You're pone at 110-94*. What do you toss from A 8 9 J J K?

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Dan Barlow:

I start with the 7-8, of course. What else? The A will get me two extra points if a 4, 6 or 7 is cut. 10-J isn't as likely to be helpful, so I keep the A. The 10 gets me a point if a 9 is cut, but the J gets me a point if the right suit is cut, which is more likely. Plus, I'd rather toss 10-K than J-K. So I keep A-7-8-J.

John Chambers:

I would discard the 10-K. You have no control over your opponent's hand, but you do have choices when it comes to your opponent's crib. The 10-K is known as the crib buster for a reason, and by minimizing the crib you will lessen the start made by the dealer.

DeLynn Colvert:

Defense is the way to go with no real offensive chances. Keep A-7-8-J, discarding the 10-K. Lead the A!

George Rasmussen:

I only have two points, so I will go with crib's lowest average discard to dealer. Goodbye 10-K, and I'll lead the A, as that could open up some pegging opportunities for me if dealer has middle cards. I can peg if dealer puts 6, 7 or 8 on that A, and I might also close the count with a run on the end of play. Try it — you'll like it!

Michael Schell:

With no shot at even an average eight-point hand, I'm going to try the other extreme and toss 10-K, keeping A-7-8-J. I plan to lead the A, play defense, and try to make something happen by stuffing dealer's pegging and crib.

Phyllis Schmidt:

I'll keep A-7-8-J and toss 10-K. There's not much to work with (but that's cribbage). I'm just trying to keep my opponent down. Most hurtful is one card, the 5 cut. I'll take my chances.

Peter Setian:

Without hesitation, I would throw 10-K. As the first pone, I look for a strong opening hand or a weak start for my opponent. Obviously a strong hand cannot materialize, so 10-K has the best chance of a blank or small crib count.

HALSCRIB:

I'll make it unanimous and keep A-7-8-J. Although 7-8-10-J offers the best chances for improvement, it is at the risk of a more dangerous toss. In addition its offensive pegging potential is about  point less, and dealer's defensive pegging is about .1 point greater.

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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.

John Chambers was one of the original founding members of the ACC. He is a Grand Master, winner of seven major tournaments, and author of Cribbage: A New Concept, He also directs three annual tournaments: the Ocean State Cribbage Classic, New England Peer Championship and Charity Cribbage Challenge.

DeLynn Colvert (1931–2019) is the highest rated tournament player in the history of organized cribbage. He was a five-time National Champion, author of Play Winning Cribbage, and the ACC's only Life Master - Six Stars. He directs the Montana Championship and Montana Open, both held annually in Missoula, and served for many years as President of the ACC and longtime editor of the monthly magazine Cribbage World.

George "Ras" Rasmussen is a Life Master - Two Stars, a four-time All-American, the national Grass Roots Division 1 champion in 2009, a former state champion in Virginia, Montana and Washington, and holds a Gold Award and a President's Award. He also directs the Washington State Championship, held each year in Centralia, WA. His articles on cribbage are available on the ACC Web site.

Michael Schell is a pioneer of modern cribbage theory, which synthesizes traditional concepts of expert play with new computer-informed insights and analysis. He has published Cribbage Forum since 2000. Schell holds a Bronze Award, is a Washington State Champion (2001), and was one of the principal architects of ACC Internet Cribbage.

Phyllis Schmidt is a charter member of the ACC, and has been playing cribbage for about 40 years. She is a Life Master - One Star, a Senior Judge, a National Champion (1992) and winner of the ACC Tournament of Champions (2005). She attends about 30 tournaments a year.

Peter Setian has played cribbage for over 20 years, and has been a member of the ACC for about 14 years. During that time, he has won seven major tournaments and earned his Life Master rating. He plays in about eight tournaments per year, including the ACC Tournament of Champions and the annual Grand National. He enjoys participation in Grass Roots Club #72.

HALSCRIB is widely regarded as the world's strongest computer cribbage player. Its opinion was solicited using a special analysis version of the program. Since HALSCRIB only speaks binary, its thoughts have been translated into English by Michael Schell and its creator, Hal Mueller, a retired mathematics professor and eight-time ACC tournament winner. For more information, see the HALSCRIB home page.