How to Play Cribbage
Cribbage is a card game for two players (three and four player versions exist too) using a standard 52-card deck and a pegboard to keep score. The first player to reach 121 points wins.
Card values
Aces count 1, number cards count their face value, and Jacks, Queens and Kings count 10. For runs, cards keep their natural order: A-2-3 is a run, but Q-K-A is not.
1. Cutting for deal
Each player cuts the deck. The lowest card deals first. After each hand the deal passes to the other player.
2. The deal
The dealer gives each player six cards, one at a time.
3. The crib
Each player chooses two cards and places them face down in the crib. The crib is an extra hand that belongs to the dealer and is scored at the end of the hand. Each player keeps four cards.
4. The starter card
The non-dealer cuts the remaining deck and the dealer turns over the top card of the lower half. This is the starter (or "cut"). It counts as a fifth card for both hands and the crib. If the starter is a Jack, the dealer immediately scores 2 points for his heels.
5. The play (pegging)
Starting with the non-dealer, players take turns laying one card face up and announcing the running total. The total may not go above 31. Points are scored during play:
| During play | Points |
|---|---|
| Total reaches exactly 15 | 2 |
| Total reaches exactly 31 | 2 |
| Pair (same rank as previous card) | 2 |
| Three of a kind in a row | 6 |
| Four of a kind in a row | 12 |
| Run of 3+ (in any order) | 1 per card |
| Go / last card | 1 |
If you cannot play without going over 31, you say "Go". Your opponent keeps playing as long as they can. The last player to lay a card scores 1 for the go (or 2 for reaching exactly 31). The count then resets to zero and play continues until all cards are played.
6. The show
Players pick up their own cards and count their hands together with the starter. The non-dealer counts first, then the dealer counts their hand, then the dealer counts the crib. See the scoring guide for all combinations.
7. Winning
The game ends the moment a player reaches 121, even in the middle of a hand. Because the non-dealer counts first, that order can decide close games.
Skunks
In many clubs, winning by 31 or more points (the loser has under 91) is a skunk and counts as two games. Winning by 61 or more is a double skunk.