Cribbage Anyone?
written by: Gerry Stefanson
You might have heard the call
coffee house, bar, curling rink, rural hall
created by 16 hundreds – poet John Suckling
to challenge, thought, monetize his fame
devised inventor Cribbage, a card game
wealth he inherited, rank military was earned
sadly his life was short, fast, and burned.
Poetry followed dealt scoring cries
fifteen two/fifteen four, and the rest won’t score
flush for four, two for a pair
double run eight
thirdly one for two, stop for a GO, add one
pegs, give to pegging
three of a kind for six, make it four twelve on the board
yet nineteen = zero/ who’s crib
5-5-5-J matching 5 = twenty-nine.
Odds of two-player game, why only
216,580 to one to hold 29, defies the brain
yet, folks some keep a record of
every game, every win/loss/all a gain
prairie farmers, sailors in boats float
crib board, card players up to four
passing, mathematically bending time
started by a poetic mind
just yesterday, in about 1639.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
Written to celebrate my daughter’s Good Friday 1987: 29-point perfect Cribbage Hand and my lovely wife Lynn’s July 27, 2026, perfect 29 Cribbage Hand on our Anniversary. Dedicated to our granddaughter, awaiting her earning a perfect 29.
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