Part 51
It is obvious that if there is in the hand or the starter a duplicate of either of the cards forming the fifteen, no matter which, another fifteen can be formed, and the combination will therefore always be worth 6 points; 4 for the two fifteens, and 2 for the pair. It must not be forgotten that in the case of _=tenth cards=_, as they are called, the duplicates may not form pairs, as for instance with K J 5. The fifteen is duplicated, but there is no pair.
If there are two duplicates of either card, the combination will always be worth 12 points; 6 for the three fifteens, and 6 more for the pair royal.
If the duplicates are of two different cards, the combination is still worth 12, because four different fifteens can be formed by combining each Nine with each Six separately, and there are two single pairs.
The same is true of any combinations of two-card fifteens in which all five cards are of value; they are both of the same pegging value, 20 points. If there are three duplicates of one card in the original fifteen, the four separate fifteens will be worth 8, and the double pair royal 12. If there are two duplicates of one card, and one of the other, six separate fifteens can be formed by combining each Nine with each Six, pegging 12; and the pair royal of one card with the single pair of the other will add 8 more.
_=Three-card Fifteens=_ may be formed in fifteen different ways, ranging from 10 4 A, to 5 5 5. If you hold any of these combinations, and have a fourth card which is a duplicate of any of the three forming the fifteen, the value of the combination will depend on how many cards you can replace with the duplicate card.
If you have an extra tenth card, you can replace the other tenth card once only, and the total value of the combination is therefore 6 points, which is expressed by the formula; “Fifteen-two, fifteen-four, and a pair.”
If your combination was 9 3 3, and you had another 9, the same thing would be true; but if your duplicate is a Three, there are two cards which can be replaced, and the combination is therefore worth 12; 6 for the three fifteens, and 6 more for the pair royal.
If your combination is one in which all three cards can be replaced with the duplicate, making three extra fifteens, it must be worth 20 altogether; 8 for the four fifteens, and 12 for the double pair royal.
If you have two duplicates of any one card in the original combination, there are only two extra fifteens, and the combination will be worth 12; 6 for the three fifteens, and 6 more for the pair royal.
If you have duplicates of two different cards you can form four fifteens; because you can replace the Seven first, and then the Six, and then put the first Seven back again with the new Six. This will make the combination of the same value as if you had three duplicates of one card, 12 points; 8 for the four fifteens, and 4 for the two single pairs.
_=Combinations.=_ The beginner’s greatest difficulty is in counting hands which contain all three varieties of counts; pairs, sequences, and fifteens. But if he is familiar with the values of the various combinations taken separately, he will have no difficulty in computing them when they are found together. Some regular order should be observed in going over the hands, so that nothing shall be forgotten. The majority of players begin with the fifteens, as they are more liable to be overlooked, and then reckon the value of the runs and pairs together.
Take the following examples:--
No. 1. [Illustration: 🃕 🂵 🂥 🃖 🃇]
No. 2. [Illustration: 🂦 🃇 🂨 🃈 🃘]
No. 3. [Illustration: 🃆 🂧 🂸 🂩 🂹]
No. 4. [Illustration: 🃖 🂷 🃗 🃈 🃘]
No. 1 contains a fifteen in addition to the three runs of three and the pair royal, and is therefore worth 17 altogether. Nos. 2 and 3 each contain three fifteens; but No. 2 is worth 21 points on account of the three runs of three and the pair royal, while No. 3 is worth only 16; a double run of four and a single pair. No. 4 contains four fifteens in addition to the four runs of three and two single pairs, and is therefore worth 24 points.
The best combination that can be held in hand or crib is three Fives and a Jack, with the Five of the same suit as the Jack for a starter. We have already seen that the four Fives by themselves are worth 20, to which we must add the four extra fifteens made by combining the Jack with each Five separately, and one more point for his nobs, 29 altogether. If the Jack was the starter, the combination would be worth 30 to the dealer, but his heels would have to be counted before a card was played.
_=Flushes.=_ In addition to the foregoing combinations, if all four cards in the hand are of the same suit the player can peg four points for the flush; if the starter is also the same suit, five points. A flush does not count in the crib unless the starter is the same suit, and then it counts five points. Flushes are never made in play.
_=Laying Out for the Crib.=_ With this knowledge of the objects of game, and the various counting combinations, it will be seen that each player should keep the cards which count the most for him, or which are most likely to form good combinations with different starters.
