Monday 3:28 AM

I am considering my crib as an extension of my hand - points in my hand which increases in value except with one card, the five card. This card increases the value of my crib along with tens and face cards.

Monday 4:01 AM

Every cut is helpful somewhere. Four points in hand, with the possibility of a double run.

AAAA,222,3333,444,9999 = 18/46 cards that immediately work with my discard.
18 cards =
3 * 6 cards =
3 * 13% =
39% chance of the cut immediately creating points in the crib.

Monday 4:21 AM

In my best Elijah White downeast accent "I thought a 3 would be cut". Thought about 5-10. Should've gone that way.

Monday 4:27 AM

Today we have a very tricky board position staring us in the face, because we're behind our target, and yet we'd also like to "tap the brakes" during the pegging on our Opponent, who probably stands a better chance of reaching that illustrious target than we do if we try to burst forward and do so recklessly. We are tied as the Dealer, and we want to stay in control of this game. 🌵

With a tie score and dealing, we should be able to WIN if we either: speed up a LOT, or if our Opponent slows down just a LITTLE. We can maybe do this with either Toss (7 7), Toss (5 T), or Toss (2 4). If we Toss (7 7), we hold the three-card Magic Eleven of 2-4-5, but these are also three "bunched up" cards. And yet if we Toss (5 T), while we retain the two-card Magic Eleven of 4-7, we are then stuck holding the two gapped Small Cards of 2-4! What to do? 🤔

Since we're in a pegging quandary here, and trying to close out this game safely, let's retain neither the two-card Magic Eleven of 4-7 or the three-card Magic Eleven of 2-4-5. What if we still hold onto the PAIR of 7 Cards for safe(r) pegging, and get rid of the two dangerous Small Cards?! 💣

Let's Toss (2 4) today! After the 4 Card Cut, we now have Four Points in our Hand, with prospects for a good Crib. But most importantly, the whole key to this intricate, double-edged position is to Peg Defensively, so our Opponent cannot gain the upper hand, as it were. 🔑

Since the Cut Card is NOT in our favor, I think we should stick with our plan and DEFEND during the pegging as best we can. We'll try to unload a 7 Card early if possible, because if Pone cannot retaliate and score on it, we are then fairly certain that our remaining 7 Card will also be immune. But if Pone PAIRS an early 7 Card, maybe we shall have the pleasant option to take or ignore PAIRS Royal. 🤸🏻‍♀️

Monday 5:39 AM

I like 5-10 keeping the magic eleven.

Monday 6:03 AM

Like hand potential with this hold. 2-4 in the crib may capture some points.

Monday 6:13 AM

That’s what I thought too.

Monday 6:16 AM

An example game playout with REX Cribbage:

(81*-81) (As Ad 3h 3d) (4c Jd) vs (5c 7s 7h Td) (2c 4s) Ts, Feb 3, 2025 by RAS.
3 (3) 7 (10) A (11) 7 (18) A (19) T (29=1), 3 (3) 5 (8=1), (83-81).
Pone = 8 Points, Dealer = 8 Points, Crib = 2 Points (93-89).

(93-89*) (4h 5h 6d Td) (9d Js) vs (6s 7c 8h 8d) (2s 3s) 9h
T (10) 6 (16) 6 (22-2) 8 (30=1), 4 (4) 8 (12) 5 (17) 7 (24=1), (95-91).
Pone = 9 Points, Dealer = 16 Points, Crib = 4 Points (104-111).

(104*-111) (2d 3d 7h 7c) (9h Kc) vs (Ad 6d 8c 9c) (2h Jc) Js
7 (7) A (8) 7 (15-2) 9 (24) 3 (27) "go" 2 (29-1), 8 (8) 6 (14=1), (107-114).
Pone = 4 Points, Dealer = 4 Points, Crib = 2 Points (113-118).

(113-118*) (2d 2c 8s 9c) (Js Qh) vs (Ac 3s 7h 8c) (6c Ks) 5h
2 (2) 7 (9) 2 (11) 8 (19) 8 (27-2) 3 (30) A (31=2), 9 (9-1), (116-120).
Pone = 6 Points, Dealer = 4 Points, Crib = 9 Points (121-120).

It's clear right off the bat how SENSITIVE the initial Relative Score is after observing this Endgame Battle. It illustrates how Good Defense, Opportunistic Pegging, and a Little bit of Luck can see us through. 🌟

Monday 6:35 AM

Most of you have thrown 2 4 but I’ve given myself 10 5. I wanted to keep the 4 7 (adds to 11) and was gratified to see the turn up.

Monday 6:41 AM

Don’t worry. They tossed a three to the crib!!!

Monday 6:49 AM

I have played this configuration three ways ..2-4..5-10..7-7. I have settled on 2-4 after coming to the realization that cuts from 13/13 ranks help either hand or crib.

Monday 6:59 AM

Always want a way to get a 5 in my crib. Keep the "magic 11" 4-7 combo and the 2-7-7 sweet 16. What's not to like?

