Cribbage Queen

I recently had a birthday.  It wasn't a milestone, like turning 50 had been.  Just a plain ol' wonderful time to celebrate ME! 

My eldest daughter, Madeline, made a cribbage board out of my book!  What a unique gift!  If you want to do the same, it involves a lot of resin, some wood and clamps to compress it for a few days, sanding, drilling holes in groups of five and BAM, ready for cribbage!

This photo comes from the end of our inaugural game.  I was 30 points away from the finish line and Madeline only needed a few more points.  I was fine losing until Madeline started in with, "It's such a shame that you are going to lose your first game on your new cribbage board."  This was certainly a loss that I would not forget, especially with her pointing it out for me!

I had one sucky hand after another as we rounded the corners of my book's cover.  The silver pegs are mine.  The peg that I'm pointing to was my location when this memorable conversation began.

"Well, at least you won't get skunked on your first game with your new board," she continued.  If you play cribbage you'll see that I am ONE point above the skunk line!

It was my "crib."  After dealing I had to compose myself as a 2, 6, 7, 7, 8 and a 9 made up my hand.  Two cards had to go into my crib.  I didn't want to break up the 7's and the 8, since the goal is to combine cards to make fifteen.  I parted with the 2 and the 9.  

Madeline cut into the deck and the cut card was a SEVEN!  I worked hard to conceal my joy. 

A run of 6, 7, 8 would have been worth three points alone.  Since I had two 7's in my hand that gave me 8 points; three for each run and another two for the pair.  That didn't take into consideration the points I would get from matching the 8 individually to each 7.  Every combination of cards totaling to fifteen was worth two points. 

If you play cribbage then 15-2, 15-4 and 8 makes 12.  If you don't play, then with the 6, 7, 7 and 8 alone I had 12 points.  Adding the third 7 turned the count of 12 into 21!!

If you are confused, don't worry.  I had 21 points with that cut card being a 7.  Wait, that is 21.  Madeline and I counted it in that moment to be 27.  

Now I have recounted it ten times.  It is still only 21!  My crib was a 2, 2, 6 and 9 with the cut card being a 7.  That gives me 15-2, 15-4, 15-6 and two for the pair is 8.  Though that is a FANTASTIC score, I am now seeing that my overall total was 29 points which would have left me needing one point for the win.

What a pickle.

Fork in the road.

What to do now?

The road to Hell is paved with wrong decisions.

We are going to have to reset the board and play again.  I can't possibly, for the rest of my life, know that I took the first win by cheating.  The good thing is that all I need to do is peg one point.

I did win our second game of cribbage on the new board.  Could that second game count as the official first game?  No matter how hard I try to convince myself, IT JUST CAN'T!

So, wish me luck.  I need to peg one point before Madeline pegs three.  I'll post an update in the comments below in the near future.

All of this to tell you about my new board, made from my book.  My celebration of joy; having a child that searched for the perfect gift and showed up with something made from the heart.

Now to beat her, officially!!!  (: