CRIBBAGE FAQs

Cribbage was invented in early 17^th century England by Sir John Suckling. He based it on an older card game called “Noddy” and added the crib discard element. The game gained popularity and quickly spread throughout the English-speaking world.

In China, estimates put the number of game variants at more than 30!  The National Mah Jongg League standardized American Mah Jongg in1937. The World Mahjong Organization is the international governing body of the variation known as Mahjong Competition Rules. Here in North America, American Mahjong is the most popular version among players.

Mahjong tiles are made up of three suits of one through nine: Craks (also called Characters or Wan (meaning Ten Thousand)), Bams (also called Bamboos or Sticks), and Dots (also called Balls or Circles). The other tiles include Winds, Dragons, and Flowers. In American Mahjong, Seasons tiles are referred to as Flowers, and Jokers are wildcard tiles.

At Crisloid, we craft Mahjong sets that are designed in-house, and we also occasionally collaborate with outside artists. Either way, our talented employees hand paint each Mahjong tile in our full-sized sets. We’ve also shrunk our famous resin tiles to a more portable size for Flo, our new travel-friendly Mahjong set that’s great for beginners and works well for everyday play.

Experienced players can typically finish a game in around 10 minutes while beginners need a little more time to think through their moves.

Mahjong isn’t difficult to learn, but it demands patience and practice. The basic rules are fairly simple, but there’s a learning curve to mastering strategy and the scoring system used by different game variations. American Mahjong requires players to familiarize themselves with the valid hands that are usually updated annually. For those playing the National Mah Jongg League’s Standard Hands and Rules card, their card is published each year, towards the end of March.

In American Mahjong, “soap” is a nickname for the White Dragon tile, also known as the “blank” or “zero” tile. The White Dragon is used as a substitute for a zero or any missing tile in certain hands.

Generally, Chinese Mahjong is considered harder to learn and play than the American variation. American Mahjong has a simpler set of rules and focuses on completing specific hands outlined on an annual card. Chinese Mahjong is more complex, with a larger range of scoring possibilities and strategies.

The game has different spellings because while it originated in China, Mahjong quickly moved to other regions of Asia and beyond. The different spellings often reflect the pronunciation in different Chinese dialects or how  the game was launched and adapted in various places.

Cribbage has an avid following in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and you can find plenty of tournaments, clubs, and online communities dedicated to the game.

The American Cribbage Congress is a great organization that promotes grassroots local clubs and tourneys across the country.