Soda City Cribbage Club logo Soda City Cribbage ClubACC Grass Roots Club #461 · Columbia, SC
New players

New to Cribbage? Come Play!

Everyone started somewhere. If you know the game a little, a lot, or not at all, you’re welcome at Soda City Cribbage Club.

Your first night

  • We play every Thursday at 6:00 PM. Email Jennifer for the location.
  • We suggest you arrive 30 minutes early your first night, so we can go over things and make you comfortable.
  • Your first nights are free! After that it’s $10 a night. Boards, cards and pegs are provided.
  • Feel free to bring drinks or snacks.
  • Nobody expects you to be perfect. Ask questions anytime.
See when we play

Club rules

  • We play by ACC tournament rules. The judge’s ruling is final.
  • Count your own hand out loud; your opponent may confirm.
  • No muggins: points you miss aren’t taken by your opponent.
  • Record your results on your scorecard and confirm your opponent’s scorecard after each game.
  • Be kind, be patient, and have fun.
Our promise to you

Code of Congeniality

During a new player’s trial period (four weeks or until they earn points, whichever is longer)…

  • We pledge to welcome new players warmly and make them feel wanted.
  • We pledge to not penalize new players for violating tournament rules.We will, instead, gently tell them what the rule is and what the penalty would be.
  • We pledge to not let new players under-peg points or under-count hands.We will, instead, explain errors and then allow new players to take all the points they are entitled to.
  • We pledge to not make new players feel inferior if or when they miss points or make a bad play.We will, instead, let them know that all cribbage players do this and that it is part of the learning process.
  • We pledge to not force new players to play a game in fifteen minutes.We will, instead, be tolerant and not complain, remembering that we, too, started slow.
  • We pledge to allow new players to play for free or at the minimum cost of club expenses.

After the trial period is up…

  • We pledge to continue to make all players, new and existing, feel welcome and comfortable at our club.
American Cribbage Congress logo ACC Grass Roots play

How it’s different from kitchen-table cribbage

Some of the basic, commonly applied rules that are unique to ACC tournament play. The full ACC rulebook is on hand with the director.

Download the printable rules

Cutting & dealing

  • Low card wins the deal. Draw again if the cards are the same rank.
  • Shuffle at least 3 times. Pone may shuffle once; the dealer gets the last shuffle.
  • The deck is cut after the shuffle and before every deal.
  • Take or leave at least 4 cards from the top or bottom, and leave at least half the deck for your opponent.
  • Do not look at the bottom card when cutting.

The crib

  • The crib goes face down on the dealer’s side of the board, not on the board.
  • Once all four cards are in the crib, you may not pick them up or swap them.

The play

  • Leave your played cards face up in a row.
  • The dealer must peg 2 for a Jack starter before playing a first card, or the points are lost.
  • Announce the count as you play. If a wrong count is announced and the next card is played, that becomes the new count.

Scoring

  • Cards stay on the table, plainly visible, while you count.
  • The starter card must stay separate from the hands and crib while counting.
  • No one can help you count your hand.

Pegging

  • If you pick up your front peg, it becomes your back peg.
  • Once your hand leaves the peg, scoring is done. You may not go back for points you missed.
  • Catch your own over-peg first? Announce it and correct it, no penalty.
  • If your opponent catches your over-peg, you move back and they get the extra points.
  • Peg in the wrong direction and the pegs stay where they are.
  • You must peg out in the game hole to claim a win.

Call a judge for

  • False claim of game: pegging into the game hole and letting go without enough points.
  • Renege: not playing a card that could be played before calling “go.”
  • Too many or too few cards after both players have discarded to the crib.
  • Any other question about the rules or something outside normal play. Call the judge during the play!
Where your $10 goes

Weekly Entry Fees & Payouts

$10entry fee
  • $1per player to the 24-hand pool
  • $2per player to Team Play
  • $5to the High Crib of the night
  • Restto the weekly prizes, paying the top 25%

All money collected is paid out 100%.

Bonus payouts

Team Play

  • Each player randomly draws for their “teammate.”
  • At the end of the night both teammates’ points are added together. The team with the highest combined points gets the Team Play prize money.
  • Ties are resolved by:
    1. Game points
    2. Games won
    3. Positive spread points

Skunk Can

A skunked player pays $1.00 to Sammy the Skunk.

  • Each week a “Special Hand” is drawn and posted on the Welcome Board. If you get that hand, you get what Sammy has at that time.
  • Money is rolled over to the following week if not claimed.

24 Hands

$1 per player that night is placed with Billy the Frog.

  • If you get a 24-hand, take Billy the Frog and remove $1. He is yours to look after until another player gets a 24-hand.
  • Whoever is holding Billy at the end of the night gets the remaining money.
  • Money is rolled over to the following week if not claimed.

Awards

$10Mini SlamWin all 6 games
$2528 HandPlus a Certificate and Pin from the ACC
$5029 HandPlus a Plaque and Pin from the ACC

Note: Mini Slam and 28/29 hand awards are paid from the club cash box. If the cash box runs low, the director may move $1 per player from the weekly prizes into the Awards fund.

