Cribbage has been played for over 400 years and it’s still one of the best two-player card games ever invented. If you’ve never played before, this guide will walk you through everything you need to get started.
What You Need to Play
Cribbage is simple to set up. All you need is:
- A standard 52-card deck (no jokers)
- A cribbage board and pegs for keeping score
- Two players (the game also works with three or four)
The cribbage board is what makes the game unique. Players use pegs to track their score as they play — moving around the board until someone reaches 121 points and wins.
The Goal of the Game
Be the first player to peg 121 points. Points are scored in two ways — during the play of cards and when counting your hand at the end of each round. The combination of live play scoring and hand counting is what makes cribbage so interesting and keeps experienced players coming back.
Cutting for First Deal
Before the first hand both players cut the deck. The player who cuts the lowest card deals first. Aces are low. If both players cut equal cards, cut again. After the first hand the deal alternates between players for the rest of the game.
The Deal
The dealer shuffles the deck. The non-dealer cuts it, and the dealer distributes six cards to each player one at a time starting with the non-dealer. The rest of the deck is set aside, and will be used next.
Building the Crib
Each player looks at their six cards and discards two cards face down into a separate pile called the crib. The crib belongs to the dealer and will be scored as a bonus hand at the end of the round — so the dealer wants good cards in it and the non-dealer wants to bury cards that won’t help.
Choosing what to discard is one of the key strategic decisions in cribbage and something you’ll get better at with experience.
The Starter Card
Once the crib is set, the non-dealer cuts the remaining deck and the dealer turns over the top card. This is called the starter card or cut card. It won’t be played during the hand but it counts as a fifth card for both players when scoring hands at the end of the round.
If the starter card is a Jack, the dealer immediately scores 2 points. This is called “nibs”.
Playing the Cards
Starting with the non-dealer, players take turns laying one card face up on the table and announcing the running total. Face cards count as 10, aces count as 1, and number cards are face value.
Points are scored during play for the following:
- Fifteen — if your card brings the running total to exactly 15, score 2 points
- Thirty-one — if your card brings the total to exactly 31, score 2 points
- Pairs — if your card matches the rank of the card just played, score 2 points. Three in a row scores 6, four in a row scores 12
- Runs — if the cards played form a sequence of three or more (in any order), score 1 point per card
- Go — if you cannot play a card without the total exceeding 31, say “go.” Your opponent plays as many cards as possible without going over 31, then scores 1 point for the last card played (or 2 points if they hit 31 exactly)
After a go or a 31 the count resets to zero and play continues with remaining cards until all cards have been played. The player who plays the very last card of the round scores 1 point.
Each time you score, move your back peg forward on the board leapfrogging over your front peg. The distance between your back peg and front peg should equal the points just scored.
Counting Your Hand
Once all cards have been played, players count their hands using their four cards plus the starter card as a fifth card. The non-dealer counts first, then the dealer counts their hand, then the dealer counts the crib.
Hands are scored for:
- Fifteens — any combination of cards adding to 15 scores 2 points each
- Pairs — 2 points per pair (3 of a kind = 6 points, 4 of a kind = 12 points)
- Runs — 3 or more cards in sequence score 1 point per card
- Flush — 4 cards of the same suit in your hand score 4 points. If the starter card also matches, score 5 points
- Nobs — a Jack in your hand that matches the suit of the starter card scores 1 point
To avoid missing points, count your hand in this order every time: fifteens first, then pairs, then runs, then flushes, then nobs.
The Skunk and Double Skunk
If you reach 121 points before your opponent reaches 91 you’ve skunked them — a double win. If they haven’t reached 61 it’s a double skunk. These rules add an extra incentive to keep pegging even when you’re well ahead. These lines are marked on our cribbage boards and are commonly placed markers. Don’t get skunked!
Muggins
In competitive play the Muggins rule is often in effect. If a player miscounts their hand and misses points, their opponent can call “Muggins” and claim those missed points for themselves. It keeps both players honest and paying attention.
Winning the Game
The first player to reach 121 points wins. If a player reaches 121 during the play of cards the game ends immediately — you don’t wait until the end of the round.
Playing with Three or Four Players
Cribbage isn’t just a two-player game. With a few small adjustments it works great for three or four players — a good option for family game nights or when you have an extra person at the table.
Three Player Cribbage
With three players the deal and crib work a little differently. The dealer deals five cards to each player and one card directly into the crib. Each player then discards one card into the crib bringing it to the standard four cards. Everything else — the starter card, play of cards, hand counting, and scoring — follows the same rules as the two player game.
Each player has their own set of pegs and tracks their own score on the board. First player to 121 wins.
Four Player Cribbage
Four player cribbage is played as two teams of two. Partners sit across and crossways from each other at the table so that play alternates between teams as cards go around clockwise — you play a card, then your opponent, then your partner, then the other opponent, and so on. This keeps the game balanced and means no team plays two cards in a row.
The dealer deals five cards to each player and each player discards one card into the crib bringing it to the standard four cards. The crib belongs to the dealer’s team.
Every player plays their own hand individually during pegging and hand counting, but all points scored go toward their team’s total. Both players on a team share the same track on the board and use two pegs leapfrogging as usual. First team to 121 wins.
A standard two track cribbage board works perfectly for four player team play — one track per team.
A Few Tips for New Players
- Count your hand carefully and in order — missing points is how games are lost
- Think about the crib when discarding — if you’re the dealer, keep cards that work together. If you’re the non-dealer, break up strong combinations
- Watch your opponent’s pegging — knowing where they are on the board changes how aggressively you play
- The best possible hand in cribbage is 29 points — three fives and a Jack, with the fourth five as the starter card matching the Jack’s suit. It’s rare enough that many experienced players never see one
Ready to Play?
All you need is a deck of cards and a good board. Browse our handcrafted aluminum cribbage boards and precision-machined metal pegs — built to last through thousands of games and made right here in Minnesota.
