One of the most enticing parts about the game of Cribbage is the board. They’re often beautifully-made and quality pieces of art!
But the setup is often confusing for people who don’t live and breathe this game as I do.
There are many questions I often hear about the Cribbage board, so I decided to tackle the most common ones in this article all in one place.
Table of Contents
Why Do Cribbage Boards Have 3 Tracks?
Most quality Cribbage boards have 3 tracks, just in case you decide to play 3-player Cribbage. The 3rd track allows the 3rd player to move their pegs with the other two rather than going backward (which is much more confusing). Having the 3rd track is a sign the board is a quality one.
Playing Cribbage with 3 players is fun, but it definitely needs some adjusted strategy.
As far as rules go, it follows the normal rules of the game with a few adjustments.
- The dealer gets six cards and discards two into their crib. The other two Pones or non-dealers get five cards and discard only one.
- The player to the left of the dealer starts the Play or pegging. They also count first.
- The player to the right of the dealer cuts the deck after everyone has discarded.
Other than these changes, all play and counting remain the same.
Now, you may also notice another track of pegs off from where the main counting peg holes lie. This is for keeping track of the number of wins in a match. The players use a peg to track their wins (even more wins with a skunk) until they reach the required wins for the match.
How Many Holes Do You Need On A Cribbage Board?
Cribbage boards need to have either 121 holes for pegging points or 60 holes to be run twice, with an extra hole at the end for the winning hole. Traditionally, the 120 holes come in two or three tracks side-by-side, with the final hole as a single hole to show that only one person can reach it to win.
This is the bare minimum a Cribbage board needs to offer, but good boards offer other features too!
Typically, there are two or three holes before the 121 point ones to use as starting holes. This is where your pegs go before the game.
The 121 pegging holes are arranged in groups of five set off by a small gap to show the groups of five or a line.
After the 30th, 60th, and 90th holes, there is often a double-line or some other marker to show this group too.
After the 90th holes, many Cribbage boards show some symbol to indicate the Skunk line.
Learn more about what a Skunk means in Cribbage in our article here.
As mentioned in the last question, there may also be another set of holes to keep track of games won in a match.
Why Are There Multiple Pegs In Cribbage?
There are often 3 pegs for each player on the cribbage board. Two are for keeping track of points and leapfrogging each other as you gain points. One is for keeping track of games won during a match.
Most people don’t play multiple games, so the third peg often becomes an extra one in case one of your other two breaks off a bit (a common problem with the plastic pegs that come with most boards, especially the cheap ones).
Are There Different Types Of Cribbage Boards?
Cribbage boards come in all shapes, sizes, and designs. It’s one of the best features of this game, and it’s sort of a woodworker’s rite of passage to build one of their own. All of them should have 121 (or 61) holes for tracking points in clear groups of five.
There are whole sites dedicated to cribbage boards. If you want to see some of my favorite designs, check out these cribbage board design ideas with pictures.
What Are The Holes At The Bottom Of The Cribbage Board For?
A set of holes at the bottom of the Cribbage board are either for starting your pegs (if there are 2 or 3) or for tracking games won in a match (if there are more than 3). The game peg, sometimes known as the spilikin, either goes in the third hole for the starting holes or tracks the points won on these holes.
This one is difficult to tell without looking at your actual board. On these ones I have at home, it isn’t standardized.
I have a board with the game holes in the middle of the board, and the points go around it. I also have one with the game points above the 121 holes. And I have one where they’re at the bottom.
Do All Cribbage Boards Have The Same Number Of Holes?
Cribbage boards should all have the same number of holes, most often 121 for pegging points. In some cases, a compact board will have 61 holes, and you have to go around the board twice to win the game.
If you come across a board with a different number of holes for points, don’t buy it!
Clearly, the person didn’t know how to play the game when they made it, and it’ll throw off your Cribbage strategy in regard to board position.
Want to take your Cribbage game to the next level? Check out this massive list of strategies for improving your game!
What Are Streets Or Corners In Cribbage?
Streets or corners in Cribbage refer to the groups of 30 points which help with board position. Some boards turn the tracks at these numbers while others just go in one big circle or rectangle. There are four streets starting at the 1, 31, 61, and 91st holes.
