Two fives, a ten, and a court card (_Fifteen eight
and a pair_) 10
Two sixes, a seven, and an eight (_Fifteen two, pair,
and double run of three_) 10
A five and any three court cards in sequence, or
ten, knave, queen (_Fifteen six and run of three_) 9
A five and three court cards, or a ten and court
cards, in sequence (_Fifteen six and run of three_) 9
Any sequence of three cards, with a duplicate of
one of them, but no "fifteen" (_Pair and double
run of three_) 8
Where the four cards of the hand (or all four of the crib, and the start)
are of the same suit, the value of the flush (four or five, as the case may
be) must be added. Where either includes a knave of {40} the same suit as
the start, one "for his nob" will be scored in addition.
A study of the foregoing table should be a material aid to the player in
discarding for "crib." If he is dealer, he desires the crib to be as
productive as possible; if non-dealer, the reverse. On the other side, he
desires to retain such cards as shall be likely to score best in his hand,
and these two objects frequently clash. It is therefore, important to know
which to prefer.
We will first examine the question from the dealer's point of view. Both
hand and crib belong to him, but the hand consists (including the start),
of _four_ cards only, while the crib has _five_. The possible combinations
of five cards are so numerous that space will only permit us to give
examples of a few leading hands. The highest possible score is twenty-nine,
which is made by three fives and a knave, with a fourth five, of the same
suit as the knave, turned up by way of start.[16]
The mode of reckoning is as follows: the four fives, in four combinations
of three, score fifteen eight. Each of them again scores a fifteen in
conjunction with the knave, making eight more. To these are added twelve
for the double pair-royal, and "one for his nob," making twenty-nine.
Two fives, two fours, and a six } _Fifteen eight, two
Two fives, two sixes, and a four } pairs, and a run
Two fours, two sixes, and a five } of three four times
Two sevens, two eights, and a } repeated_ 24
nine }
{41}
Four threes and a nine (_Fifteen twelve and a
double pair-royal_) 24
Three fives, a four, and a six (_Fifteen eight, a pair-royal,
and run of three thrice repeated_) 23
Three fours, a five, and a six }
Three sixes, a four, and a five } _Fifteen six, a
Three sevens, an eight, and a } pair-royal, and
nine } run of three
Three eights, a seven, and a } thrice repeated_ 21
nine }
Four twos and a nine } _Fifteen eight and a double
Four threes and a six } pair-royal_ 20
Two sixes, two sevens, and an }
eight } _Fifteen four, two
Two sevens, an eight, and two } pairs, and run
nines } of three four
Two eights, a seven, and two } times repeated_ 20
nines }
Three tens, or court cards of }
like denomination, and two } _Fifteen twelve,
fives } pair-royal, and
Three threes and two nines } pair_ 20
Three sevens and two aces }
Three threes and two sixes[17] (_Fifteen ten, pair, and
pair-royal_) 18
Three fours, three, and five (_Fifteen two, pair-royal,
and run of three thrice repeated_) 17
Three tenth cards in sequence and two fives (_Fifteen
twelve, pair, and run of three_)[18] 11
Any three cards in sequence, with duplicates of
two of them, but no "fifteen" (_Two pairs and
run of three four times repeated_) 16
Any three cards in sequence, with one of them
thrice repeated, but no "fifteen" (_Pair-royal
and run of three thrice repeated_) 15
As for combinations of minor value, their name is legion.
{42}
With four cards only, the general average is very much lower, as will have
been seen from the table on p. 39.
A comparison of the foregoing tables show that the crib at five-card
Cribbage is likely to be much more important than the hand, and this
furnishes us with a safe principle for the guidance of the player in laying
out. In the case of the dealer, he should lay out for crib such cards as
are most likely to form valuable combinations, even though he may, to some
extent, sacrifice the scoring value of his hand. Conversely, it is to the
interest of the non-dealer to lay out such cards as are likely to "baulk
the crib," as it is termed, even though he may to some extent injure his
own hand in doing so. On close examination of the tables, it will be found
that the cards most likely to help the crib are _pairs_. If the other three
cards chance to be in sequence, they are worth, standing alone, three only,
but the addition of duplicates of either of the series will bring their
value (for runs and pair-royal) up to fifteen, independently of any other
points they may contain. Or suppose, with six as start, that the dealer has
thrown out a four and a five, these are worth five only; but if the
non-dealer had been rash enough to throw out a pair, either of fours or
sixes, the score would run up to twenty-one. If the non-dealer had thrown
out a pair of fives, it would have been twenty-three.
