Game 39 - Aug. 7, 2009

DECATUR — The final game of Season Two was a nailbiter, as Greg and Nick jockeyed for second place in the final league table. After leading much of the game, Nick fell behind on fourth street, but managed to play such that Scott won the game, preventing Greg from leapfrogging Nick in the table, and sparing Nick the agony of a second successive third-place season.

The season spanned over ten months, and Game 39 tied with Game 2 from that inaugural day, Sept. 20, 2008, as the game with the most hands in Season Two – 13 hands to complete the final game of the season.

Dealer: Greg
03 hands - Greg 025 Scott 020 Nick 028
06 hands - Greg 053 Scott 052 Nick 062
09 hands - Greg 088 Scott 085 Nick 092
10 hands - Greg 098 Scott 104 Nick 095
11 hands - Greg 110 Scott 109 Nick 099
12 hands - Greg 118 Scott 117 Nick 113
13 hands - Greg 120 Scott 121 Nick 117 Final

League Table - Final
Scott... 15 16 04 04 99 4295
Nick.... 11 13 11 04 71 4227
Greg.... 13 10 09 07 69 4218

Game 38 - July 5, 2009

DECATUR — With Scott's title sealed, the story became the battle for second place in the league in this penultimate game of the season. Nick established a solid lead early in the game and was thereby able to peg strategically in the 11th hand, passing up an opportunity to peg out in order to allow Scott to pull just ahead of Greg first, denying Greg an important two points in the league table.

With one game remaining, Nick led by four points, leaving the following scenarios for the final game:

• If Nick wins or finishes second in Game 39, Nick places second for the season.
• If Greg wins and Nick finishes third in Game 39, Greg places second for the season.
• If Greg places second and Nick finishes third in Game 39, and neither of them or both of them are skunked, Nick places second for the season.
• If, however, Greg places second, Nick finishes third, and only Nick gets skunked, then Greg and Nick will tie on points for the season, and the second-place finisher will be determined by total pegging; Greg would have to outpeg Nick by at least twelve pegs in this scenario. If the peg total ends up tied, then presumably Greg would be awarded second place for the season based on his greater number of wins.
  

Dealer: Nick
03 hands - Greg 023 Scott 031 Nick 039
06 hands - Greg 055 Scott 059 Nick 075
09 hands - Greg 085 Scott 088 Nick 109
11 hands - Greg 099 Scott 103 Nick 121 Final

League Table
Scott... 14 16 04 04 94 4174
Nick.... 11 13 10 04 71 4110
Greg.... 13 09 09 07 67 4098

Game 37 - July 5, 2009

DECATUR — As Roger Federer was crowned the greatest tennis player of all time at Wimbledon, Scott was crowned the greatest cribbage player of Season 2, clinching the season despite a second-place finish in Game 37. With only two games remaining, his 25-point lead in the table became mathematically impossible to overcome.

Much like Season 1, the only remaining drama was at the bottom, as Greg leapfrogged Nick in Game 37 to take a one-point and ten-peg lead in second place. Like his fellow Nebraska native, Andy Roddick, Nick found himself at the losing end of a competition on this July day.

Dealer: Scott
03 hands - Greg 027 Scott 045 Nick 025
06 hands - Greg 060 Scott 075 Nick 055
09 hands - Greg 104 Scott 102 Nick 089
10 hands - Greg 121 Scott 112 Nick 095 Final

League Table
Scott... 14 15 04 04 92 4071
Greg.... 13 09 08 07 67 3999
Nick.... 10 13 10 04 66 3989

Game 36 - July 5, 2009

DECATUR — In a game frequently interrupted by watching the Wimbledon men's final, Scott strolled to his 14th win of the season, giving him a daunting 24-point lead atop the table with only three games remaining. Scott's 55-peg start in the first three hands was his best to date in Season 2.

Dealer: Greg
03 hands - Greg 028 Scott 055 Nick 032
06 hands - Greg 072 Scott 082 Nick 063
09 hands - Greg 097 Scott 111 Nick 091
11 hands - Greg 116 Scott 121 Nick 108 Final

League Table
Scott... 14 14 04 04 90 3959
Nick.... 10 13 09 04 66 3894
Greg.... 12 09 08 07 62 3878

Game 35 - June 20, 2009

DECATUR — It was the closest thing to a "photo finish" in this notoriously slow game. Scott pipped Nick to the finish by one peg, with Greg just two pegs behind Nick in the closest and highest-scoring game of the season. The three-man total of 359 pegs eclipsed the previous season high of 353 pegs in Game 2 on Sept. 20, 2008.

The result left Scott with a formidable 19-point lead in the table with only four games remaining.

Dealer: Scott
03 hands - Greg 032 Scott 027 Nick 033
06 hands - Greg 060 Scott 064 Nick 057
09 hands - Greg 091 Scott 096 Nick 090
12 hands - Greg 118 Scott 121 Nick 120 Final

League Table
Scott... 13 14 04 04 85 3838
Nick.... 10 13 08 04 66 3786
Greg.... 12 08 08 07 60 3762

Game 34 - June 20, 2009

DECATUR — After being skunked in Game 33, Scott turned the tables and skunked both Greg and Nick, only the second time that two players have been skunked in the same game this season. The previous occurrence was in Game 3 on October 4, 2008, when Nick took the five points in a 121-86-86 affair. Scott's feat re-established his 16-point lead atop the league table.

This was only the sixth game so far this season to be resolved in fewer than 10 hands.

Dealer: Nick
03 hands - Greg 033 Scott 044 Nick 025
06 hands - Greg 060 Scott 088 Nick 060
09 hands - Greg 083 Scott 121 Nick 090 Final

League Table
Scott... 12 14 04 04 80 3717
Nick.... 10 12 08 04 64 3666
Greg.... 12 08 07 07 60 3644

Game 33 - May 30, 2009

DECATUR — The league standings tightened dramatically with six games remaining, as Nick skunked Scott to close the gap to nine points at the top of the table.

Dealer: Greg
03 hands - Greg 032 Scott 035 Nick 032
06 hands - Greg 058 Scott 050 Nick 060
09 hands - Greg 092 Scott 081 Nick 098
11 hands - Greg 111 Scott 090 Nick 121 Final

League Table
Scott... 11 14 04 04 75 3596
Nick.... 10 12 08 03 66 3576
Greg.... 12 08 07 06 62 3561