Stranded Behind the Skunk Line

Photo by Len Villano.

As far as I know, I was born playing card games with my grandparents. I don’t remember winning my first game of King’s Corners, although my grandma assures me I was a natural. We played UNO (a lot); we played Sequence. But there was one game that I didn’t play for a long time, because it was reserved for the adults in our family.

That game was Cribbage.

When I started to learn Cribbage, I lost. A lot. My grandpa was the one who finally taught me how to play, and while he walked me through the rules carefully and explained everything thoroughly, he still took delight in winning. I think it was his way of motivating me.

I could beat him at every other game we played, but for the longest time I just could not beat him at Cribbage. And he let me know it.

Matt Ledger contemplates his next move during an intense game of Cribbage. Photo by Len Villano.

So we played more games. And we played more games. And then we played even more games. I slowly learned how to count to fifteen in the oddest ways and why holding three of a kind in your hand was six points while a pair was just two. I learned what the skunk line was and what the double skunk line was and that I didn’t want to get stuck behind either one of them if I could help it.

For those who don’t play Cribbage, I understand. The points system is weird (Knobs, anyone?), some of the numbers seem arbitrary (Why 15s and 31s? I still don’t know.), and the game can really punish you for making the wrong choices.

But it’s completely worth it when you leave someone stranded behind the double skunk line, the ultimate signal of “Wow, you’re really sucking it up this game.”

The first time I did that to my grandpa, he mumbled obscenities at me, but I’m sure he was actually proud.

I’ve played a bunch of Cribbage since I’ve come to Door County. On slow days or after work, you can sometimes find Carol Thompson and me either in the back office at the Pulse or across the street at the Cornerstone Pub, laying our cards down and getting competitive with each other.

It’s a strange game, but it’s one I love, and I’m really hoping to get out to the YMCA one of these days and play against a bunch of my fellow Door Countyians. Because you don’t really know a person until you leave them stranded behind the double skunk line.

The Door County YMCA in Fish Creek hosts free Cribbage every Thursday from 1 – 3 pm. For more information call 920.868.3660.