 3 6 9, lead the 3 rather than the 2, because if it's paired you can make fifteen.
In a play, leading from a Pair is a good strategy. For example, if you have a Pair, you can lead by playing one of the cards of that Pair. If your opponent plays a matching card, you can play your other Pair for Three of a Kind and score 6 points.
Low pairs such as aces can be very good to hold when you need to peg a lot of points. If the opponent says go, you can play them consecutively and score the pair (plus a point for the go).
Eleven points cards. These are cards which total eleven points and are instrumental in scoring 31-for-2 or more. Two card elevens favor the dealer (5-6, 4-7, 3-8, 2-9, A-x). Three card elevens favor the non-dealer (A-A-9, 2-2-7, 3-3-5, 4-4-3, 5-5-A). Four card elevens favor the dealer (A-A-4-5, A-2-3-5, 2-2-3-4) and often result in huge pegging scores when a portion of the eleven point combination is a triple (A-A-A-8, 2-2-2-5, 3-3-3-2)
If you're the dealer and you hold two cards that would form a run with a five: 3-4, 4-6, or 6-7 - you have a good chance to score a run by saving these cards if, as is fairly likely, opponent holds a five. Opponent won't lead the five, and may well hold it to the end, after 31 has been reached. Chances are then good that the last three cards played will give you a run, plus a point for last card.
Endgame pegging involves strategy unlike that employed in other areas of the board. You have to prevent dealer from pegging at game end. It may be a good idea to keep low cards in your hand so you'll have more opportunities to score Go points.
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< /> At GameColony.com you can play cribbage online. We also offer Cribbage Live - a native mobile app for iPhone/iPad and 'GC Cribbage' - native app for Android phones and tablets. With our modern Cribbage HTML5 web apps ('blue app' & 'green app'), you can play cribbage using any new browser - either on a desktop like Windows or Mac, or on a mobile device like iPhone or iPad or Android phone or tablet. See basic cribbage strategy tips here: Cribbage Game Strategy GameColony.com is now a 'home away from home' for many of the world's strongest and the most experienced cribbage players. Below are cribbage hints (tips) and suggestions by Robert (Bob) Milk (player handle: Moojus aka Moo) - a dedicated GameColony player and the current Commissioner for American Cribbage Congress (ACC). The American Cribbage Congress (ACC) is the largest organization for the promotion of cribbage. Bob Milk has originally posted his cribbage hints separately one-by-one in GameColony's public forum (e.g., Cribbage Hint #1). As there was a lot of interest from GameColony's cribbage players, we have combined these posts here. Cribbage Tips below are general principles of play. Skilled cribbage players also try to get to know their opponents and how they play and make a few mental notes of what their opponents like to discard to their cribs or their opponent's cribs, assuming they have choices when doing so. Study these cribbage hints - they should help you play cribbage better! Without further ado... below is pure... Moojus: I am going to start off this one with two questions, along with their answers, and some information for you to ponder. Q1. What is the average crib count? A1. 4 Q2. What is the average number of points down the board does the dealer score (this includes pegs, hand count, and crib count)? A2. 16 Q3. What is the average number of points down the board does the non-dealer score (this includes pegs, and hand count)? A3. 10 Q4. How many hands (deals) are there in the average cribbage game? A4. The answer is 10. Generally speaking, there are 9 hands fully played out. The starting dealer usually goes out during the 10th hand. This has a subtle implication...The starting dealer gets to count one more crib during the average game than the starting pone (non-dealer); providing the starting dealer with a minimum of a 4 point advantage. This means that somehow, the starting pone needs to outpeg (score more points) than the starting dealer during those hands. If, as the starting pone, you just intend for the cards to favor you and not the starting dealer, then you are not playing to your fullest. As the starting pone, you should play more aggressively to overcome this deficit so that you can go out during the 9th hand. By the same logic, the starting dealer should try to keep the starting pone from pegging points as the starting dealer wants the game to go slow enough so that they get to count their hand and crib on the 9th hand and if not out, be in a position to go out during the 10th hand. Just some thoughts to make you think about some strategy! You need to pay attention during the play so that you do not let your opponent pick up 3 or more points by playing into a run. Frequently, I am able to pick up 3 or more points because my opponent may not be paying attention and makes a play such that I can get a run. This example showed up last week. I was the dealer, the play was as follows: Note: P-pone; D-Dealer, [..]