01
Goal of the game
Cribbage is a race. The first player to reach 121 points wins, and the game ends as soon as that happens—even in the middle of pegging or hand counting.
A cribbage board is simply the scorekeeper. Each player uses two pegs that leapfrog one another: the front peg shows the current score, while the back peg shows where the player was before the latest scoring event.
02
The deal and the crib
In standard two-player cribbage, the dealer gives each player six cards. Each player chooses two cards to put face down into the crib, leaving four cards to play and count.
What is the crib?
The crib is a four-card extra hand made from two discards from each player. It belongs to the dealer and is counted after both regular hands. That is why you generally want to help your own crib and avoid giving useful combinations to your opponent’s.
The deal alternates after every hand, so both players get turns owning the crib. Detailed discard strategy can wait; for now, remember whose crib it is before choosing your two cards.
03
The starter card
After both players discard, the non-dealer cuts the remaining deck and one card is revealed. This is the starter.
It is not played during pegging, but it joins each player’s four-card hand—and the crib—when those hands are counted.
You are therefore counting five-card combinations, even though you only keep four cards.
04
Pegging—the play
The non-dealer plays first. Players alternate laying down one card and announcing the new running total. The total can never go above 31.
Aces count as 1. Number cards use their face value. Tens and face cards count as 10. The running total resets to zero after 31 or after neither player can add another legal card.
Each play updates the running count. The 6 makes 15, so it scores 2.
| What happens | Points | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Running total reaches 15 | 2 | Your card makes the total exactly 15. |
| Running total reaches 31 | 2 | Your card makes the total exactly 31. |
| Pair | 2 | The latest two cards have the same rank. |
| Three of a kind | 6 | The latest three cards share a rank. |
| Four of a kind | 12 | The latest four cards share a rank. |
| Run | 1 per card | The latest 3+ cards form consecutive ranks, in any order. |
| Go / final card | 1 | You play the last legal card before a reset, unless it makes 31. |
What does “Go” mean?
If none of your remaining cards can be played without exceeding 31, you say “Go.” Your opponent keeps playing any cards they legally can. The player who places the final card before the count resets scores 1 point—unless that card makes exactly 31, which scores 2 instead.
After a Go sequence, the running count returns to zero. The player who did not place the last card leads the new sequence. Continue until all eight cards have been played.
05
Counting the hands
Once all four cards from both players have been played, everyone picks up their own cards. Each hand is counted together with the starter.
- 1Non-dealer’s hand
The player without the crib always counts first.
- 2Dealer’s hand
The dealer counts their regular four-card hand next.
- 3Dealer’s crib
The crib is counted last using the same starter.
Order matters near the end of a game. If the non-dealer reaches 121 while counting, the game ends immediately; the dealer does not get to count afterward.
06
Core cribbage scoring
A card may participate in more than one scoring combination. Count every distinct fifteen, every pair, all valid runs, a qualifying flush, and nobs.
Fifteens
Every distinct card combination totaling exactly 15 scores 2 points.
Pairs
Two cards of the same rank score 2. Three of a kind contains three pairs for 6.
Runs
Three or more consecutive ranks score 1 point per card. Suits do not matter.
Flushes
Four hand cards of one suit score 4; add the matching starter for 5.
Nobs
A Jack in the hand or crib matching the starter’s suit scores 1.
Want to test a real hand? Use the cribbage scoring calculator for a point-by-point breakdown.
07
Worked example: a 12-point hand
This hand looks busy, but the score becomes simple when each event is shown separately.
- Fifteen
7 + 8 = 15
+2 - Pair
5 + 5
+2 - Two runs of four
Each 5 can make 5–6–7–8
+8
The duplicate 5 creates two separate four-card runs. There is one fifteen, one pair, and eight run points: 2 + 2 + 8 = 12. The calculator can verify this hand.
08
Beginner questions
Do I need to know how to score before I play?
No. Know that 15s, pairs, runs, 31, and the final card score during play. A digital game can show the rest while you learn the patterns.
What is the crib?
It is a four-card extra hand made from two discards by each player. The dealer owns and counts it after both regular hands.
What is pegging?
It commonly means the phase where players alternate cards toward a running count of 31. Literally, pegging is moving a peg to record earned points.
Why is 15 important?
During the play, making the running total exactly 15 scores 2 points. When counting a hand, every distinct combination totaling 15 scores 2.
What happens at 31?
Reaching exactly 31 scores 2 points and resets the running count to zero. Play then continues with the remaining cards.
Who counts first?
The non-dealer counts first, then the dealer, then the dealer’s crib.
Is the crib scored differently?
Almost everything scores the same. The exception is a flush: all four crib cards and the starter must share a suit.
How long does a cribbage game take?
A typical two-player game often takes roughly 20–30 minutes once both players understand the flow.