How to play cribbage

The complete rules of six-card cribbage for two, with three- and four-player variations.

The goal

Cribbage is a game for two (or three, or four in partnerships) in which you race to 121 points, pegged on a board as you score. Points come from two places: during the play, as cards are laid one at a time, and in the show, when each hand is counted afterwards.

The deal and the crib

1. Cut for first deal; low card deals. The deal then alternates.
2. Deal six cards each, one at a time.
3. Each player puts two cards face down into the crib, an extra hand that belongs to the dealer and is counted last.

Choosing what to throw is the main decision in cribbage. Try the discard calculator on a real deal.

The cut

The non-dealer (pone) cuts the deck and the dealer turns up the top card of the lower half: the starter. It counts as a fifth card for both hands and the crib. If the starter is a jack, the dealer pegs 2 at once ("his heels").

The play (pegging)

1. Pone plays a card face up and says its value; then players alternate, each announcing the running total. Face cards count 10, aces 1.
2. The total may never pass 31. If you cannot play without passing 31, say "go". Your opponent then plays as many cards as they can; the last player to lay a card pegs 1 (or 2 for exactly 31).
3. The count starts again from zero and play continues until all cards are played. The last card of all scores 1.

Points during the play:

The show

After the play, hands are counted in a fixed order: pone's hand, then the dealer's hand, then the crib. The order matters at the end of a game: pone counts first, so pone can win before the dealer counts.

Each hand counts with the starter as a fifth card: fifteens (2 each), pairs (2 each), runs (1 per card), flush (4, or 5 with the starter), and nobs (1). The crib counts the same way, except that a crib flush needs all five cards. The hand calculator shows each count line by line.

Winning and skunks

The first player to reach 121 wins, at once, even in the middle of the play. If the loser has not reached 91, that is a skunk, often scored as two games; under 61 is a double skunk in many homes.

Three and four players

• Three players: deal five cards each and one to the crib; each player throws one card. Play passes to the left. The first to 121 wins.
• Four players: partners sit opposite. Deal five each; each throws one card to the crib. Partners' points are pegged together.

Common variations

• Muggins: if a player under-counts their hand, the opponent may call "muggins" and take the missed points. Agree before you start.
• 61-point game: one lap of the board, often with five cards dealt and three kept.
• Five-card cribbage: the older game: five cards dealt, three kept, one count to 31, game to 61.

Cribbage tools