Enquire Within Upon Everything Part 16

vii. _Flush_.--When, the cards are all of one suit, they reckon for as many points as there are cards. For a flush in the crib, the turned-up card must be of the same suit as those put out.

viii. _n.o.b_.--The knave of the suit turned up reckons for one point; if a knave be turned up, the dealer marks two.

ix. _End Hole_.--The point scored by the last player, if he make under thirty-one; if he make thirty-one exactly, he marks two.

x. _Last_.--Three points taken at the commencement of the game of five-card cribbage by the non-dealer.

[NOR IS DAY BRIGHT TO THE WICKED.]

82. The Accepted Laws of Cribbage.

i. The players cut for deal. The ace is lowest in cutting. In case of a tie, they cut again. The holder of the lowest card deals.

ii. Not fewer than four cards is a cut; nor must the non-dealer touch the pack after he has cut it.

iii. Too many or too few cards dealt const.i.tutes a misdeal, the penalty for which is the taking of two points by the non-dealer.

iv. A faced card, or a card exposed during the act of dealing necessitates a new deal, without penalty.

v. The dealer shuffles the cards and the non-dealer cuts them for the "start."

vi. If the non-dealer touch the cards (except to cut them for the turn-up) after they have been cut for the start, he forfeits two points.

vii. In cutting for the start, not fewer than three cards must be lifted from the pack or left on the table.

viii. The non-dealer throws out for the crib before the dealer. A card once laid out cannot be recalled, nor must either party touch the crib till the hand is played out. Either player confusing the crib cards with his hand, is liable to a penalty of three points.

[In three and four-hand cribbage the left-hand player throws out first for the crib, then the next; the dealer last. The usual and best way is for the non-dealer to throw his crib over to the dealer's side of the board; on these two cards the dealer places his own, and hands the pack over to be cut. The pack is then at the right side of the board for the next deal.]

ix. The player who takes more points than those to which he is ent.i.tled, either in play or in reckoning hand or crib, is liable to be "pegged;" that is, to be put back as many points as he has over-scored, and have the points added to his opponent's side.

[In pegging you must not remove your opponent's _front_ peg till you have given him another. In order "to take him down,'' you remove _your own back peg_ and place it _where his front peg ought to be_, you then take his _wrongly placed peg_ and put it in _front of your own front_, as many holes as he has forfeited by wrongly scoring.]

x. No penalty attaches to the taking of too few points in play, hand, or crib.

xi. When a player has once taken his hand or crib, he cannot amend his score.

xii. When a knave is turned up, "two for his heels" must be scored before the dealer's own card be played, or they cannot be taken.

xiii. A player cannot demand the a.s.sistance of his adversary in reckoning hand and crib.

xiv. A player may not, except to "peg him," touch his adversary's pegs, under a penalty of two points. If the foremost peg has been displaced by accident, it must be placed in the hole behind the peg standing on the board.

xv. The peg once holed cannot be removed by either player till another point or points be gained.

xvi. The player who scores a game as won when, in fact, it is not won, loses it.

xvii. A _lurch_--scoring the whole sixty-one before your adversary has scored thirty-one--is equivalent to a double game, if agreed to previous to the commencement of the game.

xviii. A card that may be legally played cannot be withdrawn after it has been once thrown face upwards on the table.

xix. If a player neglect to score his hand, crib, or any point or points of the game, he cannot score them after the cards are packed or the next card played.

xx. The player who throws up his cards and refuses to score, forfeits the game.

xxi. If a player neglect to play when he can play a card within the prescribed thirty-one, he forfeits two holes.

xxii. Each player's hand and crib must be plainly thrown down on the table and not mixed with the pack, under penalty of the forfeiture of the game.

The player who refuses to abide by the rules, loses the game.

Bystanders must not interfere unless requested to decide any disputed point.

83. Five-Card Cribbage.

In this the sixty-one points or holes on the cribbage-board mark the game. The player cutting the lowest card deals; after which, each player lays out two of the five cards for the crib, which belongs to the dealer. The adversary cuts the remainder of the pack, and the dealer turns up and lays upon the crib the uppermost card, the turn-up. If it be a knave, he marks two points. The card turned up is reckoned by both in counting their hands or crib. After laying out, the eldest hand plays a card, which the other should endeavour to pair, or find one, the pips of which, reckoned with the first, will make fifteen; then the non-dealer plays another card, and so on alternately, until the pips on the cards played make thirty-one, or the nearest possible number under that.

