By Kelly Morgan,Staff Writer

Wednesday night will be the time to hone those math skills and polish up on pegging: A cribbage tournament that just kicked off at Gritty McDuff’s Auburn Brew Pub is still open to new teams.

The atmosphere is casual and there are players of all types. So far, 14 teams have signed up for the 10-plus weeks of gaming.

“As with anything,” organizer Lance Browne said between dealing hands the first tournament night, “you’re gonna get your serious-minded folks and you’re gonna get your people who are out to socialize.”

Browne runs a similar tournament at the Gritty’s pub in Portland, where 54 teams are in on the action. That tournament has taken place for 11 years.

There have been years that players have been wait-listed because of the popularity of the event, which, by the way, has never been canceled. Rain, sleet or snow, Browne said, the games go on.

To sign up, teams of two need to bring a one-time entry fee of $100 (which goes into a pool disbursed to top players at the end of the tournament) to Gritty’s on Wednesday. New players must show up by 6 p.m., and the game play begins at 6:30 p.m. (Be on time. Late players lose points.)

Randy Donovan of Lewiston, a sales representative for Gritty’s, has signed up with his wife, Patty. He said the gaming night is great for Gritty’s because the pub is trying to create a community atmosphere.

Patty Donovan joked that her father taught her and her siblings “how to play cribbage before we learned to walk,” but she peppered Browne and her husband with questions as the play began. She was answered without hesitation.

“Oh, this is wonderful,” said Curt Layton, an Auburn resident who heard about the tournament from a waitress at Gipper’s Sports Grill. It’s the first chance he’s had to play in a cribbage tournament in the area.

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