Cribbage Rules: How to Play, Score, and Strategize to Win

Cribbage may seem difficult because of the terminology and all the moving parts to the game, but it actually has very few rules. This classic 2-player card game is all about scoring. Every move you make is to maximize scoring combinations to get the highest number of points with each hand.

Since the object of the game is to be the first player to reach 121, understanding the scoring combinations helps you strategize and learn how each part of the game is played. You keep score with a cribbage board, pegging points as you play, which is a unique element to this card game.

If you don’t have a board, you can tally the score by hand or play Cribbage online with Solitaired and have the score kept automatically for you. You can choose from three levels, each of which offer scoring explanations. The easy level is perfect for beginners as it gives hints with each step so you can learn how best to play your hand.

Objective

Be the first player to score 121 points by making various card combinations during gameplay, when scoring your hand, and when scoring your crib. If a player wins but the opponent hasn't reached 91 points, the result is a skunk. If the opponent hasn’t reached 61, the result is a double skunk.

Skunks and double skunks are typically only worth bragging rights, unless you’re scoring multiple games. For example, if a win is worth one point, a skunk will give you two points and a double skunk will give you three. At the end of multiple games, total all your points to see who wins the tournament.

Cribbage Terminology

The game of Cribbage uses some unique terminology linked to gameplay and scoring, so it’s helpful to run through the terms before diving into cribbage rules.

• 31: The total of all played cards can't exceed 31—if your last played card made the total exactly 31, you score two points.
• Crib: A bonus hand built before cards are played—only the dealer gets to score the crib.
• Go: If you can’t play a card without going over 31, you say, “Go,” to indicate that your opponent should play.
• Hand: The four cards left in your hand after you’re dealt six and place two cards in the crib—you play the four cards in your hand during gameplay and then score the cards when it’s time to score your hand.
• Nibs: Turning up a jack as the starter card—this action gives the dealer two points.
• Nobs: If the jack in your hand is the same suit as the starter card, you get one point during the hand’s final scoring phase.
• Pegging: While you always move the pegs on the board to keep score in all parts of the game, this term refers to moving the pegs specifically during gameplay to score the card combinations you play.
• Starter card: After the crib is built, the dealer turns up the top card from the deck. This starter card is only used to help score additional combinations when scoring your hand and the crib after the hand has been played.

How to Set Up and Play: Basic Cribbage Rules

Like many other types of card games, the setup for Cribbage is quite simple. You typically play the game with two people and a standard 52-card deck. However, you can play as two teams if you have four people or with some dealing adjustments if you have three people playing individually, but the rules in this post relate to playing with two players.

Cribbage has few rules that don’t revolve around scoring, which is covered in its own section. Gameplay and scoring are broken into three phases: building the crib, playing the hand, and scoring the hand. So use these next three sections to learn how to play Cribbage and score the combinations of cards, then dive into your first game online or with an opponent in person.

Building the Crib

Before you even play a card, you have decisions to make. One of them is building the crib—a bonus hand that the dealer scores. The role of the dealer alternates between players each hand, so whether you're the dealer or not will influence what cards you choose to place in the crib. With that in mind, let’s break down how dealing and gameplay works.

1. Select the first dealer. Each player takes a card from the deck. The player with the lowest card is the first dealer and gets the crib first. The deal then alternates each hand so each player gets a turn to deal and have the crib.

2. Deal the hand. The dealer shuffles and deals six cards to each player, which the players hold but don’t reveal to their opponent.

3. Build the crib. Each player places two cards facedown in the crib, and the crib is set to the side until after the hand is played and scored.

4. Reveal the starter card. The top card of the deck is flipped face up to reveal the starter card after the crib is built. This card isn’t used during gameplay. When you score your hands and the crib, you use the starter card as an extra card to build more combinations.

Playing the Hand

5. Gameplay begins. The non-dealer begins playing the hand by laying down one card face up and calling out the total. The next player plays one card and calls out the cumulative sum (all face cards are worth 10 and aces are always 1). So if the first card was a nine and the second card played was a queen, the second player calls out “19.”

6. Score points for certain combinations. As you play, you can score points immediately for certain card combinations. For example, if you play a card that makes the cumulative sum 15, you get two points. You also get points for other combinations like pairs, runs, and more. The scoring section explains how to peg points during gameplay.

7. Play until the total reaches 31. Play continues in this manner until the total reaches 31 or both players run out of playable cards. If the hand reaches exactly 31, the player who played the last card gets a bonus 2 points. See the next step if the next card will put the total over 31.

8. Apply the go rule, if needed. If the total isn’t 31 yet, and the next player is left with cards that would put the total over 31, the player must say, “Go.” If the opponent also says, “Go,” then the last person to have laid a card down gets 1 point. If the opponent doesn’t say, “Go,” they can continue laying down cards until they reach 31 or as close as possible to 31.

9. Continue gameplay until all cards are gone from each player’s hand. Clear the face-up cards that were just played and repeat steps 5 through 8 until the players use all the cards in their hand, being sure to peg points while you play.

Scoring the Hand and Crib

10. Return all played cards to each player. Once each player has played all of their cards, return the four cards played to each player so they can score their hand.

11. Score the hands and the crib. The non-dealer always scores their hand first. Then the dealer scores their hand and then the crib. The starter card is used to gain more points when scoring both hands and the crib. For example, if you have a six in your hand, and the starter card is a six, then when scoring your hand, you can use that six from the starter card to score 2 points for having one pair (a pair of sixes).

Cribbage Scoring Rules

You score at three different times during the game.

