International Cribbaholics....

A few days ago I added a cool new web counter from "neocounter." The nice thing about it is that it tracks which countries people are logging in from. If you scroll down on the left you can see it. Today I got the first hit from Spain! Who knew there are Cribbaholics in Spain?! Amazing. I expected Canada, and the U.S. and actually I think we may get some from the U.K. as well, but SPAIN?? Very cool.

Largest Crash Cribbage order so far!!!

From "Trent," who recently ordered 6 Crash Cribbage boards to give to family members and to use with his students. This is so far the largest order I have ever received from an individual!!!

"What began as a simple search because of my love for the game of cribbage has touched me profoundly. Over twenty years ago a relationship clicked between myself and my future wife based, in part, on our belief of what Ayn Rand had written. I am also a Navy Veteran and a proponent of using games to help educate children in our local schools. It was unbelievable when I ran across Joe's blog and recognized the similarities in our thinking and the interesting variation on cribbage he had developed. The reason for my order was two-fold; first to give everyone in my family of crbbage lovers a new board, and second to have another variation to take into the schools to show the kids. The free board you included in my order was an incredible gesture and will be greatly appreciated by the kids. I wish Joe all the best in his deployment and our prayers are with him and all the military deployed (my two cousins included) in harms way."


Thanks Trent!!! Makes it all worthwhile to know there are guys like you out there that appreciate the game, and use it in such a life-enhancing way.

Happy holidays to you and yours!

Joe

Loss of a cribbage partner...

From Tania at "life is what it is..."
..."another lady missed playing cribbage with her departed husband. It was also bizarre, the other day I received the new LL Bean catalogue and there was a travel crib board on sale. Scott and I would play cribbage after dinner as well. He introduced me to cribbage, now I can't look at a stupid crib board - just makes me sad..."

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Cribbage... and Cards as calendars...

From The Havens
"Before Jim actually left, I racked my brains for something special that I could do to make the passing of time seem less onerous. Jim and I liked to play Cribbage, and one day while we were playing a game, I flashed on the fact that there are 52 cards in a poker deck, corresponding with 52 weeks in the year. I decided that I would pick a deck of cards out, and send him one card every week. As my pile of cards grew smaller, his pile would get thicker. I planned to have the last card with me when I met the plane when he came home. So, when I took him to the airport that New Year’s Eve, I was armed with an envelope that had a quite beautiful card in it. In the card, I explained my plan, and included the first of the 52 cards. It was a very important symbol for both of us. Of course, I still have the deck of cards that traveled so far in so many letters and cards. It is sitting right on top of my computer desk as I write this."

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Dr. Pegger says...

From Conor:

Q: Hey Joe, got a question thats bothering me. I've been playing cribbage for around a year now, play often online and with my friends. I've looked up basic strategy online and have given it some time studying, but have never got a book or anything. I'm wondering about a couple hands I just have no idea how to play. For example, say it's my crib at the beginning of the game. I have 2, 4, 6, 8, j, k. I get hands like these all the time and don't know what to do. I always wonder if I throw the 6, 8 and hope for a low card to match my high cards for 15s, or throw the J, K because its more likely I'll get 15s with the low and medium cards, ect. And what if it's my pone? I just dont understand hands where I have two low cards, two medium cards, and two high cards, with none of them matching up. Anyways, if you got any answers, please let me know.

Thanks, Conor

A: Great question! This is my own take on it, not anything I read somehwere so others may disagree. Initially I always gravitate towards sixes, sevens, and eights, so it may seem like keeping the 6,8,J,K would be good... particularly if I was the dealer since I would not need to worry about leading. My thinking is that the 6,8 can easily make 15 if an ace is cut, or even better, if there is a 7 cut I can make a three-card run and the 15 for 2. But is this really a good idea???

First, the most you will get from any combination of [2, 4, 6, 8, J, K] - no matter which cards you keep - is 7 points.

