Cribbage is an adding-up game for two. You score points for cards that make , for pairs and for runs, first while playing your cards one by one, then by counting your hand. You record your points by them on a board. First to 121 wins.
It looks like a lot to count. After two or three hands it becomes a rhythm.
Use a standard 52-card deck without jokers. Pictures count 10, aces 1 (aces are always low), other cards their face value. Suits only matter for flushes and jacks.
A cribbage board with two pegs each is traditional. A pen and paper score sheet works just as well.
Each player cuts the deck: the lower card deals first. After that the deal alternates.
The dealer shuffles, the other player cuts, and the dealer deals six cards each, one at a time, starting with the opponent.
In this example you are the dealer and North is your opponent. Your six: 4 of spades, 5 of hearts, 5 of clubs, 6 of diamonds, jack of diamonds and king of clubs.
Both players choose two cards to lay away face down. These four cards form the . It belongs to the dealer and is counted at the end of the hand.
You keep the 5, 5, 6 and jack, and throw the 4 of spades and king of clubs into your crib. North throws in the queen of hearts and ace of clubs.
In your own crib, throw cards that score together. In your opponent’s crib, throw cards that don’t.
North cuts the rest of the deck, and you turn up the top card of the lower half. This counts as a fifth card for both hands and the crib. Here it is the 4 of diamonds.
If the starter is a jack, the dealer pegs 2 at once for .
The dealer quietly hopes for a jack.
Now the players take turns laying one card face up in front of themselves, saying the running total out loud. The total may never go past 31. North, the non-dealer, starts.
North plays the 10 of hearts: “ten”. You play the 5 of hearts: “fifteen for two”. Making exactly 15 in the play scores 2.
Play a card of the same rank as the card just played and you score a pair: 2. A third in a row is a , 6; a fourth is a double pair royal, 12.
North plays the 5 of spades: “twenty for a pair”, 2 for North. You play the 5 of clubs: “twenty-five for six”.
Three or more cards in a row of consecutive ranks make a , in any order: 7, 5, 6 scores 3 for whoever plays the card that completes it.
If every card you hold would take the total past 31, you say . Your opponent carries on playing as long as they can. Whoever plays the last card before the count stops pegs 1, or 2 if the total is exactly 31.
North has the 7 and 8 left: both too high. “Go.” You play the 6 of diamonds: “thirty-one for two”.
31 scores 2 instead of the 1 for last card, never both.
After 31 or a go, turn your played cards face down and count again from zero. The player who did not play the last card starts.
North plays the 7 of clubs, you the jack of diamonds (17), North the 8 of spades (25). No cards left: North pegs 1 for the last card.
The play is over. You pegged 10, North 3.
Jacks can score on their own:
Your jack of diamonds matches the 4 of diamonds, so it is worth 1.
Pick up your four cards again. In each hand is counted together with the starter:
| Each fifteen | 2 |
| Each pair | 2 |
| Run | 1 per card |
| Flush: four cards of one suit | 4, or 5 with the starter |
| His nobs | 1 |
The non-dealer counts first. North: 10 + 5 is fifteen two, 7 + 8 is fifteen four. 4 points.
Your hand: 5, 5, 6, jack and the starter 4. Fifteens: 5 + jack twice, 4 + 5 + 6 twice (8). A pair of 5s (2). Two runs of 4, 5, 6 (6). His nobs (1). 17 points.
Then your crib: king, queen, 4, ace and the starter 4. Four fifteens (8) and a pair of 4s (2): 10 points.
A flush in the crib only counts if all four crib cards and the starter share one suit: 5 points.
Fifteen two, fifteen four...
After this hand you have 10 + 17 + 10 = 37 and North 3 + 4 = 7. Deal passes to North, and the next hand begins.
The first player to reach 121 wins, right then, even in the middle of the play. Because the non-dealer counts first, near the end that order can decide the game.
On a board, move your back peg past your front peg by the points scored, so you can always see your last score.
Point at a dot to see why it matters
Six each. Both players discard two to the crib, so everyone plays with four.
A jack in your hand or crib of the same suit as the starter card. It scores 1 point in the show. If the starter itself is a jack, the dealer scores 2 for his heels.
Every different combination of cards adding up to 15 scores 2. Pictures count 10 and aces 1.
The non-dealer counts first, then the dealer’s hand, then the crib, which belongs to the dealer.
121. The game ends the moment a player reaches it, even during the play.
The classic
The deck most people picture. Poker size, standard faces, shuffles well. If you buy one deck, make it this.
Lasts for years
Two 100% plastic decks in a hard case. Washable and hard to bend, and a double deck is what Canasta and Spider need.
Easy to read
Extra-large numbers and suits. Readable across the table, for kids learning their first game and grandparents alike.
The British classic
The pack found in British homes for generations. Paper cards with a linen finish that fan and shuffle smoothly.
The gift
A luxury deck with a navy and gold tuck box. The one to give, or to bring out when the good whisky is poured.