How to Play Cribbage
Cribbage is a card game for two players (three- and four-player versions exist too) played with a standard 52-card deck and a pegboard for keeping score. Points come from making combinations: cards that add up to 15, pairs, runs and flushes. You score them twice in every hand, first while playing cards one by one and then when counting your hand. The first player to 121 points wins. This page explains the standard two-player, six-card game used on kawu.
Card values and order
- Counting value: Ace = 1, 2–10 = face value, Jack, Queen and King = 10.
- Order for runs: A-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K. The ace is always low, so Q-K-A is not a run.
The deal and the crib
- Cut for the first deal; on kawu it is chosen at random. After that, the deal alternates every hand.
- The dealer gives six cards to each player.
- Each player chooses two cards to discard face down. These four cards form the crib, a bonus hand that belongs to the dealer.
What you throw matters. When it's your crib, give it cards that score well together, such as a 5 or a pair. When it's your opponent's, avoid giving them those.
The cut and his heels
The non-dealer cuts the remaining deck and the dealer turns over the top card: the starter (or "cut card"). It counts as a fifth card for both hands and the crib.
His heels: if the starter is a Jack, the dealer immediately pegs 2 points.
The play (pegging)
Starting with the non-dealer, players take turns laying one card face up in front of them and announcing the running total. The total may never go above 31.
You score for the card you just played:
| You make | Points |
|---|---|
| A total of exactly 15 | 2 |
| A total of exactly 31 | 2 |
| A pair (same rank as the previous card) | 2 |
| Three of a kind in a row ("pair royal") | 6 |
| Four of a kind in a row ("double pair royal") | 12 |
| A run of 3 or more among the most recent cards, in any order | 1 per card |
Runs in the play don't have to be in order: 4, then 6, then 5 makes a run of three. The run must be formed by the most recent cards with no other card in between; 4-6-9-5 is not a run.
Go
If you can't play without going over 31, you say "Go". Your opponent keeps playing as long as they can. Whoever played the last card before nobody could continue pegs 1 point for the go. If they reach exactly 31, they score the 2 for 31 instead and no extra point. The total then goes back to 0 and play continues, starting with the opponent of whoever played last.
Last card
Whoever plays the last card of the hand pegs 1 point, unless that card made 31, which already scored 2.
The show (counting the hands)
After the play, each player picks their four cards back up and counts them together with the starter, in this fixed order:
- The non-dealer's hand
- The dealer's hand
- The crib (scored by the dealer)
Each counts as a five-card group (four cards + starter):
| Combination | Points |
|---|---|
| Each different group of cards that adds up to 15 | 2 |
| Each pair | 2 (three of a kind = 6, four = 12) |
| Each run of 3 or more | 1 per card, for every different combination |
| Flush: all four hand cards the same suit | 4, or 5 if the starter matches |
| Crib flush: all four crib cards and the starter the same suit | 5 |
| Nobs: a Jack of the starter's suit in the hand or crib | 1 |
Every combination counts separately, so cards are used again and again. The best possible hand is 29: three 5s and the Jack in hand, with the fourth 5 cut as the starter, matching the Jack's suit.
Not sure how much a hand is worth? Try our cribbage score calculator. On kawu the show lists every combination and highlights its cards.
Winning
The first player to reach 121 wins immediately, even in the middle of the play or before the other hand is counted. This is why the non-dealer, who counts first, sometimes "counts out" before the dealer can.
Skunks
If the winner reaches 121 while the loser is still below 91, it's a skunk; below 61 is a double skunk. Players often count these as two or three games. Turn skunks off in settings if you prefer.
The pegboard
A cribbage board has two (or three) tracks of holes. Each player uses two pegs and moves the back peg in front of the front peg by the number of points scored, so the gap always shows the latest score. Once around the board and back is 120 holes; the 121st is the game hole.
Common variants
- Five-card cribbage, the original form: five cards each, two to the crib (the dealer's opponent gets 3 points at the start), played to 61.
- Three-player cribbage: five cards each, one card from the deck to the crib, 121 points.
- Four-player cribbage: partners, five cards each, one discard each.
- Muggins: if a player misses points in their count, the opponent may claim them. kawu counts every hand for you, so muggins is off.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards do you deal in two-player cribbage?
Six cards each. Each player then discards two face down to form the crib, which belongs to the dealer, so everyone keeps four cards and the crib has four.
Who scores the crib?
The dealer. The crib is counted last, after both hands, and its points go to whoever dealt that hand.
What is 'his heels' and what is 'nobs'?
His heels: if the starter card cut from the deck is a Jack, the dealer pegs 2 at once. Nobs: in the show, a Jack in your hand (or the crib) of the same suit as the starter is worth 1.
Does a four-card flush count in the crib?
No. In your hand, four cards of one suit score 4 (5 if the starter matches). In the crib, a flush only counts if all four crib cards and the starter are the same suit, for 5.
Can you win in the middle of a hand?
Yes. The game ends the moment a player reaches 121, whether during the play or the show. That's why the order of counting (non-dealer first) matters near the end.
What is a skunk?
Winning while your opponent is still below 91 points. Below 61 is a double skunk. Many players count a skunk as two games won.
Last updated 2026-10-17