A game of strategy brings together Windham residents

By Erin Rose

The Windham Public Library is now hosting regular meetings of residents who enjoy Cribbage, a game of strategy and numbers at noon on every first and third Tuesdays.

Members of the Windham Cribbage Cub meet at noon every
first and third Tuesday of the month at the Windham Public
Library. The strategy game continues to grow in popularity
among local residents. SUBMITTED PHOTO

“There is no cost and no need for equipment,” said the group’s founder, Windham resident Marie Bishop. “If you want to play cribbage, come play cribbage.”

Cribbage is a game played with both cards and a board. The board is used to track points, as players build to the winning score of 121 points. Those points are gained by finding different combinations of cards, including pairs, runs of numerically adjacent cards, and flushes.

To start the game, the players are each dealt a hand of six cards, two of which are added to the “crib,” an extra hand for the dealer to score extra points at the end of the round. The players take turns playing cards and building points until their hands total 31. At that time, they count their points, move their pegs along the board, and reshuffle the cards before starting another round. Once a player reaches 121 points, the game is over.

Boards can range from simple, with just two pegs and sets of holes for each player, to those with ornate designs or even travel boards that hold the pegs and cards secure for on-the-go gaming. Bishop brings many different boards to each meeting, and other players bring their own, making for an eclectic mix of playing surfaces.

“I like that it makes me keep adding up the numbers, it keeps my brain sharp, finding the combinations of 15,” said Brad Schoonard, one of the players from the group. “It’s a very relaxed atmosphere, and no pressure to figure it out the first time you’re here. We’ll teach you how to do it.”

Bishop was searching to find like-minded Cribbage players to seek out more opportunities to play when she decided to establish the club.

“I’ve been playing cribbage since I was a kid with my father. And I figured I wasn’t the only one who liked cribbage, but I couldn’t find a group to play. So, I went to the library to start one,” she said.

“We’re not a club,” Bishop said, explaining that “it’s a community of people who simply like to gather to play and enjoy each other’s company.”

The group is “mostly retired people, but kids join when they’re able, especially over the summer,” Bishop said. “Anybody going by, sees us and wants to drop in, they’re welcome.”

Sylvia Smith is another longtime Cribbage player, who also plays at other gatherings in local communities, including a “cutthroat” game in Portland where your opponent is your competitor as opposed to a friend.

“When someone misses a point, we might not mention it” at a more competitive game, she said, noting that this community is as far from that as possible.

“It’s these people,” she noted when asked about what makes this group particularly welcoming. “I like being around them and really miss them when they don’t come. We help each other. When someone doesn’t have all their points, we point out the ones that they haven’t seen. Because when you’ve been playing a lifetime, you know exactly what the points are,” Smith said. “Everybody here is a great player, but it’s all about the cards.”

Typically, about 16 people attend each gathering in Windham, with nearly double that number on the group’s mailing list. Bishop sends out regular reminders about the meetings, and she also posts on the local community Facebook page to encourage more people to join.

If interested, attend an upcoming Cribbage Club meeting or reach out to the Windham Public Library for additional information. <