For example, if you keep the 2,4,J,K you really need to cut a 3 for it to be worth anything - and even then it's still only 7 points (which, as I said is the best you can hope for with these cards). Here's the breakdown of possible cuts, and what you would score:
A = 4
2 = 2
3 = 7
4 = 2
5 = 4
6 = 0
7 = 0
8 = 0
9 = 2
10 = 0
J = 2
Q = 3
K = 2

So, 9 of the cuts will get you some points with the 3 getting you 7 points.

What about keeping the 6,8,J,K as I suggest?
A = 2
2 = 0
3 = 0
4 = 0
5 = 4
6 = 2
7 = 5
8 = 2
9 = 2
10 = 0
J = 2
Q = 3
K = 2

Still 9 of the possible cuts yeild at least 2 points, but none more than 5 points.

What if you keep the 2,4,6,8? Think about each card that could come up and what your score would be for the hand:
A = 4
2 = 2
3 = 7
4 = 2
5 = 7
6 = 2
7 = 7
8 = 2
9 = 4
10 = 0
J = 0
Q = 0
K = 0

Again 9 cards get you something, but at least 3 different cuts allow you 7 points!!!


This last combo, the 2,4,6,8 seems to me the obvious winner and the smaller cards also allow you a low lead card if you need it, and a good chance at some interesting combos during the play phase.

I'd love to hear other opinions.

Thanks, and if you have more questions take two pegs and email me in the morning.
Joe

Bringing in December in Style...with cribbage...

From Tanya

"We have been enjoying a new family tradition...cribbage. Derek and I love to play cards and now that the kids are old enough to play older card games it has been much fun. Adrian really wants to play spades (like we play with Grandma ..."

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Luke's first Cribbage game... and first skunk!

From Luke's What You Call It:

This is my first game of cribbage. We started it yesterday on November 30. Today is December 1st and we were continuing our game of cribbage. My dad was just behind the skunking line when I got 14 points, and I only needed 9 to win this round, and so I won two rounds since I skunked him!

Cribbage is a game where you have to depend on your luck, and you also have to know math to play it. You're always adding up your points to see how many holes you get to go into. You also get points when you can add your cards up to 15 or 31, or if you have a run or a flush or a pair.

In the pictures, I am the white and my dad is the red.

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The Amazing Game of Cribbage...

From Scott's Ravings
Luke has always enjoyed playing cards, and I thought he's probably old enough to learn to play cribbage. Cribbage, for those of you who don't know, is a pretty complicated game that requires a lot of strategy and addition skills. Luke's math is pretty strong, so I thought he could handle it. Plus, cribbage has these cool little pegs and a neat board for scoring. This adds a level of coolness well above any other pedestrian card game. Perfect for Luke.


Sure enough, after learning the basics, Luke smoked me!

In the first game, I gave him the customary "Luke gets ten extra points because he's new." And of course, he beat me in that game, even though we were playing open-faced so I could tutor him.


In the second game, we played with our hands concealed, so Luke had to make his own choices on what to discard and how to play. I guess he learned pretty well, because he skunked me on the second game. (But just barely, I must protest.)

For a more colorful description of events, be sure to amble over to Luke's blog. Be sure to give him some comments. He loves to get comments!

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New King at Kings Cribbage Online!

“Schrizo” wins inaugural Kings Cribbage Online tournament
By Joe Kane

It’s official. After nearly three months of epic international matches between 64 players in a double elimination style competition, the winner of the first ever Kings Cribbage Online tournament has been crowned as the reigning “monarch of the tiles.” Miami Beach resident Eric Schroeder, 29, earned the honor after beating out some pretty stiff competition at www.kingscribbageonline.com.

For those of you not familiar with Kings Cribbage, it’s a board game that combines elements of cribbage and scrabble. Players use tiles with playing card values on them to make points based on the scoring system used in cribbage.

Schroeder, whose screen name is Schrizo has been an active member of KC Online since March of this year and says he first learned of the game late in 2006 when his parents introduced him to the game.

