Cribbage for Beginners
Cribbage looks complicated, but it is easy once you play a few hands. Here is the short version.
The goal
Be the first to score 121 points. You score during play and when counting your hand.
A hand in five steps
- Get six cards.
- Put two in the crib.
- Turn up the starter card.
- Take turns playing cards and counting up to 31, scoring for 15s, 31s, pairs and runs.
- Count your hand with the starter.
The three things to remember
- 15s score 2.
- Pairs score 2.
- Runs score 1 per card.
First tips
- Keep 5s and 10-value cards together.
- Don't throw 5s into your opponent's crib.
- Lead with a low card.
The fastest way to learn is to play. Our free cribbage game counts every hand for you and shows how each point was scored. For the full rules see how to play cribbage.