Suppose the non-dealer holds these cards:--
If he puts the two Eights in his adversary’s crib, he not only gives him two very good cards, which go to form a great many valuable combinations, but he leaves himself absolutely nothing but 2 points for a single fifteen, formed by the 9 and 6. It would be a little better, but still very bad play, for him to discard the 8 and 6, leaving himself a sequence of four cards and a fifteen, 6 points altogether. He might do a little better by discarding the 10 and 8, leaving himself a run of four, and two fifteens, 8 points altogether. If he discards either the 10 and 9, or the 10 and 6, he will leave himself a double run of three, a pair, and two fifteens, 12 altogether. Of these two discards, that of the 10 and 6 is better than the 10 and 9, because the 10 and 9 might help to form a sequence in the adversary’s crib, whereas the 10 and 6 are so far apart that they are very unlikely to be of any use.
Cards which are likely to form parts of sequences are called _=close cards=_, and those which are too widely separated to do so are called _=wide cards=_.
_=METHOD OF PLAYING.=_ The crib laid out and the starter cut, the pone begins by playing any card he pleases. The card he selects he lays face upward on the table on his own side of the cribbage board, and at the same time announces its pip value; two, five, or ten, whatever it may be. It is then the dealer’s turn to play a card from his hand, which is also laid face upward on the table, but on the dealer’s side of the cribbage board. Instead of announcing the pip value of this second card, the dealer calls out the total value of the two cards taken together. The pone then lays another card on the table face upward and on the top of the first, which is not turned face down, and at the same time announces the total pip value of the three cards so far played; the dealer plays again, and so on.
If at any time the total pip value of the cards played is exactly 15 or 31, the one who plays the card that brings it to that number pegs two points for it at once. If any counting combination, such as a pair, pair royal, or sequence, is formed by the cards played, its value is pegged by the person that plays the card which completes the combination; but neither player is allowed to play a card which will make the total pip value of the cards played pass 31. The method of forming and pegging these various combinations in play will be better understood if they are described separately. A card once played cannot be taken up again, unless it passes 31.
_=Pairs.=_ If the first card played by the pone should be a 6, and the dealer had a 6 also, the latter would probably play it, announcing: “Twelve, with a pair,” and pegging two holes. If the pone held a third six he would immediately play it, announcing: “Eighteen, with a pair royal,” and would peg six holes for the three pairs which can be formed with the three Sixes, although he did not hold all of them. If the dealer was fortunate enough to hold the fourth Six he might rejoin with: “Twenty-four, with a double-pair-royal.” This would entitle him to peg twelve more holes, although he had already pegged the single pair.
_=Sequences.=_ Suppose the first card played by the pone was a 4. The dealer plays a 2, announcing: “Six.” The pone plays a 3, announcing: “Nine, with a run of three,” and pegging three holes for the sequence formed in play. The dealer plays an Ace; “Ten, with a run of four,” and pegs four holes for the sequence of four cards made in play, all of which are face upward on the table, although he held only two of them.
_=Fifteens.=_ The pone then plays a 5, which, added to the 10 just announced by the dealer, makes 15, with a run of five cards; seven holes to peg altogether. (This is quite independent of the sequence previously scored, just as the double pair royal was of the previous single pair.) The dealer now plays a deuce, and announces seventeen. This card does not form any sequence with those that have gone immediately before it, because if the order of play is retraced it will be found that another deuce is encountered before we reach the Four. This illustrates the rule already given, that sequences formed in play must always be single, and cannot be reckoned with substitute cards, like pairs royal. If they could, the last player in this case might claim a double run of five and a pair.
The pone now plays another 4, which forms the sequence afresh if we go back to the third card played. He announces: “Twenty-one, with a run of five,” and pegs five holes more. The dealer plays a 3, also claiming a run of five, which he pegs, and as that is the last card to be played in that hand he also pegs one hole for _=last card=_.
The total score of the dealer is now 10 points, and that of the pone is 15. The cards they held, and the order in which they were played is as follows:--
_=SHOWING.=_ In order to illustrate the manner of counting the hands, which is called showing, let us suppose the starter to be a Queen, and that the pone discarded an Ace and a Ten for the crib, the dealer laying out two Jacks.
The non-dealer always has the first show, as an offset to the advantage of the dealer’s crib. The pone therefore shows his hand, which, combined with the starter, is as follows:--
This is worth 10 holes; the run of three with one duplicate is always worth 8, and the fifteen formed by the starter and the Five counts 2 more. This puts the pone’s total score to 25 points.