84. Counting for Game in Cribbage.

When he whose turn it is to play cannot produce a card that makes thirty-one, or comes under that number, he says, "Go," and his antagonist scores one, or plays any card or cards he may have that will make thirty-one, or under. If he can make exactly thirty-one, he takes two points; if not, one. Such cards as remain after this are not played, but each player then counts and scores his hand, the non-dealer first. The dealer then marks the points for his hand, and also for his crib, each reckoning the cards every way they can possibly be varied, and always including the turned-up card.

Points.

For every fifteen 2 Pair, or two of a sort 2 Pair-royal, or three of a sort 6 Double pair-royal, or four ditto 12 Knave of the turned-up suit 1 Sequences and flushes, whatever their number.

85. Examples of Hands in Cribbage.

Two sevens, two eights, and a nine count 24 Two eights, a seven, and two nines " 20 Two nines, a six, seven, and eight " 16 Two sixes, two fives, and a four " 24 Two sixes, two fours, and a five " 24 Two fives, two fours, and a six " 24 Two threes, two twos, and an ace " 16 Two aces, two twos, and a three " 16 Three fives and a tenth card " 14 Three fours and a seven " 12 Three twos and a nine " 8 Six, seven, eight, and two aces the ragged 13 6 + 1 and 8 = 15-2; 6 + 1 and 8 = 16-4; 6 + 1 + 1 + 7 = 15-6; 7 + 8 = 15-8, the pair of aces and the sequence 5 = 13.

Three sixes and a nine count 12 Three sevens and an eight " 12 Three eights and a seven " 12 Three nines and a six " 12 Three threes and a nine " 12 Three sixes and a three " 12 Three sevens and an ace " 12 Two tens (pair) and two fives " 12 Two tenth cards (not a pair) and two fives = 10 Two nines and two sixes " 12 Two eights and two sevens " 12 Two sixes and two threes " 8 Two fives, a four, and a six " 12 Two fours, a five, and a six " 12 Two sixes, a four, and a five " 12 Two threes and two nines " 8 Two nines, a seven, and an eight " 10 Two eights, a seven, and a nine " 12 Two sevens, an eight, and a nine " 12 Two sixes, a seven, and an eight " 10 Two sixes, a three, and a nine " 8 A seven, eight, nine, ten, and knave " 7 A six, seven, eight, nine, and ten " 9 A six, seven, eight, and nine " 8 A six, five, and two sevens " 8 Any double sequence of three cards and a pair (as knave, queen, and two kings). " 6 Any sequence of three cards and a fifteen " 5 Any sequence of four cards and a fifteen (as seven, eight, nine and ten) counts 6 Any sequence of six cards " 6 Any sequence of four cards and a flush " 8 Any flush of four cards and a fifteen " 6 Any flush of four cards and a pair " 6

The highest number that can be counted from five cards is 29--made from four fives and a knave; that is, three fives and a knave of the suit turned up, and a five on the pack--for the combinations of the four fives, 16; for the double pair-royal, 12; his n.o.b, 1-29.

[RUSTLE IS NOT INDUSTRY.]

86. Maxims for laying out the Crib Cards.

In laying out cards for the crib, the player should consider not only his own hand, but also to whom the crib belongs, as well as the state of the game; for what might be right in one situation would be wrong in another. Possessing a pair-royal, it is generally advisable to lay out the other cards for crib, unless it belongs to the adversary.

Avoid giving him two fives, a deuce and a trois, five and six, seven and eight, five and any other tenth card. When he does not thereby materially injure his hand, the player should for his own crib lay out close cards, in hope of making a sequence; or two of a suit, in expectation of a flush; or cards that of themselves reckoned with others will count fifteen. When the antagonist be nearly up, and it may be expedient to keep such cards as may prevent him from gaining at play. The rule is to baulk your adversary's crib by laying out cards not likely to prove of advantage to him, and to lay out favourably for your own crib. This applies to a stage of the game when it may be of consequence to keep in hand cards likely to tell in play, or when the non-dealer would be either out by his hand, or has reason for thinking the crib of little moment. A king and a nine is the best baulk, as none can form a sequence beyond it; king or queen, with an ace, six, seven, eight, or nine, are good ones to put out. Low cards are generally the most likely to gain at play; the flushes and sequences, particularly if the latter be aiso flushes, are eligible hands, as thereby the player will often be enabled either to a.s.sist his own crib, or baulk that of the opponent; a knave should never be put out for his crib, if it can be retained in hand.