How to Play Cribbage
How to Play Cribbage
Cribbage is a clever two-player card game about making groups that score points, then racing along a score track. You need a normal deck of cards, and you can get a regular deck of playing cards from Playmore. This guide uses one common version of Cribbage; house rules and regional details can vary.
Quick facts
| Players | 2 |
|---|---|
| Goal | Be first to reach 121 points |
| Cards | One standard 52-card deck |
| Deal | Six cards each; two go to the dealer's crib |
| Main skills | Choosing discards, spotting combinations, and counting |
What you are trying to do
Your goal is to reach 121 points before your opponent. You earn points in two stages. During pegging, you take turns laying cards and scoring combinations as the running total stays at 31 or below. After pegging, you score the cards in your hand, and the dealer also scores a special four-card pile called the crib. A card's suit usually does not matter, except when counting a flush.
What you need
Use a standard 52-card deck with no jokers, a sheet of paper or a notes app, and a pencil or phone. A Cribbage board is convenient but not required. Write each player's total clearly and update it as soon as points are earned. In this guide, aces count as 1, number cards count at face value, and jacks, queens, and kings count as 10 when adding toward 15 or 31. For ranking in runs, ace is low, followed by 2 through king.
Set it up
- Shuffle the deck. Each player cuts it, meaning they lift part of the deck and reveal a card. The lower card deals first. If the cards tie, cut again. The deal then alternates after every hand.
- The dealer gives six cards face down to each player, one card at a time. Keep your cards secret.
- Each player chooses two cards and places them face down in the middle. Together, these four cards are the crib, and the dealer will score it later. The non-dealer usually tries to give away cards that are unlikely to help the dealer, while keeping the strongest four-card hand.
- The non-dealer cuts the remaining deck. The dealer turns the top card of the lower section face up. This is the starter. It is not played during pegging, but it joins both hands and the crib when they are scored. If the starter is a jack, the dealer immediately scores 2 points for “his heels.”
How to play
- Peg the cards. The non-dealer plays first. Players take turns putting one card face up, announcing the running total. You may not make the total higher than 31. A played king, queen, jack, or 10 adds 10; all other cards add their number value, with an ace adding 1.
- Score combinations immediately. A card that makes the total exactly 15 scores 2 points, called “fifteen two.” A card that makes exactly 31 scores 2 points. Playing a card with the same rank as the card immediately before it scores 2 for a pair. A third matching rank in a row scores 6 for a pair royal, and a fourth scores 12 for a double pair royal.
- Notice runs. A run is a sequence of three or more consecutive ranks, such as 4-5-6. The cards can arrive in a mixed order, but they must be the most recent uninterrupted cards in that round. Score the length of the run when your card completes it. Suits do not matter for a run.
- Say “go” when needed. If you cannot play without taking the total above 31, say “go.” Your opponent continues playing if possible and scores any combinations. If neither player can play, the person who played the last card scores 1 point for last, unless that card made exactly 31, which scores 2 instead.
- Start another count. Turn the played cards aside, reset the total to zero, and continue with cards still in your hands. The player who did not play last starts the next count. Repeat until both players have played all six cards.
- Count the hands. The non-dealer counts their hand first, using their four kept cards plus the starter. Then the dealer counts their four kept cards plus the starter, followed by the four-card crib plus the starter. Say each combination aloud so both players can check the math.
When counting a hand, every different group of cards totaling 15 is worth 2 points. A pair is worth 2, three cards of one rank are worth 6, and four are worth 12. Runs score their number of cards. A flush is four cards of the same suit in your hand for 4 points, or 5 if the starter matches too. A jack in your hand matching the starter's suit scores 1 point, called “one for his nob.” The crib needs all four cards, plus the starter, to be the same suit before it earns a flush.
How you win
Add points to each player's running total after every scoring stage. The moment a player reaches 121 points, that player wins; do not wait for the hand to finish. Because the non-dealer counts first, a player can sometimes win while scoring a hand before the dealer gets a chance to count. If you are keeping score on paper, record totals after pegging, then after each hand and crib.
Easy first-game tips
When choosing your two crib cards, look for pairs, cards that can join a run, and combinations that make several 15s. For a first game, keep cards that work together rather than chasing one spectacular possibility. Low cards are useful during pegging because they make it easier to stay under 31. Watch the running total: playing a 5 when the count is 10 makes 15 for 2, but playing a 5 when the count is 26 is impossible.
Keep pegging scores separate from hand scores in your mind. During pegging, only the latest cards in the current count can form pairs and runs. During the show, examine every possible combination in the five cards, including the starter. If a scoring question comes up, pause, lay the cards out, and count each combination once.
Quick questions
Can I use a Cribbage board?
Yes. A board makes totals easy to see, but paper or a notes app works perfectly for learning and playing.
Does the starter card belong to my hand?
It is shared for scoring: add it to each player's hand and to the dealer's crib, but never play it during pegging.