What Is Cribbage?

Cribbage is a classic card game combining skill, strategy, and a bit of luck. It’s most often played with two players and uses a unique scoring board to track progress. The goal is to be the first player to reach 121 points through a series of card combinations and pegging rounds.

Objective of the Game

Be the first to reach 121 points by forming scoring combinations during both the play and show phases. Points are tracked using a cribbage board with pegs.

Setup

• Players: Typically 2 (also playable with 3 or 4)
• Deck: Standard 52-card deck (no jokers)
• Board: Cribbage board with 121 holes per player and 2 pegs per player

How to Deal

Each player is dealt 6 cards. From these, they choose 4 to keep and discard 2 to the "crib" — a separate hand that only the dealer can score later.

The Cut Card

After discarding to the crib, the non-dealer cuts the deck. The dealer reveals the top card — this is the "starter" card. If it's a Jack, the dealer scores 2 points ("His Heels").

The Play (Pegging Phase)

Players alternate laying down one card at a time, announcing a running total (not to exceed 31). Points are scored during this phase as follows:

• 15: 2 points
• 31: 2 points
• Pair: 2 points
• Three-of-a-kind: 6 points
• Four-of-a-kind: 12 points
• Run of 3+ cards: 1 point per card

If a player can’t play without exceeding 31, they say "Go", and their opponent continues if they can. The last card played scores 1 point ("Go") or 2 if it lands exactly on 31.

The Show (Scoring Hands)

After the play, players score their 4-card hand plus the starter card. Scoring combinations include:

• Fifteen: Any combo totaling 15 = 2 points
• Pair: 2 points
• Three-of-a-kind: 6 points
• Run: 1 point per card
• Flush (4 cards in hand): 4 points (5 if includes starter)
• His Nobs: Jack of same suit as starter = 1 point

The dealer then scores the crib using the same rules.

Scoring & Winning

Points are tracked using pegs on the cribbage board. Pegs leapfrog to show scores. The first player to reach or exceed 121 points wins the game. A "skunk" win (opponent doesn’t reach 91) can count as a double win in some rules.

Cribbage Tips & Strategy

• Hold onto 5s, combos that make 15s, and runs when possible.
• Discard low-scoring cards to your opponent's crib.
• Watch what your opponent discards — it can give clues to their hand.
• Balance scoring potential with defensive discards.