
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,383
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Boss Monster 2: The Next Level
- 2–4 players
- 20–30 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2015

Rules assistance for Mastermind Ultimate Cribbage
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Mastermind Ultimate Cribbage is an expansion for Cribbage released in 2009 for 2–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Phil Martens, Al Oller, and Bob Ramola.
Mastermind Ultimate Cribbage (also called "Masters Cribbage") is a card game stemming from the classic Cribbage, with some additional cards. It is played with a standard deck of cards,along with six new types: Super Fives, Zero Card, Super Ace, Wild, Super Card, and the Master Card. In addition it uses a cribbage board which is a signature piece of equipment with holes and pegs for scoring. Players are each dealt a hand of 6 cards, of which they discard 2 into a special pile called the Crib. One card is then cut from draw pile and turned face up - it is considered part of each player's hand and of the Crib. The players then alternately play a card, scoring points for hitting certain totals, or for making sets or sequences. Score is kept by moving pegs around tracks on the cribbage board. This is repeated until all players have exhausted their hand of cards. Once all players are out of cards, each player picks up his hand and determines all possible scoring combinations, pegging points again on the cribbage board. The dealer then picks up the Crib and scores it for all possible points. Then the cards are shuffled, the deal alternates, and the process is repeated. 2-players and teams of two play a full length game to 181 points. 3 individuals end play until 141 points. 4 individual players play to a standard cribbage length game of 121 points. The six special cards are the crux of the game. The Zero Card: When someone plays a card for a 15 or 31 during pegging, play the Zero-Card next to collect an additional 2 points for the 15 or 31. You must play the Zero-Card if you can played in a run or double run with zero, ace, and two. The Super Ace: A Super-Ace pairs every ace. You can use a Super-Ace as a high ace for a run of queen, king and Super-Ace for both counting and pegging. The Super-Ace can be played as 1 or 11 during pegging. The value of the Super-Ace is 1 [u]and[/] 11 during counting (as though you had one of each card). The holder can also use as 1 and 11 with fours to total 15 points during counting the hand total. Special Fives: Extra fives in play allows the high hand to go from 29 to 45 with 5 fives. The total points of five 5’s is 20. The 15 combinations are 20 and five pairs is another 20 making a total of 40 points. Wild Cards: During pegging play you must use the Wild Card at the same face value as the point counting portion of the hand. Play a Wild Card as a seven during pegging, you must count it as a seven when you total your hand The Super Wild: The Super-Wild is a Wild Card with one extra feature. It can be played during pegging as one face value and counted at another. You can play a Super-Wild as a seven during pegging and use it as a five during counting. If you play it as a 10 value you must specify it as a 10 or other face card value. The Master: The Master is like a Super-Wild played as a separate face value during pegging and counting. The Master allows the extra option to play it after calling ‘go’.
Mastermind Ultimate Cribbage supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Mastermind Ultimate Cribbage is 30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Mastermind Ultimate Cribbage for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Mastermind Ultimate Cribbage belongs to these categories: Card Game and Expansion for Base-game. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Mastermind Ultimate Cribbage and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Mastermind Ultimate Cribbage are: Phil Martens, Al Oller, and Bob Ramola. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Mastermind Ultimate Cribbage as an expansion for Cribbage. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Cribbage to use it. Check that your edition of Cribbage is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.