-points scored (P)-4; (D)-9 making the score 13; (P)-10 making the score (23); (D)-8 making the score (31) [5 points for the (D)] The Pone had better cards to play. Free Points for your opponent is what happens when you are not paying attention. This example was NOT a trap, that is, the only possible play. I hope that some of you are able to use my hints. Mike Burns taught me that the pone should dump the lone Ace as quickly as possible. Mike Burns has attained the ranking of Grand Master in the American Cribbage Congress (ACC). Mike won the ACC's Tournament of Champions in 2004. Many players try to save their lone Ace to get a 31 for 2 or last card. Many times this has disastrous results for the pone. For a real example, last night, I did not heed this advice and my Ace was trapped; this cost me the game as I lost by 2 points. I was the Pone and held: A-6-6-8 (this is a common hand)The dealer held: K-4-A-A (another common hand) (P)-8; (D)-K making the score 18; (P)-6 making the score 24; (D)-4 making the score 28 (P)-A making the score 29 (D)-A making the score 30 [2 points for the D] (P) - Go (D)-A making the score 31 [2 points for 31 plus 6 points for the pairs royal for a total of 8 ponts to the D] The Dealer scored 10 unanswered points. Had I led with the Ace or played the Ace second, I would have won this game. My opponent counted first and had exactly enough to go out. I could not count my last hand, but had enough to go out. Had he scored fewer than 10 points during that play, the game results would have been different. Some players would say the dealer got lucky here. In reality, skill, or rather my demonstrated lack of skill, resulted in the 10 points. The skill is in understanding how to correctly play the cards you are dealt and then playing them correctly. Cribbage Tip: Basic Probability Theory Cribbage players should have an understanding of probability. This understanding will help you become a better (more skillful) cribbage (and card) player. For this, I will use the standard coin and add the real world dynamics that it must land either on heads or tails. Landing on the edge is not a valid option. First, I will keep it easy. If I flip the coin, what are the odds (probability) that it will land heads up? The odds are 50%. The calculation is the sum of desired outcomes (1-heads) divided by the number of possible outcomes (2-heads or tails). 1 / 2 = 50% Now for a more difficult example, If I flip this same coin 4 times what are the odds of it coming up heads exactly twice? Is it 50% or is it something like 50% * 50% * 50% * 50% = 6.25%. Got you thinking haven't I? To compute the odds (probability), we must figure out all possible outcomes that could occur from flipping a coin 4 times; these I list below:
Using the calculations, the odds (probability) of exactly 2 heads appear if we flip the coin 4 times is the number of desired outcomes (6) divided by the number of possible outcomes (16): 6 / 16 = 37.5% You need to understand this theory as it can be used to help you decide what to hold and/or discard. Some players say that some players are lucky because they get a lot of cuts for the hand and/or crib.. In reality, many 'lucky' players have the skill of understanding the probability theory. These suggestions for improvement come from many sources, including, but not limited to the following: 'Play Winning Cribbage' by Delynn Colvert (the undisputed top player in North America) 'Cribbage: A New Concept' by John Chambers The Cribbage Forum web site hosted by Michael Schell Hints from some of the top American Cribbage Congress Players My personal experiences Disclaimer: I have no vested interest in any of the publications listed. These techniques work for me and for many others; your results may vary. Like many of you, I was taught that as the non-dealer, you never lead a 5 as the first card. This is true for nearly all situations. The first situation, I am holding a 5 and three 10-value cards and I need one more point to win than I am holding. Example, I am holding 5-10-10-J and any card is cut that does not increase the value of the hand. I am stick with 8 points. I need 9 points to go out my opponent needs 4 or more points to win (they are in hole 117 or less). You lead the five. In the majority of cards, if you lead the 5, you will get at least 1 go. You may even pair their next lead. There are only a few combinations in which you will not get a go. If you lead a 1- value, there are many combinations in which you will not score a point as the pone. I have used this many times, only once have I not scored a point. If you try this and you opponent is at hole 118 or higher, you