Cribbage
Play cards, count fifteens and race your peg to 121.
How to play Cribbage
Cribbage is a classic card game for two players with a 52-card deck and a peg board. Here you play against the computer. You move your peg along the board each time you score. The first player to reach 121 points wins, even in the middle of a hand.
The deal and the crib
Each player gets six cards. Both players put two cards face down into the crib, an extra hand that belongs to the dealer. Then the top card of the deck is turned up as the starter. If it is a Jack, the dealer scores 2 ("his heels"). The deal changes every hand.
Pegging
- The non-dealer plays first. Players take turns laying one card face up and saying the running total. Picture cards count 10, Aces 1.
- The total may not go over 31. If you cannot play, you say Go and your opponent keeps playing as long as possible.
- Score 2 for making the total exactly 15 or 31, 2 for a pair, 6 for three of a kind, 12 for four of a kind and 1 point per card for a run of three or more (in any order).
- The last player to lay a card before a Go scores 1. Then the count starts again from zero. The very last card of the hand also scores 1.
The show
Now each hand is counted together with the starter: first the non-dealer's hand, then the dealer's hand, then the crib. You score 2 for each combination of cards that adds up to 15, 2 for each pair, 1 per card for each run, 4 for a flush of four cards in the hand (5 if the starter matches) and 1 for nobs, the Jack of the same suit as the starter. A crib only scores a flush when all five cards match.
Playing on this site
Tap two cards and press Send to crib. While pegging, tap a glowing card to play it. The game says Go for you and does every count automatically. Each scoring line is listed under the table; touch a line to see its cards light up. If the loser has fewer than 91 points, they are "skunked".
Strategy tips
- Feed your own crib, starve the other. When you deal, put good cards like 5s, pairs and close ranks in the crib. When the computer deals, give it cards far apart, such as a King and a 2.
- Keep the 5s. Every picture card and 10 makes 15 with a 5. A hand with a 5 and a few tens is often worth 6 to 8 points.
- Don't lead a 5 or make the count 5 or 21. A ten card then gives your opponent 15 or 31. Leading with a card under 5 is safe because no 15 is possible.
- Watch for pairs and runs. If you pair the computer's card, it may answer with three of a kind for 6. Play into a run only when you can extend it yourself.
- Count the board. Near the end, pegging points matter more than big hands. If you are close to 121, play to peg safely.
Cribbage FAQ
What does "fifteen two" mean?
It is how players count a hand out loud. Each group of cards that adds up to 15 is worth 2, so they say fifteen two, fifteen four and so on, then add pairs and runs.
What is the crib?
Both players throw two cards into the crib at the start of the hand. It belongs to the dealer and is counted last, with the starter card.
What is a 29 hand?
The best possible Cribbage hand: three 5s and the Jack, with the fourth 5 of the Jack's suit as the starter. It scores 29 points.
What is a skunk?
If you win while your opponent still has fewer than 91 points, they are skunked. In some clubs it counts as a double win. The red dashed line on the board marks the skunk line.
