Cribbage is a card game that is usually played using a board and pegs to keep score. The game is said to have existed since the 17th century and while not as popular as other card games has a devoted following. Cribbage is a game of skill that involves scoring points for runs of sequential cards, pairs, triples, quadruples, flushes and combinations of 15. Cribbage can be played between 2 to 6 people, usually as two or three individuals or as two or three two person teams.
Part of what makes the game of cribbage so unique is the cribbage board used to play it. Most cribbage boards consist of a type of track with 121 peg holes used for scoring. As players score points they move their pegs the corresponding number of holes until one player reaches the last hole and wins. While the game play and scoring remains the same no matter what type of board you are playing on, cribbage boards range greatly in style and design.
Circle Crib
The most common type of cribbage board is a rectangular board with two or three tracks that wind around the board curving twice. These boards are usually 12 or 13 inches long and a few inches wide. Some are solid in design and others fold for easy travel and storage. This type of board is the one most people are familiar with and are easy to use and understand. Most of the time the board will include pegs and will even have a small slot built-in in which to store them. Sometimes the tracks are all the same color but more commonly they are painted different colors that correspond with each color peg. Usually players use two pegs to track their movements as they score points.
Other board layouts include rectangular boards with square track that runs around the perimeter of the board and ends in the middle. These types of boards also come in 2 or 3 track designs and usually include a space at one end to hold extra pegs for scoring who has won each game. Like the classic boards, this design can be natural or have painted tracks to match the color of the pegs. These types of board are often bigger than the classic board and more ornate. They also usually include pegs and a place top store them.
Some cribbage boards have different track design, curving three or four times or even ending in a circle. There are many styles available form classic to creative and all will do a good job assisting you in scoring your game of cribbage. Most cribbage boards are made of wood as they have been since the game's invention. You can, however, find cribbage boards today made of different materials such as plastic, and you can even find specialty boards made of more luxurious things such as marble or stone. No matter what type of cribbage board you choose you are sure to have fun playing this time honored game.