Welcome to MacCribbage. If you already know how to play Cribbage, this section will quickly describe how to play against your Mac using MacCribbage. Read the following sections for a more detailed description of how to play Cribbage with MacCribbage.
･ Throw two cards to the crib by clicking on them and clicking the Send To Crib button
･ If you dealt, click the deck to turn over the starter
･ Play cards by either double-clicking them or dragging them onto the playing field
･ If you chose Manual Pegging you will have to peg your points when you score -- first click on the back peg, then click on the hole where you want the peg placed
･ If you have to say Go click the Go button
･ If you score points and don't know why, click and hold the Pegging Help icon.
･ After the hand is over you score the cards in your hand including the starter and click the OK button
･ Continue until a player scores enough to win the game and begin again
MacCribbage
Cribbage is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The object of the game is to score enough point to win a game (usually 121 points). Keeping score on paper is unwieldy because points are scored throughout the hand, not just at the end. For this reason a peg board is usually used to keep score. Each player has two pegs, a front peg to mark the current score, and a back peg that is picked up and moved ahead when the player scores more points.
The players alternate dealing hands until a player scores enough to win a game, at which time play stops, all scores are reset to zero, and a new hand is dealt. A hand is divided into three phases, Cribbing, the Play, and the Show, which will be described below.
Scoring Combinations
Players can score points throughout the Play and Show phase of each hand. Points are scored by grouping cards into various scoring combinations. Before we describe how each hand is played we will present all the scoring combination up front. The scoring combinations are as follows:
Fifteens
Any combination of cards whose pips add up to fifteen scores two points (the Jack, Queen, and King each have ten pips while the Ace has one pip). For example the cards 7H, 7S, 8C can be grouped 7H-8C and 7S-8C scoring four points. Note that the 8C was used in both groups! The definition of a fifteen is any combination of cards that add up to fifteen. Thus a particular card can be used in many different scoring groups.
Pairs
Any two cards with the same face value score two points. Note that a Jack and Queen do not form a pair. For example the cards 6H, 6C, JS, JD can be grouped 6H-6C and JS-JD scoring four points. Another example, the cards 7H, 7D, 7S can be grouped 7H-7D, 7H-7S, and 7D-7S scoring six points! Again, a particular card can be used in many different scoring groups (by the way, a four of a kind would score 12 points from pairs)!
Runs
Any combination of three or more cards whose face values are successive from a run. One point is given for each card in the run. Note that the Ace can only be in a run with a two and three, not a Queen and King.
Examples:
The cards AC, 2H, and 3D group together to score three points.
The cards AC, 2H, 2S, and 3D can be grouped AC-2H-3D and AC-2S-3D to score six points. (Note these four cards are actually worth eight points because of the two points for the pair of twos.)
Note that in the case of runs, every card that can be in a run must be put there, thus the cards AC, 2H, 3D, and 4H are one run of four cards yielding four points. You cannot score this as two runs of three cards!
Flush
If all four of the cards you keep have the same suit you will be able to score a Flush during the Show phase. One point is given for each card in the flush.
Examples:
The cards AH, 5H, 7H and 10H group together to score four points.
Note that as in the case of runs, every card that can be in a flush must be put there, thus the cards AH, 5H, 7H, 9H and 10H are one flush of five cards yielding five points. You cannot score this as two flushes of four cards!
Flushes cannot be scored during the Play phase and there are special rules for scoring flushes during the Show phase. See description of the Show phase below.
His Heels and His Nobs
There are two special scoring opportunities for Jacks. His Heels scores two points and can be scored only during the Play phase while His Nobs scores one point and can only be scored during the Show phase. See description of the Play phase and Show phase below.
Pegging
The peg board on the right side of the MacCribbage window shows the current score of the hand. The score can be read by looking at the position of each player's front peg. On a color monitor your pegs are on the blue track and the Mac's are on the Red track. On a black and white monitor your pegs are on the white track and the Mac's are on the gray track.
When you score points throughout the hand you have to option of whether to peg you score manually or automatically. You make this choice on the Pegging menu.
If you choose Automatic Pegging, your pegs will be moved automatically whenever you score. When your score has been pegged click either the Done Pegging or Continue button, whichever is hilited. If you have Quick Peg on under the Pegging menu the back peg will immediately move to its proper position. If Quick Peg is off the back peg will move one hole at a time until it reaches its proper position.
If you choose Manual Pegging, you will move your pegs yourself. When you score the pointer will change from an arrow to a hand. Click on your back peg between the thumb and forefinger of the hand. The pointer will change into a peg. Click the tip of the peg onto the hole where you want to place the peg. You do not have to place the peg directly into its proper position. You may make many smaller jumps. This comes in handy when scoring your hand as do not have to keep track all the different kinds of scoring combinations in you head. When your score has been pegged click either the Done Pegging or Continue button, whichever is hilited.
Players should take advantage of MacCribbage's Pegging Help system. When you have points to score, the Pegging Help icon will appear above your cartoon balloon on the playing field. Click and hold on this icon and the Pegging Help window will appear describing the breakdown of the points you have earned. This should help novice players get to know the sometimes complicated scoring system of Cribbage.
