29: the perfect cribbage hand

The highest possible hand at Cribbage is 29 points (shown above). It comprises all four 5s and the Jack of nobs. It is extremely rare to score a 29 hand in cribbage. In tournament play there is usually a special award for a 29 hand, whether it be cash or merely glory.

Your 29 hand stories

Dale and Helen Moeller

Dale Moeller and his wife Helen were returning from their 50th wedding anniversary vacation when they decided to play a game of cribbage in their hotel. Helen writes:

My husband calmly said, "Helen, I think I have a perfect hand!" What made it even more exciting was the fact that during our initial card-playing, we were surrounded by a group of friendly Shriners from Kansas, there for a golf tournament, and many of them had stopped at our table to introduce themselves and comment on the game of cribbage. One gentleman in particular, a dentist from Wichita, said that he played on-line 3 times a day and was director of the Shriners' cribbage tournaments. He had never even seen a perfect hand before. My husband's great fortune and luck could have happened at our kitchen table in Wisner, NE, but being amid people who really appreciated and understood the odds of a perfect cribbage hand made it even more awesome!

As an added note, Dale won that game by only one peg -- even with THE hand!! We are very competitive and enjoy cribbage very much. It was my idea to get the board & deck of cards from the car (while he enjoyed his beer) -- he said I didn't have to bother, but I did anyway!! Sometimes this wife of 50 years has a good idea!

Indeed she does! We'd love to hear your perfect hand stories. If you have had a 29 hand in cribbage, why not contact us and share the story?

iPhone cribbage games to download

Looking for a free cribbage game for iPhone?

Download cribbage games for your BlackBerry 8700 series, BlackBerry Pearl and BlackBerry Curve PDAs.

Free cribbage games

Free cribbage games to download are a great way to learn and practice cribbage on your PC. Whether Windows, Mac OS X or Linux, there are some excellent shareware and freeware cribbage games to download. Here are some we recommend that will soon have you playing cribbage for free:

MVP Cribbage

MVP Cribbage is an attractive and playable game with excellent graphics and animation, plus a range of computer opponents of varying strengths. This is one of the best free cribbage game downloads available, and if you register the game you get access to even more features. The simulation is so good that the computerised opponents sometimes fail to count all their points (Muggins aplenty for the sharp-eyed).

Download MVP Cribbage from MVP Software.

Shawna wrote in to ask:

I am looking to buy a complete cribbage set, however I do not know a THING about Cribbage. Could you kindly let me know of what I should buy, and if you have any suggestions of where I should buy (online), that would be fantastic.

I would like to spend no more than $50 on a complete set. I am looking for a set that you can travel with, along the lines of a fold up cribbage set.

Hi Shawna, well I think a folding travel cribbage set would be ideal for you. The set below is one that we sell through the Cribbage Corner affiliate scheme; it includes a pack of cards, cribbage board and pegs, and retails at $19.48:

Travel Cribbage Game with Playing Cards

From one side of the pond to the other, the game of Cribbage has a faithful following. And now it can follow you wherever you go in a handy carrying case. The sturdy, high-quality leatherette case neatly stores a deck of plastic coated playing cards and a folding cribbage board inside. The wooden cribbage board measures 7.25 x 2 when unfolded, and stores 4 cribbage pegs on the underside of the board.

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Once you have got your cribbage board, have a look at our cribbage rules section and that should get you started! A great way to learn to play cribbage is to play against the computer, so try one of our free cribbage games to download for Windows.

I hope this helps.

James Walker emailed to ask:

four card flush...I know it counts fourin hand ...BUT does it score four in CRIB ?

There is a special rule for a flush in the crib. Normally, if you have four or more cards of the same suit in your hand, including the turn up card, you can score a flush. In the crib, however, a flush only scores if all four cards AND the turn up are the same suit. In other words, only a 5-card flush counts in the crib.

Want to play cribbage on line? Start here with our guide to free online cribbage.

Several sites allow you to play cribbage online. For me the main difference between these free online cribbage games is the number and the quality of opponents they offer; some also require extra client software or drivers to be installed before you can play. If you are new to cribbage, see our guide to cribbage rules and strategy to get the hang of the basics, and try some cribbage games to download for Windows to practice on your PC first.

Free online cribbage sites

eCribbage.com

eCribbage.com is the most attractive and well-designed of the online cribbage games available; you need to download a Java application to play it, create a free account, and then you can play either traditional cribbage or Kings Cribbage against all comers. The interface looks great, and features lots of sounds, speech and animation.

The site features rankings and statistics, so you can keep track of your progress, and also hosts tournaments. If you are new to Kings Cribbage there is an interactive tutorial mode, and you can also save games in progress and come back to them later. Developer Damien Blond is planning to add lots more features in the near future, including additional cribbage variants such as Captain's Cribbage, lowball cribbage, and optional rules such as Muggins.

There is a cheerful mediaeval theme throughout, with attractive graphics and the chance to progress in rank from a lowly 'Serf' to 'Servant', 'Commoner' and even 'Knight' if you play well. You can communicate with your fellow peasants and nobles via a built-in chat window in the game, and a general chat in the Lounge area where you can watch other games in progress, or find players of the right level for you.

If you prefer Kings Cribbage to the old-fashioned game, you can play that too, on a nicely animated board with the same attention to detail of graphics and sound as in the traditional cribbage game. eCribbage.com looks much better and is easier to use than the other online sites such as Yahoo! Games or Pogo. The only drawback is that, as a new site, there are fewer players online than at the well-established sites. However, you won't find a shortage of opponents, and the smaller user base makes for a friendly atmosphere. The Java client works on Windows, Mac OS X or Linux. Recommended.

Looking for cribbage games for Windows? We get a lot of requests here at Cribbage Corner from folks who love cribbage, but haven't convinced their friends to play yet, or just want to practice by playing cribbage on their computer. So what are the best cribbage games for your PC? We look at some of the top commercial software, and free cribbage game downloads from the Web.

Cribbage Quest

Cribbage Quest

Cribbage Quest is a fun graphical cribbage game for Windows PCs which lets you either play standard cribbage against the computer, or take part in a special interactive Adventure mode where you join a cast of colourful British characters on a quest for the golden peg! Ideal for kids.

Cribbage Quest is great for getting the whole family involved in playing cribbage, and although it's not exactly for the serious student of the game, it is a good way for beginners to learn cribbage. Cribbage teaches kids basic arithmetic and introduces the idea of combinations (how many different ways there are to pick two cards from three, for example). It is also very easy to learn and will provide you with a fun hobby for life.

Cribbage rules have remained largely unchanged since the game first originated in the 17th century, but there are many variations on the standard rules of cribbage and many different forms and variants of the game. Captain's Cribbage is perhaps the best known, and most widely played.

Cribbage rules

Standard cribbage rules

Variations on cribbage scoring

Cribbage scoring can count against you instead of for you, as in Lowball cribbage.

Number of players

The number of players can include one, for solitaire cribbage, two, as in the normal cribbage rules; three, in three-player cribbage and Captain's cribbage, or four, in four-player cribbage.

Number of cards

The number of cards in a cribbage hand can vary from five, in five-Card cribbage, to seven, in seven-card cribbage.