How to Play Cribbage

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Cribbage is a classic card game played with a standard 52-card deck and a distinctive wooden pegboard used to track scores. Players score points by making pairs, runs, and fifteens both during the play of cards and when counting their hand at the end of each round. It moves quickly, rewards careful thinking, and produces genuine tension right up to the last peg.

The game is a staple of pubs, kitchens, and living rooms across the UK. It plays equally well as a two-player head-to-head or as a partnership game with four, and the mix of luck and judgement keeps it compelling for beginners and experienced players alike.

A little history

Cribbage is widely attributed to the English poet Sir John Suckling in the early seventeenth century, though some scholars argue he refined an earlier game called Noddy rather than inventing the game outright. Its rules were documented in Charles Cotton's The Compleat Gamester of 1674, making it one of the better-recorded card games of the period. The cribbage board itself appears in records from roughly the same era. Beyond these broad points, the precise details of its early development are unclear.

Setting up

1. Decide who deals first: each player cuts the deck and the player with the lower card deals. Ace is low for this purpose.
2. The dealer shuffles and the non-dealer cuts the deck.
3. Deal six cards face down to each player in a two-player game, or five cards each in a three- or four-player game.
4. Each player privately selects cards to discard face down into the crib, a separate hand belonging to the dealer. In a two-player game each player discards two cards; in three- or four-player games each player discards one card, and in three-player games the dealer also adds one card from the top of the deck to bring the crib to four cards.
5. After discarding, the non-dealer (or the player to the dealer's left in multi-player games) cuts the remaining deck. The dealer turns up the top card of the bottom half. This card is the starter, also called the cut card, and is placed face up on top of the deck where everyone can see it.
6. If the starter is a Jack, the dealer immediately pegs two points. This is called 'two for his heels' or 'nibs'.

How to play

1. Play begins with the non-dealer (in a two-player game) or the player to the dealer's left. Players take turns playing one card face up in front of them, calling out the running total as they go. For example: 'five', then the next player plays an eight and says 'thirteen'.
2. Cards are worth their pip value. Aces count as 1. Tens, Jacks, Queens, and Kings all count as 10.
3. The running total must not exceed 31. If a player cannot play a card without exceeding 31 they say 'Go'. The other player must then play any cards they can without exceeding 31, scoring 1 point for each valid card played. Once no one can play, the player who called Go also pegs 1 point and a new count starts from zero. The player who did not play last starts the new count.
4. If a player brings the running total to exactly 31 they score 2 points instead of 1.
5. Score points immediately as they arise during play: 2 points for a pair of the same rank played consecutively; 6 points for three of a kind (a pair royal) played consecutively; 12 points for four of a kind played consecutively; 2 points for every combination that totals 15 within the running total; points for a run of three or more consecutive ranks played in any order, scoring one point per card in the run. The run must be unbroken by any intervening rank.
6. Once all cards have been played, players count their hands. The non-dealer counts first, then the dealer, and finally the dealer counts the crib. In multi-player games, counting proceeds to the left of the dealer and the dealer counts last.
7. When counting a hand, the starter card is used as a fifth card by every player. Score 2 points for every combination of cards totalling 15 (e.g. a 6 and a 9, or a 10 and a 5); 2 points per pair; 6 for three of a kind; 12 for four of a kind; points for every run of three or more consecutive ranks; 4 points for a flush (all four cards in the hand of the same suit, not counting the starter); 5 points for a flush if all four hand cards and the starter share the same suit; 1 point for holding the Jack of the same suit as the starter in your hand. This is called 'one for his nob' or 'nobs'.
8. Scores are pegged on the cribbage board: each player has two pegs and leapfrogs them along the track so the rearmost peg always shows the previous score and the forward peg shows the current score. This allows any disputed score to be checked.
9. The deal passes to the left after each round. Play continues until one player or team reaches 121 points.

Winning and scoring

The first player or team to reach or pass 121 points wins. Points are pegged as soon as they are scored, so a player can win during the play of cards, not just during the count. If a player's score reaches 121 while counting their hand or the crib, the game ends immediately at that point and counting stops. A player who reaches 121 before their opponent has passed the halfway mark of 61 wins by a lurch (sometimes called being 'skunked'), which in some circles counts as a double win. Reaching 121 before the opponent passes 91 is occasionally called a double skunk, though this ruling varies by household.

The fine points

Muggins is an optional rule in which any player may claim points that an opponent fails to count or undercounts, provided they spot the error before the next card is played or the next hand begins. Without muggins in force, a player simply corrects their own score if they miscounted. Agree before the game starts whether muggins is in play. Overcounting is never allowed: if a player pegs more than they are entitled to, the excess must be removed from their score.

During the play, a run scores only if the cards form an unbroken sequence regardless of the order played, and only if no other rank has appeared in between to break the sequence. For example, if the cards played are 4, 5, 3, that is a three-card run for 3 points. However, if a 7 had appeared between the 5 and the 3, no run is scored. Flushes do not score in the crib unless all five cards, including the starter, share the same suit. A four-card flush in the crib does not count.

How to win more often

• Keep cards that work together in multiple ways: a hand of 5-5-5-J contains fifteen-twos, pairs, and nobs potential, far outscoring a hand built around a single combination.
• Be cautious about giving fives to the crib, especially the opponent's crib. Fives combine with every ten-value card to make fifteen and are among the most productive cards in the game.
• In a two-player game, pay attention to your position on the board before you count. If you are close to 121, play aggressively to peg out during the hand rather than waiting for the count. If you are behind, try to slow the play and deny your opponent easy pegging opportunities.
• Lead from a pair when you are non-dealer: if your opponent pairs your lead you can score six for three of a kind, and you retain the advantage of counting first.
• Keep track of what your opponent pegs during play. If they score a run or a pair you can deduce which cards they still hold and plan your subsequent plays accordingly.

Variations

Three-Player Cribbage

Each player is dealt five cards and discards one to the crib. The dealer adds one extra card from the deck so the crib still contains four cards. Each player scores individually and the board track is typically extended to 121. Play proceeds to the left of the dealer, and the deal rotates each round.

Four-Player (Partnership) Cribbage

Partners sit opposite each other. Each player receives five cards and discards one to the dealer's crib. Partners combine their pegging, using a single shared board track, and the first partnership to reach 121 wins. Partners may not discuss their cards or signal their holdings during play.

Five-Card Cribbage

This is the older two-player form of the game and considered by many to be closer to the original rules. Each player receives five cards and discards two to the crib. The non-dealer is given three points at the start to compensate for the disadvantage of not having the crib. The target is 61 points rather than 121. The game plays faster and gives the crib greater importance.

Auction Cribbage

Before discarding, players bid for the privilege of holding the crib by offering to start the round with a negative score or by giving points to the opponent. The highest bidder takes the crib and the agreed penalty is applied. This variation rewards precise hand valuation and is popular among players who find that the advantage of the crib in standard cribbage is too large.

Cribbage: frequently asked questions