Sir John Suckling, (1609-1642) is said to
have been the man who "invented" Cribbage. He was an English poet and
gambler, and according to one contemporary he was “The greatest gallant of his time and the greatest gamester, both at bowling and cards”
But it is more likely that he merely helped to codify the modern rules
by elaborating on an earlier game called "Noddy." A reference to Noddy
appeared first in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1589, and it is
mentioned in a number of sources in the 16th and 17th century.