The dealer then counts, showing his hand first. This, with the starter, is as follows:--
This is worth 14 holes. In addition to the run of three with one duplicate, three fifteens can be formed by combining the starter and a Three with each of the deuces, and then taking the starter and the Ace with both the deuces together. This puts the dealer’s total score to 24, with the crib still to count. This is as follows, with the starter:--
This is worth 9 holes; 8 for the run of three with one duplicate, and 1 for his nobs. There are no fifteens, and the Ace is worthless. This puts the dealer three holes round the corner, and on the homestretch for the game hole.
The deal now passes to the player that was the pone, and the next crib will belong to him.
Beginners often experience difficulty in deciding when a run has been made in play, and when it has not. If there is any dispute about it, the cards should be placed as shown in these diagrams, and if any duplicate is encountered before the run is complete, it cannot be pegged.
Take the following examples:--
There is no sequence, because we encounter a duplicate deuce before we reach the Five. If the last player had a Five to play now, it would make a run of five cards, stopping at the deuce of hearts. Take the following:--
There is no sequence; but if the pone had played his Five for his second card, the dealer would have pegged two runs; one of four, and one of six, besides the last card; the pone making one run of five and a pair, as follows:--
It will be seen that if the dealer had not played his Ace and kept his Six at the last, the pone would have pegged eleven holes on him, instead of seven.
_=Go, and Thirty-one.=_ When a person has no card which he can play without making the total pip value of all the cards played more than 31, he must say to his adversary: “Go.” That is, “Go on and play, for I cannot.” If his adversary has no cards left, the player must say “go” to himself. When a person is told to go, he must play as many cards as he can without passing 31. If he reaches 31 exactly, he scores two points; if he cannot quite reach it, he scores one point for the go. The principle is that if 31 cannot be made by either player, the one playing the card that brought the count nearest to it shall count one for it, even if he has told himself to go. There is no count for “last card” if it makes 31. But the “last card” counts if it makes 15.
If a player tells another to go when he can still play himself, he forfeits two points, and his adversary may, if he chooses, take back the cards to the point where the error occurred and have them played over again. The same penalty can be enforced against a player who pegs for a go when he can still play.
Suppose the first card played is a Jack. The dealer, holding two Nines, an Eight, and a Five, plays the Five, and pegs 2 for the fifteen. The pone plays a Nine, announcing the total as twenty-four. The dealer cannot pair this Nine, because it would run the count past 31, neither can he play the Eight, so he says, “Go.” The pone pegs the go without playing, which shows that he is also unable to play, having nothing so small as a Seven.
Both then turn down the cards already played, and the one whose turn it is to play begins all over again with his remaining cards or card, announcing its face value, his adversary playing after him until their cards are exhausted or they reach another 31.
To continue the foregoing example, let us suppose the dealer to play one of his Nines. The pone plays a Jack, and announces “Nineteen.” The dealer plays his remaining Nine, and calls “Twenty-eight.” The pone tells him to go, and he pegs one. These three cards are turned down. The pone then plays a Ten, and the dealer marks one for the last card. The hands and crib are then shown.
If either player can reach exactly 31, he scores two points for it, whether he has been told to go or not. Suppose the pone begins with a Nine. The dealer plays a Six and pegs 2 for the fifteen. The pone pairs the Six, calls “Twenty-one,” and pegs 2 for the pair. The dealer with two Fives and a Four in his hand, plays the Four, and calls “Twenty-five,” hoping the pone has no small card, which will allow the dealer to make a run of three with one of his Fives if he is told to go. But the pone plays a Five, calling: “Thirty, with a run of three.” The dealer tells him to go, and he plays an Ace, pegging two holes for the 31. The cards are all turned down, and the pone having no cards, the dealer plays his two Fives, and pegs a pair and the last card. The pair counts in this case because the adversary has no cards to interfere with it. A run of three might be played and scored in the same way, because the score for combinations made in play are determined by the order in which the cards are played, irrespective of who plays them.
_=Irregularities in Hands.=_ If a player is found to have too many or too few cards, after he has laid out for the crib, his adversary pegs two points, and may also claim a fresh deal. If the deal is allowed to stand, superfluous cards must be drawn at random by the adversary, who may look at the card or cards so drawn before placing them in the pack. If either player is found to have too few cards after having laid out for the crib, he has no remedy. His adversary pegs two points, and the short hand must be played and shown for what it is worth.
_=Irregular Cribs.=_ If the superfluous card is found in the crib, and the non-dealer had the short hand, the dealer may reckon all the combinations he can make in the six-card crib; but if it was the dealer who had the short hand, the superfluous crib is void. If the crib contains a superfluous card, both the players having their right number, the non-dealer pegs two holes for the evident misdeal, and the crib is void. If both players have their right number, and the crib is short, it must be shown for what it is worth; but the non-dealer pegs two holes for the evident misdeal.
_=Irregular Announcements.=_ There is no penalty if a player announces a wrong number as the total of the cards played, provided he does not peg an erroneous fifteen or thirty-one. If the following player does not correct the announcement, but plays and adds to it, the error cannot be rectified. If any holes are pegged for an erroneous announcement, the adversary may demand that they be taken down again, and may add the number to his own score.
_=Miscounting.=_ If a player over-counts his hand, crib, or play, and pegs the points erroneously claimed, his adversary may call attention to the error, demand that the superfluous points be taken down again, and may add them to his own score as penalty. Should a player neglect to peg the full value of his hand, crib, or play, his adversary may add the neglected points to his own score, after pointing out the omission. Should a player be mistaken in exacting either of these penalties, he must not only take down what he pegged, but allow his adversary to peg the same number as penalty.
None of these corrections can be claimed until the player in error has pegged and quitted the score; that is, removed his fingers from the front peg. The claim should always be prefaced by the word _=Muggins=_. If the error is one of omission in play, the adversary must play his own card before claiming muggins. If it is in the hand or crib, the adversary must wait until the points claimed are pegged and quitted. If there are no points claimed, he must wait until the cards are turned face down, thus acknowledging that there is apparently nothing to score. A player is not allowed to tell his adversary whether or not he has counted his hand or crib correctly, until it is pegged.
_=Nineteen.=_ As it is impossible to hold 19 in hand or crib, it is a common practice for a player, when he has nothing at all to score, to announce, “Nineteen.” The numbers twenty-seven, twenty-six and twenty-five are also impossible.
_=Pegging.=_ Neither player is allowed to touch the other’s pegs. If the score is erroneous, the player in fault must be called upon to remedy it himself. A player whose pegs are touched by his adversary can score two holes for penalty. If a player removes his adversary’s front peg, the latter may immediately claim the game. If a player displaces his own front peg, he must place it behind the other. If both players displace their front pegs, as by accident, they may agree to replace them where they believe them to have stood; but if they cannot agree they must call the game void.
_=Pegging Out.=_ In pegging during the play, the first man to reach his game hole wins, no matter what either may have in hand or crib. If neither can peg out in play, the non-dealer has the first show. If he cannot show out, the dealer proceeds to count his hand and then his crib. If he cannot show out there must be a new deal.
_=CHEATING.=_ The greatest advantage at Cribbage is to secure good starters, and for this purpose the greek adopts various methods of trimming and marking the cards so that he may secure a starter exactly suited to his hand. After trimming certain cards a trifle longer or shorter than others, the pack to be cut may be presented to the pone in such a manner that he will unconsciously lift them either by the ends or the sides, according to the wish of the dealer, and so uncover a starter exactly suited to the dealer’s hand or crib. When the sharper has the cut, he can of course uncover any card he pleases. With marked edges, the pone can cut down to a card of any desired denomination. Some audacious gamblers make it a rule to get a starter by simply removing the top card and turning up the next one. It is needless to say that the second card has been carefully pre-arranged. Any person who fingers the pack longer than necessary in cutting starters, or who cuts sometimes by the edge and sometimes by the side, will bear watching. Marked cards and second dealing are great weapons in a game where so much depends on a knowledge of the adversary’s hand, and on securing good counting cards for yourself.
_=SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD PLAY.=_ In the six-card game the hand is more valuable than the crib, because you know what it contains, whereas the crib is largely speculative. In the five-card game, in which there are only three cards in the hand and four in the crib, it is usual to sacrifice the hand very largely for the possibilities of the crib, because of the much larger scores that can be made with five cards, the starter and four in the crib.
_=Baulking.=_ In both games it is the duty of the pone to baulk the dealer’s crib as much as possible, by laying out cards which are very unlikely to be worth anything, either in making fifteens or in filling up sequences. Pairs it is impossible to provide against, and the chance of making a flush is remote, but should be avoided if there is any choice. The best baulk is a King and Nine; tenth cards and Aces are also very good cards to lay out. Cards which are at least two pips apart, called _=wide cards=_, are better than _=close cards=_, as the latter may form sequences. Fives are very bad discards, and so are any cards that form a five or a fifteen.
_=The Crib.=_ In laying out for his own crib, the dealer should preserve his own hand as much as possible; but other things being equal, the best cards to lay out are pairs, close cards, and cards that form fives, such as Fours and Aces. If these elements can be combined, so much the better. An Eight and a Seven, for instance, are not only close cards, being only one pip apart, but form a fifteen. The same is true of a trey and deuce.