Cribbage is a two player game where you score points for combinations of cards and move pegs around a board until somebody reaches 121. You're looking for pairs, runs, flushes, and mostly for sets of cards that add up to fifteen.
Face cards count as ten for adding purposes, aces count as one. Every different way you can make fifteen is worth two points, and they all count separately, which is why hands can score higher than they look.
You get six cards and you throw two of them away into a fifth hand called the crib. The crib belongs to whoever dealt, and it gets counted as a whole extra hand at the end.
So every deal you're weakening your own hand, and where those two cards go changes what you should throw. On your own deal you want to throw cards that work well together, because you're getting them back. On your opponent's deal you want to throw junk, because you're giving them points.
That single decision is most of the skill in the game.
You take turns laying cards down and calling a running total. Hit exactly fifteen and you get two points. Play a card matching the last one and that's a pair. Finish a run and you score a point per card. The total can't go past 31, and when neither of you can play without breaking it, the count starts over.
The points here are small but they decide close games.
A card gets cut from the deck and it counts as part of both hands. Then you count your hand out loud, non dealer first, and the dealer counts the crib as a second hand.
The order matters more than it looks. The game ends the moment somebody hits 121, so if you count first you can win before your opponent gets to count at all.
The best possible hand is 29 points and most people go years without seeing one.
Play against a bot right now. The full guide to Cribbage covers the play, the show, and every scoring combination.
Cribbage was invented in the 1600s by the English poet Sir John Suckling, which makes it one of the few common card games with a known author. The pegboard has been part of it from the beginning, and it's still standard in British pubs and in the US Navy.
This version is written from scratch to run in a browser. There's no download and no account, it works on a phone as well as a desktop, and empty seats are filled by bots so a game starts the moment you want one. The full rules, scoring and strategy are on the Cribbage rules page.
What is the highest hand?
Twenty-nine. Three fives and the jack matching the starter's suit, with the fourth five cut.
Who counts first?
The non-dealer, which matters because the game ends the instant someone reaches 121.
What is his nobs?
The jack of the same suit as the starter card, worth one point in your hand.
Why does the dealer get the crib?
It balances the non-dealer counting first. The deal alternates, so it evens out.
If something here is broken, or a rule doesn't match the way you play, email hello@turngames.io. Saying which game and what you were doing helps. Requests for new games are welcome too.