How to Play Cribbage
Two players, race to 121. Two games in one: play your cards out against a running count, then pick them up and count what they were worth.
Setup
- 2 players, standard 52-card deck, 6 cards each
- Both throw 2 cards into the crib. A bonus hand the dealer scores
- Cut a starter card. Everyone counts it as a fifth card
- Cut a jack? The dealer takes 2 straight away
Card values
- Ace = 1, face cards = 10, everything else = face value
- For runs and pairs, order is A, 2, 3 … 10, J, Q, K, so J♥ Q♥ K♥ is a run of three, but not three of a kind
Stage 1. Pegging to 31
Take turns laying a card, calling the running total. Never go past 31.
| You make | Points |
|---|---|
| Exactly 15 | 2 |
| Exactly 31 | 2 |
| A pair | 2 |
| Three of a kind | 6 |
| Four of a kind | 12 |
| A run of 3 or more | 1 per card |
Can't play without busting 31? Say "go". Your opponent keeps going, and whoever laid the last card takes 1.
Runs during pegging don't need to be in order: 5♣ 7♦ 6♥ is still a run of three.
Stage 2. The show
Pick your cards back up and count them with the starter. Non-dealer counts first. At 118 points that decides the game. Then the dealer, then the crib.
| Combination | Points |
|---|---|
| Any cards totalling 15 | 2 each |
| Each pair | 2 |
| Run of 3+ | 1 per card |
| 4 cards of one suit in hand | 4 (5 with the starter) |
| Jack matching the starter's suit ("nobs") | 1 |
Everything stacks. The same card counts in as many ways as it fits.
Worked example
4♣ 5♦ 6♥ 9♠ with a 6♠ starter:
- Fifteens: 4+5+6 twice, 9+6 twice = 8
- Pair of sixes = 2
- Runs: 4-5-6 with either six = 6
- Total: 16
The famous hands
- 29 is the maximum: three fives, the fourth five as starter, and the matching jack.
- There's no 19. No five cards score exactly 19, so a worthless hand is jokingly called "a nineteen".
Quick tips
- Count in a fixed order: fifteens, pairs, runs, flush, nobs. That's how points stop getting missed.
- Never throw a 5♥ into your opponent's crib. Sixteen cards make fifteen with it.
- Don't lead a five for the same reason.
- Never forget the go. One point decides more games than it should.
Discarding to the crib
Every deal you give away two cards, and half of Cribbage is choosing which. The calculation changes completely depending on whose crib it's.
On your own deal, the crib is a second hand for you, so cards that combine well go in. Two cards adding to five are a classic throw. Any ten-card turned up makes fifteen. Fives are the best cards in the game and are good in your own crib. So are pairs, and cards a run apart.
On your opponent's deal, you're trying to give them nothing. Break up combinations rather than handing them over. A five is the worst card to throw away, and throwing two cards that add to five, or a pair, or two adjacent ranks, is handing over points. The safest throws are usually a king with a low unconnected card. Kings can't make a run upwards, and the gap does the rest.
The awkward hands are the ones where keeping your best four means throwing something excellent into the wrong crib. Giving up two points from your hand to avoid giving four to your opponent's crib is usually correct.
The play, in detail
The play is a separate scoring opportunity that beginners tend to ignore. The points available are small but they decide close games.
| During the play | Points |
|---|---|
| Making the count exactly 15 | 2 |
| Making the count exactly 31 | 2 |
| Playing a card matching the last (pair) | 2 |
| Third of a kind | 6 |
| Fourth of a kind | 12 |
| Completing a run of three or more | 1 per card |
| Last card played, when 31 isn't reached | 1 |
Two habits are worth building. Lead a four rather than a five. Leading a five invites a ten-card for fifteen. And hold a low card back so you have something playable near 31, which is where the "go" point and the chance at 31 live.
The show, in detail
After the play, hands are counted with the starter card as a fifth card available to all.
| In the hand | Points |
|---|---|
| Each distinct combination totalling 15 | 2 |
| Each pair | 2 |
| Each run of three or more | 1 per card |
| Four-card flush in hand | 4 |
| Five-card flush with the starter | 5 |
| Jack matching the starter's suit ("his nobs") | 1 |
Everything counts separately, and that's what people miss. Three fives and a jack isn't "some fifteens". It's four separate ways to make fifteen with a five and the jack, plus the three pairs among the fives, plus his nobs if the suits line up. It counts twenty-nine only when the starter is the fourth five and the jack matches it.
A useful check: count fifteens first, then pairs, then runs, then flush, then nobs, always in that order. Miss points and your opponent may claim them.
Pegging out
The game ends the instant someone reaches 121. Mid-play, mid-count, whenever. This is why the counting order matters so much: non-dealer counts first, so a non-dealer sitting on 115 with a hand worth eight wins before the dealer counts a hand worth twelve.
That ordering shapes the endgame. As dealer approaching the finish, you want to be far enough ahead that your opponent can't go out first. As non-dealer, you want to be within reach, because you get the first chance.
Common variations
| Variation | What changes |
|---|---|
| Three-handed | Each player gets five cards, one goes to the crib |
| Four-handed | Two partnerships, five cards each |
| Five-card cribbage | The older game: five cards each, 61 points |
| Muggins | If you miss points, your opponent may claim them |
| Lowball | The first player to 121 loses |
The version here is standard two-handed, six cards, 121 points, without muggins.
Frequently asked
What is the highest possible hand? Twenty-nine: three fives and the jack of the starter's suit, with the fourth five turned up. It's rare enough that most players never hold one.
Can a run be scored out of order during the play? Yes. If the cards played are 5, 7, 6, that's a run of three, worth three points, even though they were not played in sequence.
Does a flush in the crib count? Only a five-card flush. Four cards in the crib matching each other isn't enough; the starter must match too.
What is "his heels"? A jack turned up as the starter, worth two points to the dealer immediately.
Why does the dealer get the crib? It's the compensation for the non-dealer counting first, and it's why the deal alternates. Over a game it balances out.
Last updated 2026-09-02