As for his competitors, the final breakdown was as follows:
1st. Schrizo - $50 + free board game
2nd. Scaggcares - $25 + free board game
3rd. Dana - free board game
4th. Jane
T5th. Dandan
T5th. Jennett1
T7th. Traxter
T7th. Belinda
T9th. Ybbihs
T9th. Cribbage King
T9th. Jwaut
T9th. Perceptive1
T13th. Bethmad
T13th. Mchenkle
T13th. Scags
T13th. Nannan

Asked about how he liked the tournament Schrizo had this to say;

“I liked the tournament overall. I thought it was fun and a good idea. It took a lot longer than expected to finish. It can take some players a while to link up together to play a match - especially if they are in different time zones and working different schedules,” he said.

Although Schrizo says there were really no bad moments during the tournament, one of the memorable moments for him was in the first match against his final opponent, ‘Scaggcares.’

“I managed a skunk on the first game,” Schrizo said.

It was the second time the two had met up in the tourney and Schrizo said the results of the first match were much closer.

Schrizo also said “Jennett1” played well… “she is good and usually gives me a good game.”

Damien Blond, the programmer of KC Online and organizer of the tournament said he was very pleased with the results of the tournament and was looking forward to more in the future.

“[The tournament] brought even more new users to the online game and helped create our new record of 37+ simultaneous players playing the game,” Blond said. “It also developed more interesting rivalries within the game!

“The biggest mistake I made with this tournament was allowing individual players to setup their own match times. I underestimated how challenging this would be to everybody. We have players in different time zones, some that only play at night, some that only play at lunch, etc. This made it very hard to organize matches and consequently extended the tournament out to 3 months. I was hoping for about 3 weeks. Players also struggled to use the new message forum, so in future versions of Kings Cribbage online, our online message forum will be more tightly integrated into the game, so players can communicate with each other easily through that,” he added.

Blond said he anticipates playing future tournaments over weekends.

“Everybody that signs up to future tournaments will have to be available at certain times on the weekends,” Blond said. “If they don't show up, they will simply forfeit.”

Blond said he is also keeping track of tournament information in the player stats, so when you click on “Schrizo” in the KC Online lounge, it will say
"Schrizo finished 1st in KC Online Tournament #1" or something to that effect.

Schrizo said he is looking forward to more tournaments in the future.

“I would like to see more tournaments, more often, which would be feasible if done on a smaller scale,” Schrizo said. “Different types of tournaments would be good as well - such as a 30-second speed game tournament, or a 60-second no-feature tournament (turn off the ‘tiles left,’ ‘dimes,’ ‘notepad’ stuff). Maybe a 30-second, single game, single elimination tournament could be done in one weekend.”

One of the things that makes KC Online a bit unique is that there are no computer players – all the players are actual human beings. That’s rare for most online games, which allow people to play against a computerized opponent. But it is also one of the strengths of the game as it creates a real sense of community amongst the players. In fact, Blond originally created the online version in order to play with family and friends back home in Canada when he had moved to San Diego where he currently resides.

Schrizo says being able to play people from all over the place is one of the things he enjoys about the game. Asked if there are any players he may harbor any anxiety about playing in future competitions he says there are quite a few good players out there that could pose a major challenge.

“Maybe ‘Bethmad’ - I seem to have rotten luck against her,” Schrizo said. “’Phildog’ is quite good, but had some bad luck this tournament. Damien Blond, if he decides he can join a tournament, I would expect to meet me in the finals.”

And the new king of KC Online is not afraid to reveal his secret strategies.

“[There] may be a few tricks up my sleeve,” Schrizo said. “Keeping track of the tiles played makes a big difference in the end of the game - knowing what your opponent has can help a lot in playing the last few tiles.
It helps that I've played the original cribbage game for years and know what cribbage hands score without having to count them - a big help in thinking fast in this game, and in looking for the best play. Defensive strategies help too - always try to minimize openings for your opponent.”

