Play Cribbage to Win

by Dan Barlow

Cribbage is a two-handed card game, and requires some basic knowledge and key strategies in order to play well. This is an official American Mensa game book, containing the basic rules and strategies of cribbage for those just beginning, to pointers, quizzes and expert tips to take experienced players to the top. There is information on clubs and tournaments, and the professional manoeuvres that can make the difference between winning and losing.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806943130
• ISBN13: 9780806943138
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Sterling
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.3" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Great for a beginner!!

Just learning to play cribbage can be a real challenge when it comes to counting scores. I was extremely pleased with this book and what a difference it made. Plainly written.

Great for beginners, great for pros

This book concentrates on strategies that will help players gain extra holes here and there, holes that could make the difference between winning and losing. The discarding section is thorough and well organized, explaining each of the situations in which one should not necessarily save the most points. The sections on pegging include many ideas I had never thought of, and which were not mentioned in the other books. And anytime Barlow is discussing a complicated idea, he gives easily-followed examples. Some of the "expert tips" in this book may seldom come up, but they're interesting to think about, and when they DO come up, it's worth being prepared. The book is especially strong in describing strategy at the end of the game, when anything you do can cost you a win. When I saw that the book included basics such as the history and rules of cribbage, I didn't expect it to reach a high level of strategy, but I was pleasantly surprised.I've purchased two other cribbage books online, but found one of them to be more detailed than any sane person would want to read, and the other to be lacking in sound strategy tips. Both seemed to devote huge amounts of space to the principle that one should play completely differently depending on whether he had first deal or not, because over time, both players would have about the same points in their hands and cribs. This is somewhat unsound: hands don't even out in one short game. Maybe if a game lasted 4 hours....I'm particularly pleased that the author makes no claim that you'll start winning all the time after reading his book. He admits that luck is a major factor, and simply tries to give the reader a slight edge. I would recommend this book to someone who wanted to learn cribbage, as well as to someone who wanted to improve his skill level.

A fine introductory text

"Play Cribbage to Win" is a fine introductory text, perhaps best thought of as a sampling of the concepts of skilful play that Barlow has written about in his previous books and articles. Barlow covers some important aspects of pegging and endgame play, and gives many interesting examples. His writings on Fourth Street tactics have made him perhaps the game's leading endgame theoretician, and the chapters on endgames are particularly strong here. The book is an enjoyable read, and there are quizzes every few pages, making it a lot of fun to work through. The typesetting and layout are reasonably good, but I personally would have preferred a smaller font and larger margins (leaving more room for notes). A few typos and outright errors have crept into the book, perhaps the inevitable result of commercial publishing nowadays. But one of the things I've appreciated about Barlow's self-published books is their lack of gaffes. The primary downside to Play Cribbage to Win is its scope. It is not a comprehensive treatment of the game. Missing are statistical tables, a discussion of averages and odds, and coverage of psychology and cheating. The chapter on discarding is weak, and certain pegging tactics, such as jack traps, are not covered at all. There is also no mention of board strategy, except as it applies to the endgame. Considering that most of today's top players regard board strategy as the centerpiece of modern play, this is a significant omission. If you're a novice or an intermediate player, I think you would do well to read "Play Cribbage to Win" in conjunction with DeLynn Colvert's "Play Winning Cribbage" (still the best single book on cribbage) and John Chambers's "Cribbage: A New Concept". Together, these three books will give you all the essential knowledge you need to move to the next level. If you're an expert player, or if you've already read Barlow's other books, you'll find yourself going over familiar territory. Nevertheless, it's always worthwhile to review important concepts, particularly when they're presented through new illustrative hands and examples (as far as I can tell, none of the material in Play Cribbage to Win is recycled). You may disagree with the text from time to time, but perhaps you'll also pick up some new ideas -- I know I did. Whatever your level of play, this book is well worth having, and well worth reading...