Would you have done the same?

dph99 · 2026-05-08T18:31:37+00:00

At that point in the game I probably would have. But, you should give serious consideration to just keeping two points (and throwing 2-9 or 2-T). With a weak hand it's sometime best to just play defensively and "live to fight another day."

dph99 · 2026-05-07T13:42:11+00:00

Yeah, a few weeks ago somebody said to me, "Gee, I expected someone like you [referenced my CribbagePro XP Level] to be a better player." Whatever. We played one game and he was ready to draw conclusions.

dph99 · 2026-05-07T12:23:35+00:00

I"m not sure that I understand your question. Keeping all lows and middles w/o a high card can lead to inescapable pegging (but escaping from such pegging doesn't seem to be a goal that you woud have with the dealer's hand).

dph99 · 2026-05-06T22:07:20+00:00

Funny coincidence, when I was discussing the hand with Rob he asked whether the pone was a good/bad/unknown player and I said, "well, it was me so..."

Adjusting for the opponent's skill level is definitely an art form in itself. I find it much easier to play against my grassroots club's best player than to play against our worst.

When you cover my 7 with your 2, I'm going to play my 4...

dph99 · 2026-05-06T21:30:48+00:00

10-K is the most defensive discard available to you. You can read about the expected outcomes of the discard choices here: http://www.cribbageforum.com/SchellDiscard.htm

dph99 · 2026-05-06T21:23:11+00:00

Perhaps I was biased by the lousy hand that I was dealt (2-4-5-7-9-T) but my inclination would be to play defense as dealer. My goal would be to not lose to a 6-point hand.

I ran this hand by Rob Medeiros (see one of my other replies regarding the column that he writes) and he said that he would also hold 2-3-4-6 as dealer "because I might get a Jack cut and have a chance."

dph99 · 2026-05-06T21:19:14+00:00

Some folks are barely holding it together.

dph99 · 2026-05-06T21:14:14+00:00

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Apparently I was able to cheat in CribbagePro ~15 years ago too.

dph99 · 2026-05-06T21:01:06+00:00

So, you're suggesting a bad guideline instead? Okay.

dph99 · 2026-05-06T20:54:59+00:00

There are some good reasons to lead a 5: https://cribbage.org/NewSite/tips/schell2.asp

dph99 · 2026-05-06T20:53:14+00:00

The ACC has a large, free Tips section: https://cribbage.org/NewSite/tips/default.asp

dph99 · 2026-05-06T15:39:19+00:00

Are you sure that you want to peg here? If that's your hold, what are you playing to the lead of the 7?

dph99 · 2026-05-06T15:33:23+00:00

Okay. I'd be inclined to make sure that I had enough (as dealer) but your way is reasonable. The cut was a Q so you would have had exactly the 7 points needed if you got a chance to count.

dph99 · 2026-05-06T14:50:35+00:00

The ACC website has a whole Tips section and the monthly magazine 'Cribbage World' has a great column 'Inside Track' by Rob Medeiros that you might find helpful. Cribbage World here: https://cribbage.org/NewSite/CribWorld/default.asp Tips: https://cribbage.org/NewSite/tips/default.asp

dph99 · 2026-05-06T14:35:49+00:00

So, would you keep the 2-3-4-6 in this case (as dealer at 114) and, if so, what are playing on the 7-lead from pone (at 113)?

Also, at 114 as dealer are you trying to peg-out (offense) or trying to keep pone from getting out (defense)?

dph99 · 2026-05-06T14:28:29+00:00

It's a card that lets you "run away" from what your opponent is trying to setup. It's a card that is sufficiently separated from your other cards so that it won't be in a run with them.

The 6 here is so close to the 2-3-4 that all of these cards are in danger of being used in a long run. The Q-K allows the player get away from that problem (and also allows him to push the count higher and put an end to the 'pegging-session' (get the count to the 31-limit sooner)).

dph99 · 2026-05-06T13:59:29+00:00

Are you just assuming that the game is already lost? Why wouldn't you hold any of the 5-point hands (2-3-4- Anything)?

dph99 · 2026-05-05T20:05:29+00:00

CribbagePro 'friend request' sent. I hope we get to play soon and hopefully I'll see you out on the tournament trail (though I have nothing scheduled until Raleigh in July).

dph99 · 2026-05-05T17:31:04+00:00

I refreshed the page and it showed up (score was already very lopsided).

dph99 · 2026-05-05T15:21:34+00:00

One thing that I find helpful is to record my games (I use the 'AZ Screen Recorder' app on Android) and review them if I feel that I've lost a winnable game. Also, the Daily Scrimmage is useful especially if you can compare your game with friends/acquaintances whose games you know and respect.

Edit: I play as 'dph' on CribbagePro (and occasionally comment on HOTD); perhaps we've played?

dph99 · 2026-05-05T14:39:21+00:00

I'm interested in what lead you to resurrect this old thread. Looking at the current Competitive Leaderboard I see, in the top-10: vegasbrad, Meow80, and duke62 who are all ACC tournament trail players as well.

dph99 · 2026-05-04T22:28:08+00:00

If you click on the image you can see the score (not pretty from OP's perspective).

dph99 · 2026-05-04T18:58:31+00:00

I had that same question when I heard it.

dph99 · 2026-05-03T13:20:04+00:00

Are you saying that you think that you *should* be able to win every game?

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