Talk like a cribbage player

Cribbage Glossary

The universal words you’ll hear at the table, with their ACC definitions.

Two-player cribbage board. Each player starts at the right, pegs holes 1 to 60 along the outside row to the left, then 61 to 120 back along the inside row, finishing at game hole 121.121 Game holeStart ◀Start ◀120 Dead hole120 Dead hole90 Stink holes◀ First street1–30◀ Second street31–60Third street61–90 ▶Fourth street91–120 ▶Third street61–90 ▶Fourth street91–120 ▶◀ First street1–30◀ Second street31–60Player 1Player 2
Each player starts at the right, pegs out along the outside row (first and second street) and back along the inside row (third and fourth street) to the game hole. Reach 121 before your opponent gets past their stink hole and it’s a skunk.

Crib

Four cards (two from each player) set aside for the dealer to score after the dealer’s hand.

Cut card

  1. The starter card
  2. The card cut by either player at the start of the game or match to determine the dealer.

Dead hole

Hole number 120, which is one point short of the game hole.

Flush

Four cards of the same suit held in the hand count four points; five cards of the same suit (including the starter card) count five points in the hand or crib.

Game hole

Hole number 121.

Go

Called by a player who cannot play a card without exceeding the cumulative count of 31. See rule 1.5.e.(2) for more details.

Hand

  1. The six cards dealt to each player
  2. The four cards remaining after discarding to the crib.

His heels

Jack as the starter card counts two points for the dealer. Sometimes called ‘nibs.’

Judge

A person authorized by the ACC and appointed by the tournament director to answer questions and settle disagreements between players relating to the rules of play.

Match

One or more playoff games between two players, the outcome of which is a match winner and a match loser.

Muggins

The scoring of certain points that one’s opponent fails to peg. It has no relationship to penalties. Muggins is played at the option of the tournament director, but must be listed on the tournament flyer and announced prior to the beginning of play.

Nobs

Jack of the same suit as the starter card, in either the hand or crib, counts one point.

Pair

Two cards of the same rank, such as two Aces.

Peg

  1. A small marker that fits into the holes of a cribbage board and is used for scoring.
  2. To record a score by advancing the rear peg in front of the front peg.

Pegging

The recording of earned points by advancing the rear peg in front of the front peg and releasing it.

Pone

The opponent of the player who deals.

Score

Any points earned by a player.

Scoring

The earning of points.

Shuffle

A random mixing of the cards, which could include riffling.

Skunk

To win by 31 or more points.

Starter card

The card that is cut and placed on the remainder of the pack and is used in counting the value of each hand and the crib.

Stink hole

Hole number 90, which is one point short of avoiding a skunk.

Straight (or run), single

Sequence of three or more consecutive cards in any order during the play of the cards; for example, 3-5-6-7-4 (counts three when the 7 is played and counts five when the 4 is played).

Straight, multiple

Only in counting hands and crib

  • Double run: two three-card or four-card straights, including one pair; for example, A-2-3-3 or A-2-3-3-4
  • Double-double run: four three-card straights, including two pairs; for example, 8-8-9-9-10
  • Triple run: three three-card straights, including three of a kind; for example, J-Q-Q-Q-K

Street

A stretch of 30 holes on the game board. First street consists of holes 1–30, second street of holes 31–60, third street of holes 61–90, and fourth street of holes 91–120.

eCrib+ logo
Practice between club nights

Sharpen your game on eCrib+

The eCrib+ AI is a no-pressure way to practice counting and pegging before your first Thursday, and there are real opponents online whenever you’re ready.

Try eCrib+
Fair play

ACC Code of Ethics

Cribbage is a pastime that provides social opportunities to display true sportsmanship and respect for others, without rancor, animosity, or overwhelming self-interest during competition. In view of these goals, the following are considered to be some of the unacceptable practices and are grounds for suspension or expulsion from the ACC:

  • Marking or deforming cards for identification or manipulative purposes
  • Controlling the location of the cards in the pack before cutting for first deal or when dealing
  • Secreting cards for later retrieval, including surreptitiously dropping excess dealt cards from the hand
  • Changing or altering scorecards
  • Intentionally playing poorly for the purpose of enhancing the record of an opponent
  • Actions or conversation unbecoming a member of the ACC (drunkenness, abusive language, etc.)
  • Initiating a violation of rules for the purpose of gaining an advantage, whether actually gained or not, even though the rules specify a penalty for the violation
  • Communicating about the play of someone else’s game in such a way that it affects the outcome
  • Allowing an opponent to continue pegging backward after any occurrence(s)
  • Using one’s position as ACC judge to purposely intimidate an opponent
  • Actions detrimental to the objectives of the ACC including but not limited to any form of discrimination related to age, gender, race, religion, disability, or sexual orientation
  • Leaving a tournament prior to completing all of the games required in the tournament (see Tournament Director Manual)

By honoring all ACC rules, a player will have guidelines for good sportsmanship and fair play, resulting in an enjoyable experience for all participants.