Next to a pair, two cards forming a fifteen, or two cards in sequence, are
most likely to help the crib, and should therefore be preferred by the
dealer, and eschewed by the non-dealer--the more so, if they chance to
answer both conditions--_e.g._ a seven {43} and eight. Next to cards in
sequence come cards only one or two points apart, as the cards of the
opposite player may fill up the gap, and convert them into sequence cards.
Of single cards, a five is the most likely to score, inasmuch as there are
sixteen tenth cards to four of any other denomination, and the chances of
its forming part of one or more fifteens are therefore considerable. The
cards which are least likely to make for crib are king and ace, inasmuch as
nothing save queen, knave can convert a king into a sequence card, and
nothing save a two and three can convert the ace into a sequence card. The
best cards for the non-dealer to throw out are therefore a king or ace, and
some second card so far removed from the first that the two cannot form
part of the same sequence. King or queen, with nine, eight, seven, six, or
ace, are good "baulking" cards; likewise two or ace, with seven, eight,
nine, or ten. The non-dealer should never throw out a knave if he can help
it, as the start may cause it to score a point for "nob." In like manner,
the non-dealer should avoid laying out two cards of the same suit, as he
thereby runs the risk of a flush in crib.
In the play of the hand the guiding principle should be to give to the
adversary the fewest possible opportunities of scoring. Bearing this in
mind, it will be seen that the best card to lead at the outset is an ace,
two, three, or four, as the second player cannot make fifteen, and the
chance of doing so will revert to the first player. A five, on the other
hand, is a very bad lead, inasmuch as, from the greater number of tenth
cards in the pack, it gives the second player the best possible opportunity
of making fifteen. If the leader holds duplicates of {44} ace, two, three,
or four, one of them is a very good lead; for if the second player should
pair, the leader will have the opportunity of making a pair-royal. Failing
pairs, if the leader hold two cards which together make five, _i.e._ two
and three, or ace and four, it is good to play one of them, when, if the
adversary play a tenth card, the leader will be enabled to make fifteen.
Likewise, if the leader hold a six and a three, a four and a seven, or a
three and a nine, the first card of the couple is a safe lead, for if it is
paired, the second will make fifteen. On the other hand, should the second
player play a tenth card to the lead, the first player may pair it with
perfect safety, for no pair-royal can be made without overpassing the
limit, thirty-one.
As regards the second player, he will generally do well to make fifteen if
he can. If a low card, _i.e._ a four or less, has been led, he has no
choice, in the majority of cases, but to leave the fifteen to his
adversary; but he should carefully avoid playing such a card as will enable
the adversary to score not merely the fifteen, but a pair or sequence in
addition. On a four led, for instance, it would be very unwise to play
either a six or a five, as in such cases respectively, a five or six played
by the first player would give him both fifteen and a sequence. On a three
it would be equally wrong to play a six; on a seven a four; on a nine a
three, or on an ace a seven; for a like card played by the first player
would give him both fifteen and a pair. Again, it is in general unwise for
second player to play a close card (_i.e._ next or next but one to the
lead), as he thereby gives the adversary the chance of a "run." If he is in
a position to continue the run, he may of course play {45} a close card
with impunity. The points of "five" and "twenty-one" are to be avoided, as
a tenth card played by the adversary will in such case make him fifteen or
thirty-one. Similarly, it is bad play to make fourteen or thirty (_i.e._
one short of fifteen or thirty-one) with an _ace_; to make thirteen or
twenty-nine (_two_ short) with a _two_; twelve or twenty-eight with a
_three_; eleven or twenty-seven with a _four_; as in either of such cases,
should the adversary be able to pair, he will thereby score four holes. The
only exception is where the player chances to hold two deuces or aces, in
which case it will be worth while to make twenty-nine or thirty
respectively with one of such cards, on the chance of the opponent holding
no deuce or ace, in which case the first player will himself gain the
advantage of the double score.
Some discretion is needful in pairing the card first led, as the first
player may be aiming at a pair-royal, and the temporary gain of two points
may be counter-balanced by six to the adversary. Where, however, the player
holds two of the card led, it may be paired without hesitation. The chances
are much against the dealer's being in a position to make a pair-royal, and
if he should, it can be capped (unless the card be over seven) by the
double pair-royal of the last player.
