Bristol (card game)

Bristol is a two-player card game, a variant of Cribbage. It shares many similarities with Cribbage but differs in the scoring and the structure of the play.

Gameplay:

Bristol utilizes a standard 52-card deck. The objective, like Cribbage, is to score points by forming various card combinations during the play and in the hand (and a crib).

Each player is dealt five cards. One player becomes the dealer, and the other is the non-dealer. Both players discard one card face down to form the "crib," which belongs to the dealer and is scored at the end of the hand.

The non-dealer leads by playing a card face up, announcing its value. Card values are standard: Ace is one, 2-10 are face value, and Jack, Queen, and King are ten. The players then alternate playing cards, adding the value of each card played to a running total, aiming not to exceed 31.

Scoring during the Play:

Points are scored for the following combinations during the play:

• Fifteen: When the running total reaches exactly 15, the player scores 2 points.
• Thirty-one: When the running total reaches exactly 31, the player scores 2 points.
• Pair: Two cards of the same rank played consecutively score 2 points.
• Pair Royal (Three of a Kind): Three cards of the same rank played consecutively score 6 points.
• Double Pair Royal (Four of a Kind): Four cards of the same rank played consecutively score 12 points.
• Run: A sequence of three or more cards of consecutive rank (regardless of suit) scores 1 point per card in the run.

If a player cannot play a card without exceeding 31, they say "Go." The other player then continues to play until they either reach 31 or cannot play without exceeding 31, scoring points for any combinations they make. Once neither player can play, the play ends, and the last player to play a card scores 1 point for "last card."

Scoring the Hands:

After the play, a card is cut from the remaining deck (the "starter card"). This card is used by both players to score their hand and by the dealer to score the crib. The starter card can be any card from the deck.

Points are scored for the following combinations in the hand:

• Fifteen: Any combination of cards totaling exactly 15 scores 2 points.
• Pair: Two cards of the same rank score 2 points.
• Run: A sequence of three or more cards of consecutive rank (regardless of suit) scores 1 point per card in the run.
• Flush: Four cards of the same suit in the hand scores 4 points. If the starter card is the same suit, the flush scores 5 points.
• Knave (Jack): If a player holds the Jack of the same suit as the starter card, they score 1 point ("His Heels").

Winning:

Players continue to play hands, alternating the role of dealer, until one player reaches a pre-determined score, typically 121 points. This score is tracked on a scoring board, often using pegs, similar to Cribbage.

Differences from Cribbage:

• Bristol deals five cards to each player, whereas Cribbage typically deals six cards.
• The scoring during the play is simpler than in Cribbage.
• The number of cards discarded to the crib is different.
• The scoring of flushes may vary slightly between different versions.