The Cribbing Phase
At the start of each hand six cards are dealt face down to each player. The players must select two of those cards to throw away. The four cards that are thrown away are placed together and are called the Crib. The Crib is placed next to the dealer and will be used to score points for the dealer during the Show phase. During the Cribbing Phase the playing field shows which player will get the Crib for this hand.
To choose a card to throw to the Crib click on it and it will hilite. If you change you mind about a card, click on it again. When you have selected your two cards, click the Send To Crib button.
The Cribbing phase is the most strategically important part of each hand because it is here that you decide which cards you will be able to make scoring combinations with during the Show phase where most of the points in each hand are scored. When selecting which cards to throw you should determine which four cards will yield the highest number of points using the scoring combinations described above.
Remember that the dealer will not only be able to their hand during the Show phase, but also the four cards that make up the Crib. Thus, when the Crib goes to the Mac you should be careful to not throw cards that will lead to point for the Mac (i.e., a pair) unless it makes sense for the cards you are keeping. On the other hand, when the Crib is going to you, you have much greater flexibility in the cards you select because you will be able to use the cards you throw during the Show phase when you get to score points with the Crib.
The Play Phase
When both players have thrown their cards to the crib the Play phase begins with the dealer tuning over the top card of the deck and placing it face up. You do this by clicking on the deck. This card is called the starter. If the starter is a Jack the dealer immediately pegs 2 points. This is called His Heels.
Play then begins with the non-dealer playing a card. You do this by either double-clicking the card or dragging it onto the play field. When a card is played the total of pipes of all the cards on the table is announced by the player. This total is shown in the cartoon balloons on the playing field. The other player then plays a card. This continues until on a player's turn they cannot play a card without taking the pip total over 31. When this happens the player must say "Go." You do this by clicking the Go button on the playing filed. When a player says Go the other player must play any cards that they can without taking to total over 31, and then score one point for forcing the other player to say Go. Also, there is a one point bonus for making the total 31 exactly. Thus when a player makes the pip total 31 they will score one point for forcing Go and another 1 point bonus. After a Go, all the cards are cleared from the playing field and the player who said Go leads by playing another card. This continues until both players have no cards. When a player runs out of cards they must say Go since they cannot play a card.
Besides the points for Go and 31, points can be scored by making scoring combinations of the played cards.
Fifteen
When a player makes the pip total equal 15, that player scores two points. Thus, it's usually not a good idea to lead with a 5 since there are so many cards with ten pips in the deck.
Pairs
When a player makes a pair with the most recently played card or cards, that player scores two points for each pair. For example, if you lead with 8H, the Mac plays 9C, and then you play 9S you score two points for the pair. If the Mac then plays 9D, the Mac scores 6 points for the three pairs of 9s. Note that to be a pair the cards must be played consecutively.
Runs
When a player makes a run with the most recently played cards, that player scores on point for each card in the run. For example, if you lead with 5C, the Mac plays 7D, and then you play 6H you score three points for the run. If the Mac then plays 4H, the Mac scores four points for the run.
NOTE: During the Play phase only the most recently played cards can count for a run. Thus the sequence 5C, 4H, 4D, 6S does not count as a run since the most recently played three cards are 4, 4, 6 and do not form a run.
Flushes cannot be scored during the Play phase.
If you are using Manual Pegging, when you score points during the Play phase the Pegging Help icon will appear. Use this system to help you to learn about scoring opportunities during the Play phase.
The Show Phase
When both players have played all four of their cards the Show phase begins. First, the non-dealer places all four of their cards face up on the playing field. The non-dealer then uses those four cards along with the Starter to make as many scoring combinations as possible. After the non-dealer has scored, the dealer turns up their own hand of four cards and along with the starter scores all the points they can. The dealer then turns up the Crib and does the same with it.
The scoring combinations during the Show phase are as follows:
Fifteens
Any combination of cards that add up to fifteen scores two points.
Pairs
Any two cards with the same face value score two points.
Runs
Any combination of three or more cards whose face values are successive from a run. One point is given for each card in the run.
Flush
To score a flush with the dealer's or non-dealer's own hand all four of their own cards must have the same suite. This will score four points. If the Starter's suit is also the same the flush will be worth five points. To score a flush with the Crib, all four cards of the Crib and the Starter must have the same suit. This will score five points.
His Nobs
In any of the three hands, if the hand has the Jack of the same suit as the Starter, this is called His Nobs and scores one point (this one is EASY to forget)!
While the Mac will always count all of its points, a player my forget or miss scoring combinations contained in a hand. If the Muggins option on the Pegging menu is on, the Mac will steal all the points that you missed! Novice players should turn Muggins off until they get used to the scoring system.
Remember to use the Pegging Help system during the Show phase. This will help you to learn to score you hands without missing points.
By the way, the highest possible score for the four cards of and hand and the starter during the Show phase is 29. Can you think of a hand that makes 29?
