What's It Wednesday - Break out the cards!
Anyone for a game?
Family visiting? Are the relatives getting restless for something to do?
Maybe it’s time to dust off one of these –
Cribbage is one of those card games that has been around for centuries. Loosely based on the earlier British card game of Noddy, cribbage is thought to have been created by Sir John Suckling (1609-1042). John Suckling’s father was a member of the court of James I. At age 17, when his father died, John inherited extensive estates. He then joined the military and served in the Thirty Years’ War. He returned to the court in 1632 and was knighted by Charles I. Sir John became quite popular in London. He was a poet and playwright and a card player and gambler.
English settlers brought the game of cribbage to America where it was quite popular particularly in New England and the Canadian maritime provinces. The game requires only two players and was a way to fill time.
Cribbage is played with a standard 52 card deck, A23456789JQK. The object of the game is to score a total 61 or 121 points. Points are gained by card combinations that have a total value of 15 or 31. Runs, consecutive numbered cards of any suit; flushes, a series in the same suit; and pairs, triples and quadruples of the same value, garner different points. Keeping track of the points is where the cribbage board comes in.
Cribbage boards have peg holes so a player can move their peg along their side of the board to mark progress toward the goal of 61 or 121 points.
Our board from the late 1880’s is a compact design. It is hinged and folds to 10 x 3 inches. A deck of cards fits into the back of the board. The front side track of peg holes total 60 on the outer, ivory topped rectangles. Play can be on one half of the board for a game goal of 61 or using both halves and the inner and outer tracks for 121 points.
Cribbage boards come in many designs and materials. These are from walrus tusks, carved by Alaskan Inuit.
Cribbage has remained one of the most popular card games since the late 1880s. It gained popularity among Navy seamen during World War II, particularly with submariners.
Richard “Dick” O’Kane (1911-1994) from Dover, NH, was a Naval commander in WWII. He began his service in 1938 and quickly qualified as a submariner. In 1943 he was serving on the submarine USS Wahoo in the northern parts of the Yellow Sea. Given the dangerous proximity to Japan, the situation grew tense. The submarine commander, Dudley Morton and Dick O’Kane began playing cribbage to take their minds off the tension. Commander Morton dealt O’Kane a “Perfect 29” hand which in cribbage is the highest possible score combination for a single deal. The crew felt that it was a lucky omen.
Dick O’Kane went on to serve on two submarines and ten submarine combat patrols. He has the distinction of participating in more successful attacks on Japanese shipping than any other WWII submarine officer. He was awarded the Metal of Honor and received seven of the US military’s highest awards for valor in combat.
O’Kane’s “lucky” cribbage board has become an important part of the Navy tradition. It is passed along to the oldest active submarine in the US Naval Pacific fleet and is placed in the wardroom. O’Kane’s board is currently carried on the USS Chicago (SSN-721) stationed in Pearl Harbor, HI.
Today cribbage is played in America more than anywhere else. According to Britannica.com, “it is played by more than 10 million people, principally across the northern states from New England to the Pacific, and the game has remained popular in Canada as well. In Great Britain one to two million players compete in nationwide leagues, to which might be added a comparable number of casual players.”
While many play the game casually, there are leagues and competitions in the US as well. The American Cribbage Congress is hosting more than 80 tournaments this year (August 2021 -July 2022). If you don’t already have plans for the coming weekend, you can catch the Wishbone Open in Grand Rapids, MI.
But if want to stay closer to home, gather your friends and family, dust off the board and play a round of Cribbage.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a board. Cribbage can be played by keeping score with paper and pencil. It is after all a card game!
However you spend your day, I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks for reading,
Marilyn
Please leave a comment or send me an email. I love hearing your stories and memories and seeing photos of your cribbage boards.
Mhelmers@andoverhistoryandculture.org
Resources
Department of Defense - Rear Admiral Richard O’Kane
My late Uncle Bob and his friend, Earl, played cribbage for hours at a time.
Hey Marilyn, I really enjoyed this story as cribbage was may Dad's favorite game and he also made a few boards too! My guess is he started playing when he enlisted in the Coast Guard. At our camp in New Hampshire were a few final card hands nailed to wall after a sweet victory had been made. Lots of decks ended up in the fireplace after a defeat. LOL. My sister Terry loved to play with my Dad and won a few to his dismay!.