CRIBBAGE | A brief history

Members of the Mahoning Valley Cribbage Club, who recently celebrated the group’s 25th anniversary, gather every other Thursday in Boardman to play the popular card game. Some facts and rules pertaining to the game:

Cribbage is one of the earliest classic card games that dates to the 1600s.

The game’s origin is unknown, but Sir John Suckling, a 17th-century Englishman, poet and playwright, is generally credited with its invention.

During World War II, cribbage became the traditional game for many U.S. soldiers on submarines in the Pacific Ocean who passed the time while on patrol for Japanese ships.

In 1943, one of two players on the USS Wahoo submarine on a dangerous patrol in the Yellow Sea was dealt a “Perfect 29” hand, which many crew members predicted would be a prelude for good fortune.

The game is played mainly by two players, but also can be played in three- and four-handed partner styles, with each player receiving five or six cards, depending on the number of participants.

Each hand can be played up to 31 points.

Players earn points by various card combinations and keep score by moving pegs on a special board with 121 holes.

The object is to reach 121 points.

Sources: Berta McGuire, gamecolony.com