Cribbage is one of the oldest card games still played in its near-original form. While most 17th-century games have been forgotten or evolved beyond recognition, cribbage has survived four centuries with its core mechanics remarkably intact. Here’s how it happened.

The Inventor: Sir John Suckling

Cribbage is attributed to Sir John Suckling (1609–1641), an English poet, courtier, and renowned gambler. Suckling didn’t invent cribbage from scratch — he adapted an existing game called Noddy (or “Noddie”), adding the crib and the distinctive cribbage board.

Who Was Suckling?

Sir John Suckling was one of the most colorful figures of the Caroline era (the reign of Charles I):

  • Born into a wealthy family in Middlesex, England
  • Educated at Cambridge (though he didn’t complete his degree)
  • Inherited a substantial estate at age 18
  • Became famous as a poet — his works include “Why So Pale and Wan, Fond Lover?”
  • Known as the greatest card player and gambler in England
  • Said to have invented cribbage around 1630
  • Died in 1641, possibly by his own hand, after fleeing England following a failed royalist plot

Suckling’s gambling reputation makes his association with cribbage fitting. Historical accounts describe him as extraordinarily clever with cards, and his invention of the crib (the extra discard hand) shows a game designer’s instinct for adding strategic depth.

What Was Noddy?

Noddy was a popular English card game in the late 1500s and early 1600s. It featured:

  • Scoring for fifteens and pairs (like cribbage)
  • A “knave” bonus (the predecessor of nobs)
  • Play to 31 (like cribbage pegging)

What Noddy lacked — and what Suckling added — was:

  • The crib (the extra hand formed from discards)
  • The cribbage board (a purpose-built scoring device)
  • More structured dealing and counting rules

The crib was Suckling’s key innovation. It added a layer of strategy (choosing which cards to discard) and gave the dealer an inherent advantage, creating asymmetry between the two playing positions.

The Cribbage Board

The cribbage board is one of the game’s most distinctive features — no other major card game uses a purpose-built scoring board.

Why a Board?

In the 1600s, pen and paper weren’t always handy at card tables (especially in taverns and military camps). The board provided a portable, durable scoring system that didn’t require writing. Two rows of holes and pegs made it easy to track scores visually and prevented cheating — both players could see the score at all times.

Board Evolution

Era Board Style
1630s–1700s Hand-carved wooden boards, often simple two-row designs
1700s–1800s More ornate boards, some made from ivory or bone; popular among sailors and soldiers
1800s–1900s Mass-produced wooden boards; standardized 60-hole (×2) layout for 121-point games
1900s–present Continuous-track designs, three-track boards (for 3 players), novelty shapes, and collector’s editions

The Standard Layout

The modern standard board has 120 holes per player (arranged in two rows of 30, four sections), plus a game/finish hole at 121. Players use two pegs each — the front peg shows the current score, the back peg shows the previous score (confirming the distance moved).

The two-peg system is another anti-cheating mechanism: if someone tries to move their front peg forward illegally, the back peg reveals the discrepancy.

Cribbage Through the Centuries

1600s: Birth and Spread

Cribbage quickly became popular in England after Suckling introduced it. The game spread through:

  • Taverns and alehouses — where card games were a primary form of entertainment
  • Royal courts — Suckling moved in aristocratic circles, bringing the game to the upper classes
  • Military — soldiers adopted cribbage for its portability (a deck of cards and a small board)

The earliest written rules appear in Charles Cotton’s The Compleat Gamester (1674), which describes 5-card cribbage — the original format.

1700s: Atlantic Crossing

English colonists brought cribbage to North America. The game took particular hold in:

  • New England — where English traditions persisted
  • Maritime communities — sailors played cribbage on long voyages, creating a strong association between cribbage and seafaring culture

During this period, cribbage was one of the few card games considered “respectable” — it was played in gentlemen’s clubs and home parlors, not just gambling dens.

1800s: Six-Card Cribbage

The most significant rule change in cribbage history occurred in the 1800s: the transition from five-card cribbage to six-card cribbage.

