Cribbage gifts for someone who already has a board

The hard part about buying for a cribbage player is that they solved the equipment problem in about 1998. They have a board. They probably have two. So the good gifts are the ones that sit on top of the board they already love.

1. Pegs with their name on them

This is the honest answer, and yes, it is what we sell. Nearly every player is short a peg, playing with a mismatched set, or using the little metal ones that came in the box twenty years ago. Personalized cribbage pegs cost less than a card of greeting cards, get handled every single game, and end the "that's my peg" argument permanently.

A single peg is $2.50 CAD. A two-peg set is $6.00. Buy one peg with their name and one with yours if you play each other — it lands better than a matched pair.

2. A spare set in a second colour

Serious players keep a travel board and a house board. Two sets of pegs in different colours means never hunting for the box before a game.

3. A peg tin or small case

Pegs go missing between games, not during them. Any small hinged tin does the job. It is a five dollar fix for the most annoying problem in the game.

4. A proper deck of cards

Plastic-coated playing cards last years instead of months and shuffle properly after a hundred games. An unglamorous gift that gets quietly appreciated.

5. A running scorecard

Households that play every night usually keep a tally somewhere. A notebook kept specifically for the season, with the skunks recorded, becomes something people actually hang onto.

6. Something for their league or club

If they play in a club or a weekly league, a matching set of pegs for the whole group is a proper gift rather than a small one. That goes through The 29 Club — tell us how many and what names.

7. A board that fits their odd pegs — or pegs that fit their odd board

If their board is old, handmade or oversized, standard pegs may not fit it. Before you buy anything, read what size cribbage pegs are. Most boards are 1/8", but the ones that are not will not take a standard peg at all.

8. Replacements for the ones they lost

The least romantic and most used gift on this list. Replacement cribbage pegs in the exact colour they are missing.

9. Teach someone else to play

The best gift a cribbage player can get is a second person who knows the rules. Send them how to play cribbage and a set of pegs with their own name on them, and you have made yourself a standing opponent.