A Few Facts About Cribbage Boards

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Cribbage boards invariably share some common characteristics. If you have an "older" board, you will have four rows of thirty holes and a hole in the middle for "pegging out." If you have a "newer" board, you will have three (perhaps four) rows, each with one hundred and twenty holes, along with a pegging out hole. Beyond that, you cannot count on anything. Cribbage is an internationally popular game with a long tradition and that has led to the creation of numerous custom cribbage boards. Although you need holes for pegs, and you need to have them in the right quantities, there is no "right way" to lay those holes out. Thus, one can exercise a fair amount of creativity in constructing cribbage boards. The "traditional" board with which most of us are familiar looks a bit like a wooden paddle without a handle. The rows run straight up the paddle and end near its top. That's a perfectly reasonable design. In some ways, it is probably the most sensible way of laying out cribbage boards. It's efficient, easily understandable, and makes tracking progress with a glance easy. Many, however, are more than willing to compromise some of that ease in use for the sake of appearance. One popular variation on the traditional board is to have the holes form a bending "S-like" pattern across the wood. Other patterns can be used. One can find boards featuring swirls, zig-zags and even some that form the outline of a picture! Even if the hole layout retains a traditional pattern, cribbage boards can per custom created on a different surface. The wood paddle design is fine, but what about a stone piece into which the holes have been carefully drilled? Perhaps an angler who enjoys the game will have his board in the shape of a fish! The permutations, obviously, are infinite. Some boards can literally be pieces of genuine art. Others can be simple hand-crafted antiques made years ago before the games (or even stores to stock them) were easily accessible. Many games are strict in their arrangement. One could not play football on a field in the shape of an "S." One is unlikely to find many pool players using tables that have twelve pockets of that raise to a small peak in the center of a table. Cribbage, however, allows for greater flexibility. The game board, in essence, is a tool by which progress is tracked. Fortunately for those who would like to find a method of self-expression whenever possible, that progress can be tracked in any number of ways. It is possible to construct cribbage boards that uniquely reflect the interest, attitudes and personalities of the users. Do you play cribbage on a dull wood paddle with two straight rows of holes? If you do and you think you might enjoy spicing up your play a little bit, don't pause. Instead, begin looking for, or building one or more custom cribbage boards.