should lose as your opponent most likely will play a 10 value as 15 for 2 (he is now at 120) and automatically will get either a go or last card for the win. The second time, that as the non-dealer you lead a 5 is when your opponent is not at an end-game position and you hold three 5s and a 10 card. Even though you most likely will give up 4 points, if your opponent is holding combinations from 2s through 6s, they will peg a lot of points on runs. I once go stuck when my opponent had 3-3-4-5. This was my misplay:(P)-J(D)-3 for 13(P)-5 for 18(D)-4 for 22 [3 points to the dealer for the run](P)-5 for 27(D)-3 for 30 [3 points for the dealer for the run](P)-go [1 points for the dealer for the go](P)-5(D)-5 for 10 [3 points for the dealer for the pair and last card] The dealer pegged 10 unanswered points because of my misplay. Another GameColony.com player (Wiske) agreed with this Moojus tip, adding: 'I have found that there are times that leading a 5 can be effective. You are Pone and are holing a 5 and three different face cards. If you lead the five and the dealer scores a 15-2, you have a 75% chance of pairing their card. You also eliminate the possibility of getting your 5 trapped at the end of the hand. If the dealer has a five, he will not pair it, fearing you will come back with a pairs royal scoring 6 points. If the dealer does not score a 15-2 you have lost nothing. Granted that this does not always work but the odds are with you.Obviously this is a tactic you should not use too often, especially against the same player.' Learn to read your opponent's cards. Even though cards are random, cribbage players try to hold cards in which they can earn/score points. This is key to understanding how to best play your cards. You can use this understanding to either try to trap a card your opponent has or play to avoid getting a card of your trapped. For this example, the pone is holding 5-J-J-Q while the dealer is holding 3-3-4-8. The play proceeds as follows: (P) Q (D)8 for 18 (P) J for 28 (D) 3 for 31 [2 points for the dealer] Before playing my third card, I need to think about the cards that the dealer is most likely to hold based on those that I have seen. I see the dealer has already played an 8 and a 3, logically the cards the dealer is most likely holding include: 4,3,2,5,6,7,8,9,A. Most likely, the dealer is not holding any 10 value cards. If the dealer is holding 2,3 or 3,4, or 4,6 and I lead my remaining J, then the dealer traps my 5 for a run of 3. If the dealer has a 5 then he traps my 5 for a pair. In this case, I play the 5 to avoid the run trap. For me, (in most cases) it is better to give up 2 points than the POSSIBILITY of 3 points. I encountered this pattern three times over the past several days, twice as the dealer and once as the pone. Both times as the dealer, my opponent did not lead the 5 and I trapped their 5 as I was still holding 3-4. As the dealer, I played the 5 and avoided the trap. It is NOT luck to avoid the trap! It is a skill to recognize potential hold cards and avoid the trap. It is NOT luck to trap the 5, it is a misplay. Think about this theory, when you see that you opponent has played a 2 and a 6 or a 2 and a 7. Remember you must always make the determination of play based on the board positions. This hint works for me and your results may differ. It is better to give up 3 points than it is to give up 6. The only ‘safe’ pair occurs when you pair (match) your opponents last playable card; that is their fourth card or there is insufficient points under 31 such that your opponent cannot play a third match for pairs royal. The most frequent misplay that I see my opponents make is the needless taking of a ‘pair’ for 2 points with the score such that your opponent can ‘trip’ you (play a third card) for pairs royal and 6 points. When you take a pair, you must have a valid reason for taking the pair. The most valid reason for taking a pair is that if it will not hurt me if my opponent has a third one and scores 6 points. One should not take a pair just so that your opponent does not have the opportunity to score a run. Remember, it is better to give up 3 points than it is to give up 6. As a rule of thumb, unless you are also holding a pair, do not pair a first card play by the pone (non-dealer) of a 2, 5, or Jack. The majority of pones only lead from these cards when they are holding a second one for backup. With the most frequent discard being the King, it is less dangerous to pair the King lead; another lead that is sometimes safe to pair is the 4. Some good players will lead from the lone Jack since they realize that most players will not pair the Jack lead since they expect there to be a backup. Although the odds seem to be in your favor when you pair….even so, the question still remains - Can I afford to give up 6 points to my opponent? The answer in most cases is no. Even