Cribbage rules

Setup, the deal and the crib

This is six-card Cribbage played to 121. Each hand, both players receive six cards and each throws exactly two cards into the crib — a third, four-card hand that scores for the dealer in the show. The deal alternates every hand, so the crib advantage passes back and forth.

Once both throws are in, the top card of the remaining deck is cut face up as the starter. If the starter is a jack, the dealer immediately pegs 2 points — "his heels" (also called "his nibs"). Since points score the instant they are earned, his heels can win the game outright at 119 or 120.

For pegging and fifteens, cards count: ace 1, pip cards face value, 10-J-Q-K all 10. For runs, ranks keep their natural order — a jack, queen and king are three consecutive ranks, not three tens.

Pegging: the play to 31

The non-dealer leads first. Players alternate laying one card face up, announcing the running count — the total pip value of cards played since the last reset. The count may never exceed 31. Points peg immediately as cards land:

Pegging runs do not need to be played in order: if the last N cards on the stack form N consecutive ranks in any arrangement with no duplicates, they score N. Playing 4-6-5 scores a run of three on the 5; a following 7 or 3 would extend it to four. A duplicate rank inside the window breaks the run.

A sample count: you lead a 4 (count 4), Emma plays a jack (14), you play an ace (15) and peg 2 for fifteen. Emma plays a 2 (17), you play a 3 (20) and peg 3 for the run — the last three cards are A-2-3, in scrambled order but consecutive. Emma plays a 3 (23) and pegs 2 for the pair; neither of you can stay under 31, so Emma pegs 1 for the go and the count resets with you to lead.

If you cannot play any card without passing 31, you say "go" and your opponent keeps laying cards alone until they too cannot play. Whoever plays the last card of a count pegs 1 point — unless that card made exactly 31, which scores its 2 points and nothing extra for last card. After a go or a 31 the count resets to zero, and the player who did not play the last card leads the next count. Pegging continues until both hands are empty.

The show: counting order matters

When pegging ends, the three four-card hands are counted in strict order: first the non-dealer's hand, then the dealer's hand, then the dealer's crib. Each is scored in combination with the starter, as a five-card group:

Every counting rule is combinatorial: 5-5-5-J with a 5 starter scores eight fifteens (16), a double pair royal (12) and nobs — the famous 29-point maximum. Three cards of one rank give three separate pairs (6 points), and a run of three with one rank doubled counts twice (6 points, plus the pair).

A worked count: hand 7-8-8-9 with a 6 starter. Fifteens: 7+8 twice, and 6+9 once — three fifteens, 6 points. The pair of 8s, 2 points. Runs: 6-7-8-9 counts twice, once through each 8, for 8 points. Total: 16. The double-run pattern (a run with one rank paired) is the workhorse of good cribbage hands — learn to spot it at the throw.

Strategy: the throw and the peg

The throw is the only decision with hidden long-term consequences. When the crib is yours, throw connected cards — a 5, a pair, or two cards touching in rank — because the crib scores for you. When the crib is your opponent's, throw wide, disconnected cards (like a king and a 3 of different suits) and never gift a 5, the single most valuable crib card in the deck: it makes fifteen with every ten-card, a third of the pack.

• Keep the points you can see. A guaranteed 8 in hand usually beats a speculative 12 that needs the right starter; count your four keepers with each realistic cut before throwing.
• Lead a 4 or lower. No reply can make fifteen off a lead of 4 or less, and holding a pair to your own lead sets a trap: if the opponent pairs you (2 points), your third card scores a 6-point pair royal.
• Never answer to 21. Bringing the count to 21 invites every ten-card for 31; aim to leave awkward counts like 22–26 instead.
• Hoard low cards for the endgame of each count. Aces, 2s and 3s keep you playing under 31 after the opponent says go — each stolen go is a quiet extra point, and they add up over a game.
• Near 121, count the board, not the hand. If you peg out first, nothing else matters: as non-dealer in a close endgame, favour keepers that peg well over keepers that show well, because your show counts before the dealer's.

Edge cases and fine print

• Exactly 31 scores 2 points only — the last-card point is not added on top.
• The go point goes to the player who lays the final card of the count, even if the "go" was declared several cards earlier.
• A pegging run is judged on the most recent cards only, longest window first (up to 7); one scoring run per card played.
• The crib cannot score a four-card flush — it is five suited cards (crib + starter) or nothing. Your own hand scores 4 for a hand-only flush.
• His heels (jack starter) is scored the instant the starter is cut, before any pegging.
• His nobs counts in the crib too: a crib containing the jack of the starter's suit scores its extra point for the dealer.
• All points peg immediately, so a game can end during pegging with cards still in hand — everything after the winning point is void.
• Show counting always proceeds non-dealer, dealer, crib, stopping dead at 121.

Variants and house rules

We enforce the standard modern six-card game to 121. Variants you may meet elsewhere, none of which are used here:

• Muggins — claiming points your opponent failed to count. All scoring here is automatic, so nothing is ever miscounted.
• Five-card Cribbage — the older game with a 3-point start to the non-dealer and games to 61.
• Lurching / skunks — bonus games for winning before the loser reaches 91 (or 61). We play one game at a time, straight to 121.
• Three- and four-player Cribbage — one card each to the crib; this is the two-player duel.

Frequently asked questions

Related rulebooks

• Gin Rummy rules — meld, knock and go gin — first to 100
• Rummy rules — meld to the table and go out first
• Euchre rules — bowers, trump and 5-trick showdowns
• Hearts rules — avoid hearts and the queen of spades