Horse Race
A dice & cards wagering game.
Deal the field
Pull all four aces and all four kings from the deck — that leaves 44 cards. Deal them all out around the table.
Each card is a horse that runs in the lane matching its value (2–12). The deck won’t always split evenly, so some players hold more horses than others — that’s fine. More cards means more horses running for you, and more exposure when they get hit.
Set one peg per horse, 2 through 12, in the Starting Gate.
Scratch four horses
Roll the dice four times. Record each total in the Scratched Horses grid, in order — first roll into row 1, then rows 2, 3, and 4.
A horse’s row number is its penalty multiplier. Roll the same total twice? Re-roll until you have four different scratched horses.
Run the race
Players take turns rolling both dice. What you roll decides what happens:
Pay the pot. You owe the base wager × that horse’s row number — so a row 4 horse costs four times a row 1.
Advance. That horse moves one hole up its lane toward the finish.
Cross the line & split the pot
The first horse to reach the Finish Line wins outright. Everyone holding that card splits the pot in equal shares — one share per winning card held.
Know your odds
The inside lanes — 6, 7 and 8 — come up far more than the rails at 2 and 12. Favorites run fast but get scratched often; long shots are rare, yet they break clean and pay big.
Cribbage
Quick reference — play & scoring.
Deal & discard
Deal 6 cards each. Both players toss 2 cards into the dealer’s crib — a bonus hand the dealer scores at the end.
Cut the starter
Non-dealer cuts; flip the top card. If it’s a Jack, dealer pegs 2 right away (“his heels”).
The play (pegging)
Take turns laying cards, calling the running total. Never go over 31. Can’t play without busting? Say “go.” Peg points as they happen.
The show (count hands)
Reveal and score, non-dealer first, then dealer, then the crib (dealer’s). Each hand uses its 4 cards + the starter.
Pass the deal
Deal moves left each hand. First to 121 (twice around) wins — even mid-count.
His heels
Starter is a Jack → dealer pegs 2 on the cut.
Skunk
Win while they’re under 91 — counts double.
Muggins
Optional: claim points your opponent forgets to peg.
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