Schrizo added that he wanted to say “thanks to Damien for all the hard work and getting the site up and running, with continuous improvements! Keep playing everyone, and let's have some more tournaments.”


Meanwhile, the sponsor for the tournament prizes, Roy Cowley, of Cococo Games, [www.kingscrib.com] who is the son of Kings Cribbage creator Gary Cowley says he is very pleased with the new online version and the excitement over the tournament.

"Damien has put together a great way for people to enjoy Kings Cribbage,” said Roy. “I love the fact that we have players from all over the world, including an American soldier who is stationed in Iraq, playing Kings Cribbage regularly online. Our first tournament has made the online experience even more competitive; bragging rights abound. We've handed out some small prizes as well, so there's something 'on the line' players can shoot for. It's really wonderful to see [the] game being enjoyed by so many, and hopefully we'll have another tournament in the near future."¬¬¬¬¬

For more info stay linked to the following sites:

www.kingscrib.com
www.kingscribbageonline.com

Cribbage Club results...

From Suburban Journals - Town and Country,MO,USA

"The Crossroads Cribbage Club meets at 1 p.m. Wednesdays at Rookies Bar and Grill, 1544 S.W. Service Road in Wentzville for the fall/winter session. Anyone who is interested in playing cribbage may contact the club at 1-800-214-0641.

Results for Nov. 14: first place, Floyd Vincent of Warrenton; second place, Don Kubant of Troy; third place, Bonnie Elmes of O'Fallon; fourth place, Justina Bricka of St. Louis; fifth place, Harry Ramatowski of O'Fallon; and sixth place, Marvin Wafel of Foristell. Frank Horn of Marthasville took high game with 24.

The Missouri Good Hands Cribbage Club meets at 6:30 p.m. Mondays at the Washington Senior Center on Fifth Street (in the bottom of the Elks lodge) in Washington, Mo. For more information, call Frank Horn at 636-667-7144 or go to the American Cribbage Web site www.cribbage.org.Results for Nov. 19: first place, Jack Jackson, of Lonedell; second place, Frank Horn, of Lake Sherwood; and third place, Ben Hanson, of Caudate. Hanson also had high hand. ..."

Full article: http://warrentonjournal.stltoday.com/entertainment/sj2tn20071128-1128war_cribg.ii1.txt

Cribbage, Growth, Change, Awareness

By Tom McLaughlin

"I played cribbage with them. I met their relatives. I fed them, lifted them into bed, changed them, joked with them. Some died serenely. Others were consumed by fear. The difference was in how they perceived their deaths. ..."

Full post at: http://tommclaughlin.blogspot.com/

Cribbage with the grandparents...

From Dancingirl365:

"Dh and I began playing cribbage years ago with my grandparents. It's a lot of fun even when you don't win. (I didn't.)"

Blog at: http://dancingirl365-dancingirl365.blogspot.com/2007/11/friday-november-23-cribbage.html

Cribbage Work-in-Progress Report #1: Jerry Dennis

By P. J. Grath(P. J. Grath)

"Now I'm home for the winter, writing every day in my studio/sanctuary in the loft of our stone barn, and spending evenings by the fireplace with Gail, reading novels and playing cribbage." --- Thank you, Jerry, for this window into ...

Full post at: Books in Northport - http://booksinnorthport.blogspot.com/

Cribbage and turkey...

Thanksgiving
By tamvan61(tamvan61)

"After dinner we played cribbage, like we always do. I can't wait to move to Santa Cruz and be able to play cribbage every night. Stanley, Janet and the kids came down on Thursday morning but Stanley and Janet had to work on Friday so ..."

Full post at: Chippertue's World - http://journals.aol.com/tamvan61/ChippertuesWorld/

King's Cribbage tournament nears completion!!!

The first ever King's Cribbage online tournament is nearing completion!

