In fact, it is considered the official game of American submariners since commander Dick O'Kane got a perfect hand in cribbage right before starting a patrol in which he sank a record number of enemy boats. Cribbage was soon adopted by seamen and spread with empire, becoming especially popular in North America. Having greatly reduced his fortune and facing poverty, he killed himself by poison while in Paris. Like many devoted gamblers, he also had his lows.

He then toured the country teaching cribbage to those to whom he had gifted trick decks, and 'winning' about £20,000 from them, which amounts to nearly 8 million 2018 loonies. John Aubrey, a biographer, says that Suckling sent packs of marked cards as gifts to his noble pals across England. He was also a cheater on a massive scale. Suckling was reputedly the greatest player of both cards and bowls of his time. The game of cribbage was invented by the poet, soldier, and ne'er-do-well Sir John Suckling in the 17th century. It can be played with two, three, or four players, and is the perfect way to while away an evening at the cottage. On the surface, it's a game of luck and arithmetic but experience reveals depths of strategy, tactics, and psychology. Each player responds in turn to the other's moves, making game play more like conversation than combat. Cribbage is a stately race, advancing to the goal of 121 points by increments of one or two. It is unlikely that it will become a sports network hit, but its fans rate it as the greatest card game ever invented. Cribbage, on the other hand, offers distinct and more subtle rewards. Bridge is the game of symbiotic partnership, grand strategy, and killer instinct. Knockout blows are common reversals are rapid. Poker games can be like barroom brawls - they are about aggression, intimidation, and opportunism. Its reach is global, and its history rich. Cribbage (or 'crib') has lasted for four centuries as one of the most beloved uses for a 52-card deck. You will find a cribbage board in game cupboards, cottages, and in every Legion Hall in Canada. Beneath, there is a hidden compartment for a set of coloured pegs. Usually, it's an unassuming plank of wood dotted with three winding tracks of small holes. The cribbage board is a familiar artifact.

Crib score board