Cribbage
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I admit, I know almost nothing about cribbage. That's why most of the info on this page is from Wikipedia. :) The use of the gadget above is self-explanatory if you are already familiar with the rules of the game.

The objective cribbage is to be the first player to score a target number of points, typically 61 or 121. Points are scored for card combinations that add up to fifteen, pairs (plus triples and quadruples), runs and flushes.

Rules. The players cut for first deal, and the dealer shuffles and deals five or six cards to each player, depending on the number of players. For two players, each is dealt six cards; for three or four players, each is dealt five cards.

In the case of three players, a single card is dealt face down in the centre of the table to start the crib. Once the cards have been dealt, the players look at their cards. Each player chooses four cards to retain, then discards the other one or two face-down to form the "crib" which will be used later by the dealer.

At this point, each player's hand and the crib will contain exactly four cards. The player on the dealer's left cuts the deck and the dealer reveals the top card, called the "starter". If this card is a Jack, the dealer scores two points for "his heels", also known as "his nibs".

The Play. Starting with the player on the dealer's left, each player lays one card in turn onto a personal discard pile, stating the cumulative value of the cards laid (for example, the first player lays a five and says "five", the next lays a six and says "eleven", and so on), without the total going above 31.

Once no more cards can be played, the cumulative position is reset to zero and those players with cards remaining repeat the process until all players' cards have been played. Players score points during this process for making a total of fifteen, for reaching exactly, or as close as possible to a total of thirty-one, for runs and for pairs.

Players choose the order in which to lay their cards in order to maximise their score according to the scheme shown below. If one player reaches the target (usually 61 or 121), the game ends immediately and that player wins.

The Show. Once the play is complete, each player in turn receives points based on the content of his hand in conjunction with the starter card. Points are scored for combinations of cards totalling fifteen, runs, pairs, flushes and having a Jack of the same suit as the starter card ("one for his nobs").

The dealer scores his hand last and then turns the cards in the crib face up. These cards are then scored by the dealer as an additional hand in conjunction with the starter card.

Scores between 0 and 29 are all possible, with the exception of 19, 25, 26 and 27. Players may refer colloquially to a hand scoring zero points as having a score of nineteen.

Have fun!

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