though I do not want to give up 3, 3 is less damaging than 6. I will use a Delynn Colvert 'Theory of 26' position example. Using his theory, a target hole is 70. That is you want to reach hole 70 for your next deal. I am the dealer at hole 47; you are the pone and you are leading and at hole 58. If I pair your card and you trips is for 6 points (pairs royal), you are then at hole 64 and needs just 6 holes in the remainder of the play and the counting of your hand to attain hole 70. Most likely you will be passed hole 70. If you passes hole 70 at this point of the game, then most likely you will win. If I do not pair you, then you must get 12 points in the remainder of play and hand count to reach 70. BTW: The average is 10 for the non-dealer. If you are at hole 69 or less, then I have a very good chance of winning the game (even though I am behind at this point). Now a reason to pair. I am the Pone at hole 62. You are the dealer at hole 65. I hold 2-3-4-8 (discarded K-9). The seven is cut, I am holding 7 points. Hole 62 plus 7 is 69. If I do NOT pair, I will be short and most likely will lose the game. Even if you trip me for 6 points, I will exceed hole 70 and have an excellent chance of winning. This is an example of when 2 points to me is worth more than 6 points to you. Some players say that some players are lucky because they get a lot of cuts for the hand and/or crib.. In reality, many 'lucky' players have the skill of understanding the board position. 'Pairs' aka 'partners' aka 'doubles' cribbage can be fun. It can be a more sociable cribbage version that one-on-one. In over-the-board or face-to-face games, I have experienced a lot of 'cheating' with this version. Cheating with partners can be subtle or blatant. The cheating ranges from the way players hold their cards in their hands to the inclusion of certain words (non-cribbage words) into the discussion. In internet play with partners, there are two clear avenues for cheating. One, the injection of agreed upon 'words/phrases' in the type chat -- subtle cheating. Or using a telephone or a separate Instant Messenger to discuss the cards that are held -- blatant cheating. Because of multiple uncontrollable easy opportunities for cheating, I, personally, will not consider playing pairs online. End Game Example (Posted by mbova (VIP) 8 Sep 2006 8:56pm EDT) --------------------------------------------- Game is 116 all. I am the pone, I have 23345T, I throw the 2T, maybe I should have thrown the 45 and played more defense since I was first to count. Mistake #1 I lead a 3, dealer plays a 4. I like playing the 5, if the dealer comes back with a 6, 2, 3, A all very possible. I come back with 3,3,3(4) or ?. I play the 5(12-3) 119. Dealer plays a 5 118-119. Uh oh. Ok if I play the 3 he already played a 4, I play the 3, I forgot that 3+4+5+5+4 = 21 ERRRRRR Dealer plays J 31 120-119 I play 3 Dealer plays last card. I kick myself. --------------------------------------------- This is a great example to show a couple of end game strategies and explain the 'out card'. In games where the ending is close, you want to hold an 'out card'. This is a card that is far away from the other three as possible. This helps to get out of run situations. Each player should have a different strategie when the score is tied and close to the end. In this game the score was 116-116. The Dealer's strategie is to play offensive and take every possible point. The dealer knows that he is in a bind hereand unless he pegs out, the pone (non-dealer) will win this game 95% of the time. This means that the dealer will break up his hand to hold pegging cards, that is low-value cards or cards that touch each other (such as 6-7). The Pone's strategie is to keep enough points to win, and reduce the opportunity for the dealer to peg. Given the cards the Pone was dealt, I would hold 2-3-3-T and lead the 3. This covers any reply by the dealer for a 10-value, a 9, or a 3. The play may then be as follows. P plays 3; count is 3; Score 116-116 D plays 4; count is 7; Score 116-116 P plays T; count is 17; Score 116-116 D plays 5; count is 22; Score 116-116 NOTE: Dealer must force a run to win, so they play this card, the 5, forcing the pone to play their low-card(s).P plays 2; count is 24; Score 116-116 At this point, the pone does not know what the dealer has; we know the dealer has a J and one other card that was not described, the pone's last card is a 3. Given the remaining cards of the two players, the dealer cannot win. It is this type of thought and understanding that makes some folks 'luckier' than others. There is definitely strategy in this game of cribbage. I hope that some of you are able to use my hints. These suggestions for improvement come from many sources, including, but not limited to the following: Happy Pegs, Bob 'Moojus' Milk |
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