GrassGames

I've come across a few people who don't know what a skunk is. Other than the smelly rodent, a skunk (in cribbage) is a game won by 31 or more points and counts as two wins. A double skunk is a game won by 61 or more points and counts as four wins. Thus endeth the lesson.

Brian

The computer doesn't recognize this fact so my win/loss stat only went up by 1 today though I had skunked the machine.

According to my rule book Brian, the correct term is "lurch". Some people do call it "skunk" but the term in the rule book is lurch and the opponent is said to be "lurched." Also according to the rule book a lurch occurs when an opponent does not reach the half way mark which would be 31 in a 61 point game, and 61 in a 121 point game. In either case it counts for two wins. There is no mention of a double lurch or double skunk. That must be local rules as Mike from the UK would say.

What rule book are you using?

American Cribbage Congress rules (http://www.cribbage.org/rules/rule1.asp) describe:
"Skunk - to win by 31 or more points" and
"Skunk, double - to win by 61 or more points."

I have heard a skunk called a lurch (but only once in my lifetime.)

Brian

After some checking i have found that Al and I are both correct. Under American Cribbage Congress and the Cribbage Corner rules a 31-point win is a "skunk" and counts as a double win and a 61-point win is a "double-skunk" and counts as a triple or quadruple win. Upon further investigation, I found that "Hoyle's Rules of Games" states that a 61-point win, a "lurch" counts as a double win. Someone has to decide which rules to use.

My cribbage board has a large "S" (for skunk) instead of a small number at the 90-point line. in my 45 years of playing cribbage, I have never seen a double-skunk (nor a 28 nor 29-point hand.)

Brian

Thanks Brian for checking other sources. As usual you are very thorough. I only have one book I use for card games. It's called "The Official Rules of Card Games," from The American Playing Card Company, published in Windsor, Ontario. I bought it years ago along with their famous "150 Ways to Play Solitaire." I comes in very handy when playing cards with people and a question comes up. I always liked the term "according to Hoyle" particularly since Hoyle l died in 1769 and could not have possibly seen some of the games we play today.
Anyway, thanks again.