A pause in our usual problems of strategy and tactics for a more philosophical question. It's the first game of the night at the Grass Roots club, and with the score 31*-46 you deal yourself 5 5 5 9 J Q. What do you keep?

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Dan Barlow:

The chances of scoring 29 have gone from astronomical to about 2%. And while 9-J is more likely to help my crib than 9-Q, it may not help it at all — and even if it does help the crib, it probably won't affect the outcome of the game. Weigh that against the fame I achieve, not only in my club, but nationally, for scoring a 29 hand, the prize money, the applause, my name in lights, my name in Cribbage World, my photo in the Faces in the Crowd section of Sports Illustrated, a possible mention on SportsCenter, even a slight chance of being Time's Person of the Year, and this is a no-brainer. I go for it.

DeLynn Colvert:

I always try for the 29! They are so rare, and I love to brag about the two I have scored. Three is a better brag!

George Rasmussen:

I would play the 5 5 5 J. That leaves a 9-Q for the crib. I would play this hand that way, because I have never scored a 29 in 60+ years of play. 9-J to crib has slightly better chance to work than 9-Q. Even so, go for the 29!

Michael Schell:

Yes, this scenario is from one of my games from the past Grass Roots season. Although 9-J returns one point more in the crib than 9-Q, most players would surely go for the "once-in-a-lifetime" 29 hand instead.

A 29 hand is a prized novelty to many in the cribbage community — but it's nothing more than a novelty, unless the game takes place at one of the casinos that offer a tidy cash prize for one. That isn't the case here, nor is it the case that the game is "meaningless": neither me nor my opponent have been eliminated from qualifying in this Grass Roots tournament (it's the first game, and these tournaments are nine-game round robins with no playoffs). In fact, the cards have just handed me an opportunity to pull myself back into a game that I've been losing badly. Cutting the last 5 will do the trick regardless of my toss. But if I throw 9-J, a simple ten-card starter gets me 20 or 22 points plus an excellent shot at a multiple run in the crib — exactly what I need to make up my 13 point positional deficit. Winning this game could make the difference between qualifying and not qualifying, with prize money and rating points at stake. Both are tangible measures of cribbage accomplishment and good play, the sort of things that ought to mean more to an expert player than cutting a rare hand through pure luck.

But there's more to this than mere self-gratification. A modern cribbage expert should be committed to good cribbage. That means approaching the game intellectually and unemotionally, considering each discard or pegging decision as a matter of craft, and regarding every game or tournament as an aesthetic whole. There is beauty in well-played cribbage, and the ultimate respect for the game lies in this this recognition. As a bonus, this philosophy can help you stay focused and free from negative influences such as defeatism or the distraction of mathematical curiosities. Going for a 29 here would be fun, much more so if you hit it. But it would be bad cribbage, and bad cribbage is offensive to a modern cribbage expert.

In the event, my opponent did cut the 5 that would have given me 29 if I'd held the J. But my 9-J in the crib combined with his 2-10 for eight points, four more than I'd have had tossing 9-Q. I won the game, went on to qualify that evening, and finished the season Club Champion.

Any patzer can hold for the 29 hand here. Do you have what it takes not to?

Phyllis Schmidt:

I'm keeping 5 5 5 J. Anytime I have a chance at a 29 hand, I take it. You don't get that many chances.

Peter Setian:

This is a different thought process from the past.  Normally it's critical in this position to maximize the crib with 9-J, for the better chance of points to pull off the difficult game. (A 20 point hand alone will likely not be enough). I would probably go for the 29 hand for bragging rights and/or a good skunk can. But other situations that may steer me away from the 29 hand attempt would include a late season Grass Roots night where you're in a tight club race for the top.

HALSCRIB:

I use board position to determine whether I should play offense or defense to maximize my winning chances. That's my philosophy. Retaining the J in hand increases its average value by ¼ point (due to His Nobs), but 9-J in the crib performs about a point better there than 9-Q. I will keep 5 5 5 Q and increase my overall winning chances by about 1.5%, leaving other "philosophical" concerns to the carbon-based players.

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Panelists

Dan Barlow won the 1980 National Open Cribbage Tournament, and made the 1985 All American Cribbage Team. His cribbage strategy articles appeared in Cribbage World for many years, and can be seen on the ACC Web site. He also provides strategy tips at MSN Gaming Zone. He has written seven books on cribbage, two of which have been glowingly reviewed in Games Magazine. All, including his latest book Winning Cribbage Tips, are available at The Cribbage Bookstore.