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Table Top Cribbage

Rules

How To Play

 

  • The game is played on a 5x5 board starting with a card placed in the center.​​

Table Top Cribbage game UI

Your card

5x5 board

Your direction of play

  • Each player receives 12 cards, but can only view one card at a time. The current card must be placed on the board before the player can view their next card.

    • ​The card to be played next is displayed below the 5x5 board.

    • The available locations of play are shown by the blank card outline.

 

  • Each player has a determined axis of play. A player can only score points along their axis or direction of play.

    • ​By default, your score will be determined by counting points from left/right, and the game/app will play the up/down direction.

    • You may change your direction of play at any time by switching your direction of play from the Direction option in the Options menu

  • By default, the player may place the card anywhere on board.

    • To enable the more formal rule of only playing a card in locations adjacent to an already played card, enable the "Card Must Be Adjacent" option in the Options menu. If enabled, a card may only be placed immediately above, below, to the side, or diagonally from another card.

 

  • Players place cards alternately.

    • ​You will always be provided the first move

    • The game/app will automatically play the opposing players card after your move  

Example Table Top Cribbage game
  • Players continue to place card until all of the available card spaces are filled.

Game Score

Table Top Cribbage example of score
  • The board is then scored. To see scoring rules click here.

 

  • The player with the highest score wins the hand.

 

  • The game score is determined using differential scoring.

    • The game score for the player with the winning hand is incremented after each hand by the difference in points between the winning score and the other player's score. 

    • Example: Player 1 ends hand with 25 points. Player 2 ends hand with 20 points. Player 1 wins hand and game score is  now 5/0.

 

  • Game continues until the set amount of points is reached. Default points per game is 31, but can be changed in the Options menu.

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