Here are the results (as they come in):
1st. ?
2nd. Loser of Schrizo vs Scaggcares
3rd. Dana
4th. Jane
T5th. Dandan
T5th. Jennett1
T7th. Traxter
T7th. Belinda
T9th. Ybbihs
T9th. Cribbage King
T9th. Jwaut
T9th. Perceptive1
T13th. Bethmad
T13th. Mchenkle
T13th. Scags
T13th. Nannan

Here are the rules:

It is a 64 player double elimination tournament.
(So if you lose to one player you aren't out of it!)
To play a tournament match, when you setup the game, choose "Tournament Style Match"

People watching tournament games will be prevented
from chatting so they can't distract the competitors.

The 64 players will be seeded by current rating in the KC online world.
So #1 seed will play #64 seed to start, #2 vs #63 etc.

Each matchup will be a best of 3 series to advance. (first to two wins)
You will have 3-4 days to complete each round.
You can organize times to play with your opponent by leaving notes in the lounge, through our
message forum or I can coordinate through emails.

The prizes are the following:

1st place: $50, plus free Kings Cribbage board game
2nd place: $25, plus free Kings Cribbage board game
3rd place: Free Kings Cribbage board game
Raffle prize: Free Kings Cribbage board game

Watch for complete wrapup after the final matches are completed.

To play this excellent game goto: http://www.kingscribbageonline.com/ and be sure to check the link at the top left of this page for an interview about the game with KC online designer Damien Blond!

Cribbage babble...

From BabbleBlog:

"Lulee here: We got up at 4:00am (kids voted for really early) and the drive was fine. Headphones and books, snacks and pillows. Mike teaching DD howw to play cribbage (I can hardly teach her anything like that but someone else can). In true family tradition, we watched Singing in the Rain together, now the late night guys will watch Scrubs or whatever. I am going to lay in bed and read! One nice thing about slightly older kids--I can relax a little bit. Weird holiday, no turkey tomorrow, we are thinking of salmon from alaska instead. "

Full post at: http://bailey4babble.livejournal.com/125088.html

Cribbage Coffee Table....

From bleedthefreak87:

"I learned to play cribbage when I was 7 or 8. I didnt play much after that until i got an apartment and my friend Cam moved in. He had a Jiant cribbage table, it was the size of a coffee table. He got me playing a lot more. The highest hand I have ever got was a 28. I was missing that friggin right Jack. But it was still pretty cool. My other shining moment in crib was when on the first hand of a game I had 20 in my hand and 20 in my crib. My opponent was pretty pissed. lol."

Full post at: http://community.livejournal.com/cribbage_game/2481.html

Cribbage whiz's 1st time was on honeymoon...

From Bristol Press:

"When it comes to playing cribbage, Bob Van Gorder, owner of Fiddlin' Around Music with his wife, Louise, doesn't fiddle around. During play between Sept. 27-30, he captured the "Early Bird" title at the 26th annual Grand National Cribbage Tournament in Portland, Maine, a competition sanctioned by the American Cribbage Congress.

"I didn't go expecting to win," Bob told me, "I went for the experience. I had never been to a national tournament before.
"I happened to have the run of the cards And you need both skill and luck to win."
He admitted he wasn't a complete freak about the game, but took great interest in it and always tried to play his best."

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The dark side of Cribbage...

From the Daily Gleaner:

"...when I was a kid, I learned to play cribbage and, for a short time at least, I loved it.

I think it was more the circumstances than the game itself. I was maybe 10, I was visiting my relatives in Georgetown, P.E.I., and my aunt Jean took it upon herself to teach me to play.

Looking back, I'm sure she just wanted someone to play with/beat and I was a warm and willing body."


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Cribbage hubby is awesome...

By dhart
He also found new pegs for our cribbage board, so I can stop using 'stumpy' (the peg which broke, but he filed it down to fit in the hole, although it was half the height of the others, and never quite fit properly.) Life is good.
Dayna Hart -

full post at: http://daynahart.com/