Feature 5-Card (Original) 6-Card (Modern)
Cards dealt 5 each 6 each
Cards kept 4 4
Cards to crib 1 each + 1 from deck 2 each
Target score 61 121
Pegging phase Same basic rules Same basic rules

Six-card cribbage gave players more choice (discarding 2 instead of 1), which increased strategic depth. The higher target score (121 vs. 61) made games longer and more dramatic.

Five-card cribbage is still played today in some communities but is far less common than the six-card version.

1900s: Tournaments and Organization

The 20th century brought formal organization to competitive cribbage:

  • 1947: The American Cribbage Congress (ACC) was founded, becoming the primary governing body for tournament cribbage in the United States
  • Tournament structure: The ACC established standardized rules, tournament formats, and a ratings system
  • National championship: Annual tournaments crowning national champions became regular events
  • Regional clubs: Cribbage clubs sprang up across the United States and Canada, especially in the northern states and Pacific Northwest

2000s–Present: Digital Era

Online cribbage has expanded the game’s reach:

  • Online platforms allow play against opponents worldwide
  • Mobile apps introduced cribbage to younger players
  • Computer analysis has deepened understanding of optimal strategy (expected values, discard tables, probability calculations)
  • The fundamental game is unchanged — digital cribbage uses the exact same rules Suckling would recognize

Cribbage Culture

The Submarine Connection

Cribbage holds a unique place in the United States Navy submarine force. Tradition holds that the oldest cribbage board on a submarine is always aboard the USS Holland (the Navy’s first submarine, commissioned 1900) — or rather, the board is passed down as a ceremonial artifact. Submarine crews play cribbage during downtime, and the game’s association with naval service dates back centuries.

Regional Strongholds

Cribbage remains especially popular in:

  • The American Midwest and Pacific Northwest — Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oregon, and Washington have the highest concentrations of ACC members
  • New England — reflecting the game’s colonial-era arrival
  • Canada — particularly Maritime provinces and British Columbia
  • The United Kingdom — where pub cribbage leagues persist

The “Only Card Game” Exception

Legend holds that cribbage is the only card game legally permitted in English pubs. While this isn’t strictly true as a matter of current law, the claim has a historical basis: the Licensing Act of 1872 restricted gambling in pubs, but cribbage and dominoes were traditionally exempted because they were considered games of skill rather than pure chance.

Cribbage’s Endurance

Why has cribbage survived 400 years when thousands of other card games have faded?

Simplicity with depth. The rules are learnable in 20 minutes, but the strategic ceiling is extremely high. This combination keeps beginners engaged and experts challenged.

The board. The physical board makes cribbage tactile and visual in a way most card games aren’t. It adds ritual to the game — shuffling, cutting, pegging — that creates a distinctive experience.

Speed. A game takes 15–25 minutes. It fits into lunch breaks, pub visits, and rainy afternoons without demanding a full evening.

Balance. The alternating deal, the pone’s first-count advantage, and the pegging phase create a remarkably balanced game where both players have agency.

Community. Organized clubs, tournaments, and online platforms create social bonds that keep the tradition alive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who invented cribbage?

Cribbage is attributed to Sir John Suckling, an English poet and gambler, around 1630. He adapted an older game called Noddy by adding the crib (the discard hand) and the cribbage board.

How old is cribbage?

Cribbage is approximately 400 years old, dating to the 1630s. It’s one of the oldest card games still played regularly in a form close to its original design.

Has cribbage changed since it was invented?

The biggest change was the shift from 5-card to 6-card cribbage in the 1800s, which increased strategic depth and doubled the target score from 61 to 121. The core mechanics — fifteens, pairs, runs, the crib, pegging to 31, the board — have remained essentially unchanged.

Cribbage requires only a deck of cards and a small board — ideal for the cramped quarters of a submarine. The tradition of submarine cribbage dates back to the early days of the US submarine force and has become a cherished part of submarine culture.