Winning a Game
You set the length of a game by choosing the Game Length command on the Options menu. The standard length for each game is 121 points. The game immediately ends when a player pegs the whatever score is set as the game length. Thus, as the score gets close to the end, it is important to note who is dealing since the non-dealer get to peg his points during the Show phase first. When the game ends, the Statistics window will be displayed, showing statistics about the game that just ended. To start the next game, either close the Statistics window or click on the MacCribbage window. See below for more information about the Statistics window.
The Game Length dialog box also contains the Lurch settings. You score a lurch by winning a game before you opponent reaches a certain score. By default, when the game length is set for 121 points, you will win two games if win before your opponent reaches 91 points, and you will win three games if you win before your opponent reaches 61 points.
The number of games won by each opponent in the current match is shown at the bottom of the peg board. There are two numbers for each player. The first number is the number of games won including lurches. The second number is the number of "natural" games won.
Saving Matches
MacCribbage allows you to keep track of a series of games called a Match. You can save a game in progress at any time by using the Save command on the File menu. To resume the game, double-click the file from the Finder. The match file keeps track of all the games that have been played in the match thus far along with many statistics.
The "artificial intelligence" of MacCribbage uses a very simple set of rules, yet it is quite effective. I hope that even a good player will be able to win no more than 60% of the games in a match. Maybe you will do better :--)
Customizing MacCribbage
MacCribbage has a number of customizing options to suit the way you would like to play. All the following options are saved when you save a Match.
Peg Board
The Board menu allows you to choose among four different peg board styles: Standard N (like the MacCribbage icon), Traditional, Snake, and Spiral.
Voice
The Voice menu allows you to choose a voice the Mac will use while calling out the total pips during the Play phase. The Mac will even say Go! This makes playing against the Mac more realistic. The choices are Male (Mike) and Female (Shari). (Yep, that us!)
Table Color
On the Options menu, the Table Color command shows a hierarchical menu of colors and shadings. These control the color of the playing field. The default is 50% green.
Statistics
The Statistics command on the Windows menu shows the Statistics window. This shows a variety of interesting statistics about the match and game in progress. The top of the window shows the score of the current game. The left part of the window refers to the current game, and the right side of the window refers to the entire match. The graphs show the number of points each player scored per hand during the Play and Show phases. The bottom of the window shows the total points scored by each player during the Play and Show phases.
Menu Command Reference
The following is a reference of all the menu commands in MacCribbage.
Apple Menu
About MacCribbage
Displays information about MacCribbage such as version number and shareware agreement.
File Menu
New Match
Starts a new match.
Open
Opens a Match file that was previously saved.
Close
Closes the Statistics window if it is the front window.
Save
Saves the current match. If it was not previously saved, you are prompted for the file's name.
Save As
Saves the current match to a new file.
Quit
Quits MacCribbage.
Edit Menu
The Edit menu is not used in MacCribbage.
Options Menu
Game Length
Allows you to set the length of a game as well as options for Lurches.
Table Color
Allows you to set the color and shading of the playing field.
Pegging Menu
Automatic Pegging
When this option is checked, your points will be pegged for you automatically.
Manual Pegging
When this option is checked, you must peg you own points by clicking you back peg and then clicking on where you want the peg placed.
Muggins
When this option is checked, any points you miss during the Show phase will be stolen by the Mac.
Quick Peg
When this option is checked, pegs will automatically jump to there correct position. If it is not check, pegs will advance one hole at a time.
Board Menu
This menu allows you to choose which peg board you want to use.
Voice Menu
No Voice
When this option is checked, no voice will be used by the Mac.
Female Voice (Shari)
When this option is checked, the Mac will use a female voice when calling out the total pips during the Play phase.
Male Voice (Mike)
When this option is checked, the Mac will use a male voice when calling out the total pips during the Play phase.
Window Menus
Cribbage
This command brings the Cribbage Window to the front.
Statistics
This command brings the Statistics Window to the front.
Shareware Agreement
InterStellar MacCribbage is published as Shareware. The shareware concept is to produce high quality software at a low price by avoiding overhead like packaging, marketing and sales. The shareware fee for MacCribbage is $10. We hope that if you like MacCribbage and keep it you will send in the shareware fee. This will allow us to spend time improving MacCribbage and producing more quality software.
Please make checks payable to Michael Houser. You can fill out the MacCribbage Registration form included with the MacCribbage package, or simply send $10 along with your name, address, e-mail address, the name of the game you are registering, the version number, and how you originally got the MacCribbage package to:
Michael Houser
5680 Foster Road
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
You are allowed to give MacCribbage away to anyone you like as long is you also include all the files that came with the package.
About InterStellar Software
InterStellar Software is Michael and Shari Houser. We began publishing shareware with the initial release of MacCribbage in July 1990. Our other products are the solitaire games Egyptian Solitaire and Monte Carlo Solitaire.
To obtain the latest versions of our product you can view our World-Wide-Web site at http://www.wolfenet.com/~houser/home.html.
Any questions, comments or bug reports are welcome through our e-mail address, houser@wolfenet.com, or our U.S. mail address, 5680 Foster Road, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.
The Housers reside on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Michael is a software engineer for Adobe Systems and Shari is the full-time mother of our new little girl, Casandra.
We hope that you enjoy MacCribbage, try our other products and tell your friends about them.
