By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The birthday of a British scoundrel will be celebrated at the Wood County Senior Center on Friday. Sir John Suckling will not be revered for his gambling, womanizing or treasonous scandal – but for his invention of cribbage.
In preparation for writing this story, my husband tried to give me a crash course on cribbage – with scant success.
John Blinn and Kris Eridon, the resident experts on cribbage at the senior center in Bowling Green, tried to console me.
“It’s a very complicated game – until you master it,” Blinn said gently.
On Wednesday afternoon, 10 cribbage players sat engrossed in their games in the senior center lounge. The competition wasn’t cutthroat – but there was some good-natured goading.
When Jason Miller stopped by to observe, Blinn and Eridon gave him a cribbage “handle” of “rusty” for not playing often in the Wednesday and Friday afternoon throwdowns.
The cribbage lingo is pure BritBox – there are pips, pegs, nobs and nibs. Being “skunked” is bad, but not as bad as being “double skunked.” And players try to avoid “muggins,” when a player’s missed points can be claimed by their opponent.
Cribbage players meet at the senior center on Wednesday and Friday afternoons – with this Friday being National Cribbage Day, as recognized by the American Cribbage Congress, of which Blinn is a charter member.
The game, invented in the early 17th Century, requires two players keeping score with pegs on a board with 121 holes. Cribbage involves math, strategy, problem solving and calculating probabilities – with socializing as a bonus.
Blinn started cribbage gatherings at the senior center years ago to fill a gaming gap.
“People were playing euchre, pinochle and bridge – but nobody played cribbage,” he said.
“We started building a base of people on Wednesdays,” Eridon said.
The game incorporates elements of poker and blackjack. The matches are “friendly,” Eridon said. But good players appreciate the challenge of polished and practiced opponents.
“If you don’t play the game, you don’t play fast enough,” said Blinn, a retired teacher who used to squeeze in three games of cribbage on his 30-minute lunch break.
Cribbage became commonplace during World War II, when board sets were handed out to sailors on ships and submarines, and soldiers in trenches to keep them occupied between battles. The game remains popular in the northeastern states, along the west coast, and in some colder remote states.
Most of the seniors playing on Wednesday learned the game when much younger. They continue playing now for socialization and to keep their minds churning away.
“It’s a good mental agility skill for older people,” Blinn said.
The cribbage experts lamented the fact that few young people know how to play the game.
“They should make it mandatory in math curriculum,” Eridon said with a grin.
“I feel sorry for kids not being exposed to this game,” Blinn said.
One of the competitors on Wednesday, Larry Lewis, learned the game at U.S. Navy basic training, before being stationed at Pearl Harbor in 1956. He has played ever since.
“That’s how great a game it is,” said Lewis, of Bowling Green. “At our age it keeps the gray matter working.”
Sally Snider, of Bowling Green, agreed. “You have to really think,” she said.
Becky Bhaer, also of Bowling Green, picked up the game in earnest after retiring. The game exercises her mind and social skills. “I’ve met a lot of great people here,” she said.
Across the table was Jim Jones, of Bowling Green, who said he appreciates a card game that doesn’t require a group of players, like euchre or poker. “It’s a good two-man game,” he said. “I was raised before cell phones. We had to play games.”
John Mekus, of Bowling Green, was taught the game by his parents. “That was entertainment back then,” he said.
For those who cannot catch on to cribbage right away, don’t get discouraged.
“Once you can become proficient, it becomes fun,” Blinn said. “It’s kind of addictive once you get the bug.”
Play on Friday will begin at 1:30 p.m., in the lounge of the senior center at 140 S. Grove St. Players don’t need to sign-up – just show up ready to compete.