A further point to be considered, in deciding whether to make a pair or
sequence, is the state of the score. It is calculated that the non-dealer,
at five-card cribbage, should make, on an average, _six_ in hand and play;
the dealer _eleven_, or a shade more, in hand, play, and crib. When each
has dealt once, they should stand abreast at seventeen {46} to eighteen,
and so on throughout the game. The player who has maintained this average
is said to be "home," and a player who is in this condition at an advanced
state of the game, should run as few risks as possible; should avoid
pairing, play wide cards to avoid sequences, and so on. This is known as
"playing off." If, on the other hand, he is behind his proper position, his
chance of winning will depend, in a great degree, on his making more than
the average number of points in play. In such case, he should embrace every
opportunity of making a fifteen, a pair, or a sequence, even at the risk of
giving opportunities to the enemy. This is known as "playing on." As there
are sixteen tenth cards in the pack, and ten out of fifty-two are dealt,
the probabilities are in favour of the players holding originally three
between them, and this probability should be borne in mind, as the so doing
will often help the player to a thirty-one. Suppose that the leader starts
with queen, and that the other player has no tenth card, but has a seven
and a four, an eight and a three, or a nine and a two. In such case it is
good policy to play the seven, eight, or nine. If the first player again
plays a tenth card, the second will be enabled, with his small card, to
score thirty-one. If the second player have no tenth card in his own hand,
the probability of his opponent holding more than one is proportionately
increased.
It may be useful to illustrate these elementary principles by the play of a
couple of imaginary hands. Let us suppose that A (elder hand) has the queen
and six of hearts, nine of clubs, eight of diamonds and seven of spades.
And B (dealer) the {47} ace and ten of hearts, ten of clubs, five of
spades, and four of diamonds.
It will be observed that A has four cards, six, seven, eight, nine, in
sequence, of which either the six and nine or the seven and eight will form
a fifteen. His fifth card, the queen, does not and cannot score with either
of the others. Obviously the queen should form one card of his lay-out. Of
the four remaining, he will naturally keep three in sequence. Which shall
he throw out, the six or the nine? The six in one respect is preferable,
inasmuch as it cannot be brought into sequence with the queen, whereas the
nine might possibly be so. On the other hand, the six is of the same suit
as the queen, and might help towards a flush. He decides, therefore, to
throw out queen, nine, retaining the six, seven, and eight.
B's proper course is clearly to throw out the ace of hearts and four of
diamonds, retaining the two tens and the five, which are good for six
points, viz. fifteen four and a pair, and with a five or ten start would be
worth twelve. On the other hand, should there be one or more tenth cards in
the crib, the four and ace will give them a scoring value.
The cards are cut, and B turns up the queen of clubs.
A leads the seven of spades, saying, "seven." This is his best lead. If B
should play an eight, making fifteen, A will be enabled to continue with
the six, and so score a run of three.[19] But B cannot make a fifteen, and
it is therefore his best policy to {48} go beyond that point. He plays the
ten of hearts, saying, "Seventeen," or more shortly, "'-teen." A has no
card which will score, and he therefore plays his highest, as the nearer he
gets to thirty-one the fewer chances does he leave his opponent of getting
closer to that number. He plays the eight of diamonds, saying,
"Twenty-five." B plays the five of spades--"Thirty." "Go," says A. B scores
one for last card, and the play of the hand is at an end.
The cards are turned up, and A counts his hand. The start has left him "no
better." He scores fifteen two for the seven and eight, and three points
for the run--five in all.
B is rather better off. With the start he has fifteen six and a pair--eight
in all. In crib the start has helped him considerably. Without it he had
fifteen two only--the ace and four combining with the queen of hearts; with
the start he has six--fifteen four and a pair. The nine is useless.
A having taken his three points as non-dealer, the score stands eight to
fifteen. It is now A's turn to deal, and the cards fall as follows: B has
king and eight of hearts, seven of spades, eight of diamonds and three of
clubs. And A (dealer) five and nine of diamonds, three of spades, ten of
hearts and six of clubs.
B throws out the king of hearts and three of clubs; A, the six of clubs and
nine of diamonds. The cards are cut, and the six of diamonds is turned up.
B leads the eight of hearts. This is a safe lead, for, if A scores fifteen,
B can pair him; if A pairs, B can make a pair-royal. A, not being able to
do {49} either, plays the ten of hearts, making eighteen. This prevents all
possibility of B's making fifteen; and should B play a tenth card, A's
three will make thirty-one. There is a possibility of B's playing a nine,
and so making three for the run, but this risk must be taken. Should he do
so, A will in all probability score one for last card; but B, having only a
seven and an eight, plays the latter, making twenty-six. This is a shade
the better card, inasmuch as it brings the score one point nearer
thirty-one. As it happens, the choice was unfortunate, for A, having a
five, is able to make thirty-one exactly, scoring two points accordingly.
The cards are shown: B scores fifteen four, a pair, and a run of three
twice over--twelve in all. A has in hand fifteen two only; but in crib he
has fifteen six and a pair, making eight in all.
The game now stands--A 20, B 27. Both have made their full average in the
two deals; but B's seven points ahead give him a decided advantage, and, on
the principle already explained he will do well to "play off" during the
remainder of the hand.[20]