Cribbage

Cribbage

Origin	England
Alternative names	Crib
Family	Matching
Players	2 (variations for 3–6)
Skills	Strategy, tactics, counting
Cards	52
Deck	Standard 52-card pack
Rank (high→low)	K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 A
Play	Clockwise
Playing time	15–30 min.
Related games
Noddy • Costly Colours

Cribbage, or crib, is a card game, traditionally for two players, that involves playing and grouping cards in combinations which gain points. It can be adapted for three or four players.^[1]

Cribbage has several distinctive features: the cribbage board used for score-keeping; the crib, box, or kitty (in parts of Canada and New England);^{[citation needed]} two distinct scoring stages; and a unique scoring system, including points for groups of cards that total 15. It has been characterized as "Britain's national card game" and the only one legally playable in licensed pubs and clubs without requiring local authority permission.^[2]

The game has relatively few rules yet many subtleties, which accounts for its ongoing appeal and popularity. Tactical play varies, depending on which cards one's opponent has played, how many cards in the remaining pack will help the hand one holds, and what one's position on the board is. A game may be decided by a single point, and the edge often goes to an experienced player who utilizes strategy, including calculating odds and making decisions based on the relative positions of players on the board.

Both cribbage and its close relative costly colours are descended from the old English card game of noddy. Cribbage added the distinctive feature of a crib and changed the scoring system for points, whereas costly colours added more combinations but retained the original noddy scoring scheme.