The dealer shuffles and deals five or six cards to each player, depending on the number of players. The players cut for first deal, and the person who cuts the lowest card deals. This can even happen during the deal, since the dealer can score if a Jack is cut as the starter. Play proceeds through a succession of “hands”, each hand consisting of a “deal”, “the play” and “the show.” At any time during any of these stages, if a player reaches the target score (usually 121), play ends immediately with that player being the winner of the game. Cribbage has several distinctive features: the cribbage board used for score-keeping, the eponymous crib or box (a separate hand counting for the dealer), two distinct scoring stages (the play and the show) and a unique scoring system including points for groups of cards that total fifteen. Cribbage, or crib, is a card game traditionally for two players, but commonly played with three, four or more, that involves playing and grouping cards in combinations which gain points.
