What you need
A standard 52-card deck and two players (three and four-player versions are in the variants). Scores are traditionally kept on a cribbage board with pegs, moving two pegs leapfrog fashion so the last score can always be checked. If you have no board, our printable score sheet does the same job with a running total column for each player.
Cards rank from king (high) to ace (low). For counting, aces are 1, face cards are 10, and the rest their face value.
Setup
Cut for deal; lower card deals, and the deal then alternates. The dealer gives six cards to each player, one at a time.
Each player then puts two cards face down to form the crib, an extra four-card hand that belongs to the dealer and is scored at the end. Keep four cards in hand.
The non-dealer cuts the rest of the deck and the dealer turns the top card of the lower half face up: this is the starter. If it is a jack, the dealer immediately pegs 2 (“two for his heels”).
How to play
The play (pegging)
Starting with the non-dealer, players alternately play one card face up in front of themselves and announce the running total of all cards played. The total may not exceed 31. Points are pegged immediately for:
- Fifteen: bringing the total to exactly 15 scores 2.
- Thirty-one: bringing the total to exactly 31 scores 2.
- Pair: playing a card of the same rank as the previous card scores 2; a third card of that rank scores 6; a fourth scores 12.
- Run: playing a card that completes a run of three or more consecutive ranks with the cards just played (in any order, without gaps) scores 1 per card in the run.
A player who cannot play without going over 31 says “go”. The opponent keeps playing if they can, pegging any further combinations, and the last player to play a card scores 1 for the go (or 2 if the total is exactly 31, never both). The count then restarts at zero with the cards left, led by the opponent of the player who played last, until all eight cards are played.
The show
Players pick up their played cards and count their hand together with the starter (five cards). The non-dealer counts first, then the dealer’s hand, then the dealer’s crib with the starter.
- Every combination of cards adding to fifteen: 2 points
- Each pair: 2 points (three of a kind is 6, four of a kind 12)
- Each run of three or more: 1 point per card
- Flush: four hand cards of one suit 4 points, 5 if the starter matches. In the crib, only a five-card flush counts.
- His nobs: the jack of the same suit as the starter, 1 point.
Every distinct combination counts. A hand of 5-5-10-J plus a 5 starter scores 8 for four fifteens, 6 for the three 5s and possibly 1 for nobs. The highest possible hand is 29; a score of 19 is impossible, which is why “nineteen” is slang for a worthless hand.
Scoring and winning
The first player to reach 121 points wins, whether by pegging during play, counting a hand, or scoring two for heels. You do not need to hit 121 exactly. A shorter game is played to 61.
Skunk. If the loser has not reached 91 (Bicycle: 61), the winner records a double game.
Common variants
- Muggins. If a player undercounts their hand, the opponent may call “muggins” and peg the missed points.
- Four players. Two partnerships, five cards each, everyone gives one card to the crib. One partner pegs for the team.
- Three players. Five cards each plus one dealt straight to the crib; each player discards one.
- Five-card Cribbage. The older British game: five cards each, two to the crib, played to 61.
- 91-point game. Common around Manchester: once up, down and up a 30-hole board.
Tips for first games
- Never put a 5 in your opponent’s crib; fives make fifteens with every ten-count card.
- Lead a 4 or lower: your opponent cannot make 15 in one card. Avoid leading a 5.
- Keep low cards for the end of the play to collect “go” points and reach 31.
- As dealer, throw good cards (pairs, cards that add to 15) into your own crib.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards do you deal in Cribbage? Six each for two players. Each keeps four and gives two to the crib.
Who gets the crib? The dealer, and the deal alternates every hand, so each player gets the crib every other hand.
Can a run be scored out of order during the play? Yes. If the cards played are 4, 2, 3, the player of the 3 scores 3 for the run, as long as no other card came between them.
What is “his nobs”? Holding the jack of the starter’s suit in your hand or crib: 1 point. A jack turned as the starter is “his heels” and gives the dealer 2 points.
Do you need a cribbage board? No. A board is traditional and convenient, but a paper score sheet with running totals works just as well.
