Cribbage Squares is a variant of the official cribbage rules which you can play by yourself!
To play this cribbage solitaire game, you deal out cards from a shuffled pack one at a time, placing them into a 4×4 grid. Your aim is to make the maximum score from each of the rows and columns. Once you have dealt out the 16 cards, turn one further card up as the starter. Each row and column in the grid is scored as a cribbage hand, using the normal cribbage scoring rules. To ‘win’ you need to score more than 61 points for all the hands combined.
A more interesting variation on standard Cribbage Squares is to use one or two ‘reserves’: if you are not sure where to place the current card, you can add it face-up to a reserve pile. The top card from each reserve pile may be played at any time.
Cribbage Squares strategy is not easy at first. You need to use a strategy which makes the maximum score from each hand given the likely turn-up cards.
Cribbage Squares is a variant of the official cribbage rules which you can play by yourself!
To play this cribbage solitaire game, you deal out cards from a shuffled pack one at a time, placing them into a 4×4 grid. Your aim is to make the maximum score from each of the rows and columns. Once you have dealt out the 16 cards, turn one further card up as the starter. Each row and column in the grid is scored as a cribbage hand, using the normal cribbage scoring rules. To ‘win’ you need to score more than 61 points for all the hands combined.
A more interesting variation on standard Cribbage Squares is to use one or two ‘reserves’: if you are not sure where to place the current card, you can add it face-up to a reserve pile. The top card from each reserve pile may be played at any time.
Cribbage Squares strategy is not easy at first. You need to use a strategy which makes the maximum score from each hand given the likely turn-up cards.
Perfect score in Cribbage Squares?
Dorcas asks:
5 starter, 4-flush in each
5 starter, 4-flush in each column
KKKK
QQQQ
JJJJ
TTTT
scores 145
I think the total score is
I think the total score is 147 if you could the nibs one for the column and one for the rows and then of course one of the flushes would have to align with the cut 5 so there is 5 points for that column.
I counted it a couple times but that is what I got.
All 15’s = 64
All pairs = 48
All runs = 16
All flushes = 17
nibs = 2
Cribbage Squares High Score
I think that the perfect score is 161. I play this game all the time on PC and iphone.
The highest I have ever achieved is 152 on iphone with two reserve piles. However I think it is possible to get 161 using all of the 3’s, 4’s, 6’s, 3 of the 5’s and a Jack. The turnover would be the other 5.
I have laid these out using a deck of cards then added them up and counted 161. There may be higher scores but I can’t think of them.
The highest score I have been
The highest score I have been able to come up with in a cribbage square, assuming I have total control of the cards, is 170 points. Trying to get the 29 is in my opinion a mistake. I used all the face cards, all the 5’s, and a 10. Arrange them to make runs and flushes and four-or-a-kinds. One of the 5’s is the kicker, use the same suit as your 10, to give you extra 15’s and pairs Don’t forget your two Nobs!
My next best is 165, using all 6, 7, 8, 9, plus a single 3, with one 6 as the kicker and the 3 having its same suit. Arrangement is such to make runs and flushes and pairs and lots of 15’s. A 4-of-a-kind actually underperforms compared to the quadruple runs, but one is needed. There is also a row of 13 points, which I am sure with more study could be improved.
After that it goes down quickly.
Cribbage Squares and Flushes
How many flushes are included in this total because for a flush to count it has match the kicker when playing cribbage squares on the iphone.
Cribbage Squares Stratergy I Used to get a High of 152
Note: There are various different variations to rules depending on the platform that you are using this stratergy is based on two rubbish bins
(solitaire city) version.
After learning the rules the first thing I did was get a pack of cards and
lay them out on a table to try to achieve the best possible score that I could. After studying it for sometime I realised that there where two approaches possible. One to use all of the 6’s 7’s 8’s and 9’s however I never really persude this way so I am not really sure what is possible that way. Instead I chose 3’s 4’s 5’s 6’s and layed them out with all the
6’s in the middle and all of the 3’s on the outside edges all of the 4’s
3 of the 5’s and a 7. The starter would be the other 5 which when layed correctly gave me a high score of 162 see below
3, 4, 5, 3 = 20
5, 6, 6, 4 = 24
4, 6, 6, 5 = 24
3, 4, 7, 3 = 14
=. =. =. =
20 24 16 20 = 162
Now there maybe other better ways of getting higher scores but this in my opinion is the perfect shell.
Now lets get back to the real world because although achievable it is not very likely so i set about trying to find my best possible layout which might happen and decided that bottom row would be kept for
2’s, 3’s and 4’s
the row above was for 5’s and 10’s
The top two rows where for 6’s, 7’s, 8’s and 9’s.
With this in mind I then started laying them out in rows trying to achieve the best outside possibilty score going up and down this is what I came up with
8, 9, 6, 7
2or8, 8, 6, 7
5, 10, 5, 5. Starter 5
2, 3, 4, 3
If when you play your 3’s, 4’s, 5’s and 6’s
are showing early then try building for this
6, 9, 6, 7
6, 8, 6, 7
5, T, 5, 5 starter 5
4, 3, 4, 3
In conclusion I always play for my 5 to be the starter
and always stick to the shells above depending on what is showing and what I find is that I generally score over 100 every day and have one score in excess of 120 each week. Over the last year I have scored over 140 on 3 occasions with one high score of 152
Hope this helps