Editing Cribbage (section)

{{Short description|Card game}}
{{For|the pocket billiards game of the same name|Cribbage (pool)}}
{{Infobox card game
 |title = Cribbage
 |subtitle = 
 |image_link = Afternoon cribbage on the patio. (50002851016).jpg
 |image_caption = 
 |Family = [[Card game#Matching games|Matching]]
 |alt_names = Crib
 |type = 
 |players = 2 (''variations for 3–6'')
 |play = Clockwise
 |num_cards = 52
 |deck = [[Standard 52-card pack]]
 |card_rank = K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 A
 |origin = England
 |related = [[Noddy (card game)|Noddy]]{{*}}[[Costly Colours]]
 |playing_time = 15–30 min.
 |random_chance = 
 |skills = Strategy, tactics, counting
 |footnotes =
}}

'''Cribbage''', or '''crib''', is a [[card game]], traditionally for two players, that involves playing and grouping cards in combinations which gain points.  It can be adapted for three or four players.<ref>{{cite web |title=Six-card cribbage: rules and variations of the card game |url=https://www.pagat.com/adders/crib6.html |website=www.pagat.com |access-date=26 March 2021}}</ref>

Cribbage has several distinctive features: the cribbage board used for score-keeping; the ''crib'', ''box'', or ''kitty'' (in parts of [[Canada]] and [[New England]]);{{Cn|date=February 2023}} two distinct scoring stages; and a unique scoring system, including points for groups of cards that total 15. It has been characterized as "Britain's national card game" and the only one legally playable in licensed pubs and clubs without requiring local authority permission.<ref>Parlett, David. ''The Penguin Book of Card Games''. London: Penguin (2008), p. 423. {{isbn|978-0-141-03787-5}}.</ref>

The game has relatively few rules yet many subtleties, which accounts for its ongoing appeal and popularity. Tactical play varies, depending on which cards one's opponent has played, how many cards in the remaining pack will help the hand one holds, and what one's position on the board is. A game may be decided by a single point, and the edge often goes to an experienced player who utilizes strategy, including calculating odds and making decisions based on the relative positions of players on the board.

Both cribbage and its close relative [[Costly Colours|costly colours]] are descended from the old English card game of [[Noddy (card game)|noddy]]. Cribbage added the distinctive feature of a crib and changed the scoring system for ''points'', whereas costly colours added more combinations but retained the original noddy scoring scheme.