Monday 7:45 AM

The crib throw of either (2 4) or (5 10) would seem to offer more "safety" on the pegging while holding onto the pair of 7's, as I think my first priority should be to slow done pone, considering I am even further behind my par hole, while being tied on the board. I think it matters more "how" you peg this hand, than which of these choices you keep, as both have their pros and cons in hand and crib. I'm a (5 X) guy in the crib all things being equal, so I prefer the (5 10) crib throw. After the cut for 8 points, let's continue our plan of defensive...I won't pair a small card 2 or 4 lead, or even 15-2 on the 8 lead. I'll pair a 7 lead, as I can respond for 12 points if pone triples this.

Monday 7:54 AM

Let’s face it -we are not going to hit a home run this hand-so let’s try to squeeze as many points possible with any cut while simultaneously holding the most flexible pegging hand to limit pone as much as we can

Monday 8:13 AM

Difficult position, with a choice of pitches. 2-4, 5-T, 7-7? I will play defense here, which means the 5 disappears, and expect to manage the pegging battle.

Monday 10:51 AM

I see these hands way too often! Since We cannot win from here the hope is they help that 10, 5 I seeded in the crib. The 4 was a nice cut for this keep :)

Monday 10:56 AM

We got some peggers here in our hand with this hold and at least a little more coming back from the crib.

Monday 12:26 PM

Defense on the keep , offense to the crib . 96 looking real possible here now. dec

Monday 1:37 PM

I'm keeping three cards of high pegging value, and the only discard that gives me a shot at a 24 Crib. Note the 2-4-5 Magic Eleven and the 2-4-10 Sweet Sixteen. On an X-Card lead let's play our 4.

Monday 1:59 PM

At 81*-81 playing a Defense strategy for the pegging the dynamic expected averages and Win/Loss %s are:

_______________Pone's
Defense___Hand_Pegs___Crib___Total____W3 %____W4 %
5-7-7-10___6.61+(-2.15)+4.45=8.91____43.4____62.5
2-4-7-7____4.26+(-2.13)+6.59=8.72____41.4____61.6
2-4-5-10___4.91+(-2.13)+5.89=8.67____43.3____60.0
2-7-7-10___3.61+(-2.22)+6.60=7.99____37.1____50.1

Defense_______L3 %____L4 %
5-7-7-10_______28.7____22.7
2-4-7-7________28.8____23.7
2-4-5-10_______31.1____24.9
2-7-7-10_______42.1____34.7

5-7-7-10 is best for expected averages by 0.19pt. and is slightly best for Win %s and very slightly lowest for Loss %s. So, I'll select the 2-4 to discard.

After the 4 cut I'll play Defense to the lead.

Monday 3:35 PM

Let's prioritise helping the crib. And hold a pegging hand.

Monday 7:01 PM

Here is another exciting and very instructive example playout:

(81*-81) (Ac 2s 3d Jd) (6s Jc) vs (5c 7s 7h Td) (2c 4s) 4d, Feb 3, 2025 by RAS.
J (10) 7 (17) 3 (20) T (30) A (31-2), 7 (7) 2 (9) 5 (14=1) (82-83).
Pone = 9 Points, Dealer = 4 Points, Crib = 2 Points (88-92).

(88-92*) (8s 8h Tc Jh) (2d 6h) vs (7d 7c 9s 9d) (Qh Kd) 3d
8 (8) 7 (15=2) J (25-1), 9 (9) T (19) 9 (28=1), 8 (8) 7 (15=3), (89-98).
Pone = 2 Points, Dealer = 4 Points, Crib = 4 Points (91-106).

(91*-106) (7h 8s 8c 9d) (2h Kh) vs (Js Jc Qc Kc) (Ac 2c) Jh
8 (8) J (18) 7 (25-1), J (10) 8 (18) K (28=1), 9 (9) Q (19=1), (95-107).
Pone = 12 Points, Dealer = 15 Points, Crib = 6 Points (116-119).

(116-119*) (Ah 4c 5h Qc) (3d 7s) vs (2h 6c 7h Kd) (9c Td) 7d
4 (4) 2 (6) Q (16) K (26) 5 (31-2), 6 (6) A (7) 7 (14=1), (118-120).
Pone = 4 Points, Dealer = 6 Points, Crib = 2 Points (121-120).

Again, luck may have played a small part, but we were in dire straits after two deals sitting at (91*-106)! My frequent mantra about Cribbage Endgames is, "If you're Dealing from anywhere near the Final Corner (Hole 90), regardless of Pone's Position, you've always got a chance to WIN!" The lesson here is NOT to become discouraged by the disparity in the score, and hope that the random cards "balance out" in the end, as they always must do.

The selection of Toss (3 7) on the final deal was instrumental, giving us just the right mix of cards defensively, while keeping the 'pip' count of our hand at a reasonable and strategic twenty, and limiting the number of pegging volleys to just two.

One extra "go" or 'swipe' at Thirty-One could have ruined us! Retaining just Four Points at Hole 116 as Pone was a risk that seemed worth taking, given our very good pegging cards. I hope you find these Endgame Battles instructive. 🍹 🍋 🍰