• Pegging: During gameplay, you can score points for card combinations played, like adding to 15, pairs, runs, and more, which is called pegging.
• Hands: Each player scores their Cribbage hand after all the cards are played, which is called the show or the reveal. Once all the cards have been played, both players’ cards are returned, and the non-dealer scores their hand followed by the dealer. Use the starter card to add even more scoring combinations.
• Crib: Only the dealer has the crib and can score points for it. The starter card is also used to add more scoring combinations with the crib.

Although Cribbage is an easy card game, gameplay can feel confusing unless you understand how each card combination is scored, which is vital to not only knowing which card to play next but also to building a strategy. So keep this list of card combinations handy to reference while you play. Remember that for all of the scoring the ace is always low (ace, two, three; never queen, king, ace).

Strategies to Win at Cribbage

You don’t have to be an experienced player to take advantage of strategies for gameplay. In fact, it helps to strategize when placing cards in the crib and as you think through each play to give yourself the highest possible score.

Because of the unknowns in the game—the cards in the crib, the starter card, what’s in your opponent’s hand, and what’s left in the deck—keeping these strategies in mind can inform your gameplay as well as which cards you give and don’t give up to the crib.

Prioritize the Revealed Cards in Your Hand

Work with what points you know you have for certain in your hand when building the crib (getting rid of two cards) before the hand is played. You will always have unknowns, like other cards in the crib and the starter card, but unlike other card games, you can’t deduce what these cards will be.

Instead of hoping the starter card or crib will contain helpful cards, just keep as many points in your hand as possible and place the two most unhelpful cards in the crib. Then you have a guaranteed number of points when it comes time to score the hand, and any help from the starter card or crib will be a bonus.

So if you have a four and a five, don’t hope the starter card might be a three or a six for a run of three. Instead, see if you have a ten or face card to use with the five to add up to 15, or look for additional fours and fives to make pairs with what you already have.

Leverage the Power of Pairs

Pairs can help you when building the crib as well as when you peg points. Pairs are only 2 points, but if you have a pair, that means you’ve doubled the possibilities with other card combinations.

For example, if you have a pair of queens and also have a two and a three, you now have two different ways to add up to 15. The two plus the three equals five, but add it to one queen for 15 and score 2 points. Then take that same two and three and add it to the other queen for another 15 and score another 2 points. That hand would be a total of 6 points: one pair of queens (2 points) and two sets that add to 15 (2 points for each set).

This becomes even more powerful if instead of queens, you had a pair of fours. Then you have two runs of three (two, three, and four), each of which is 3 points. So the two runs would be 6 points, and the pair of fours would be an additional 2 points, for a total of 8 points.

Pairs can come in handy during gameplay as well. If you have a pair of fives and play one, you may get disappointed if your opponent plays a five on top of the one you just played because they get to peg 2 points for the pair. But as long as you don’t play over 31 points, you can play the other five from your hand on top of the pair and peg 6 points for three of a kind!

Avoid Putting Pairs and Sums of 15 into the Crib

Just like you want to keep sure bets in your hand, if you don’t get the crib, don’t place scoring cards in the crib. Placing a pair of fours in the crib is like starting the hand at -2 because you just gave 2 points to your opponent. Sometimes it can’t be helped if your hand is really good, but usually you’ll find a way to toss the worst cards you can into your opponent’s crib. Your hand may score a bit lower, but that’s better than losing 2 points to your opponent.

Lead with Low Cards—Just Not a Five

More cards in Cribbage have a value of 10 than any other value, so chances are good that your opponent has a card with a value of 10 in their hand. Although it’s not a guarantee that a low lead will keep your opponent from creating a combination for 15 points, keeping your leads low gives you the best defense against just handing your opponent 2 points.

Leading with a five means your opponent could easily play one of the many cards that are valued at 10, which allows them to peg 2 points for adding to 15. However, leading with a card ranked lower than five means your opponent cannot play a card that adds to 15. In fact, it could set you up for making 15!

This then gives you the option of creating a card combination of 15 or bumping the total. For example, if you lead with a three and your opponent adds a six for a total of 9, you could play a six for a combination of 15 and peg 2 points. If you didn’t have a six, you should try to safely bump the total over 15 by playing a seven or higher to avoid giving your opponent an opportunity to peg 2 points.

Take Advantage of Pegging Points

Look for opportunities to make card combinations during gameplay or to hit 31 exactly or play the last card. Even if your hand doesn’t have many points, you can pick up a lot of points by pegging when you play the hand.

Of course, you can play a card based only on the card that just got played and peg some points, but you can maximize the possibilities by deducing what the opponent may have in their hand. Your opponent is likely keeping cards with the same strategy as you.

For example, if they play a queen and a jack, chances are they have another card in their hand valued at 10 that either makes a pair (two queens and/or two jacks) or a run of three (they have a king or 10). They may also have fives to make scoring combinations of 15. That information can inform your gameplay. You wouldn’t want to lead with a card valued at 10 or with a five, figuring they are likely to have cards that match with those to score points.

Understanding what your opponent may have can help you lay down cards that give you the last card played or that maximize a scoring combination. For example, if you’ve figured out they have a four, but you have a pair of fours, lure them to play a four on one of yours. They get just 2 points to peg for the pair, but playing your other four gives you 6 points to peg—four more points than your opponent!

Watch the Score Near the End

With Soliatired, the non-dealer’s hand is scored first, so if that player scores 121, the dealer’s hand isn’t scored and the game is over. In fact, if a player pegs to 121, the game is over and no hands are counted. So the best strategy is to try to stay about 20 points ahead throughout the game to give yourself a buffer.

Of course, staying that far ahead isn’t always possible so watch the score once you or your opponent gets near 100 points. If your opponent is ahead and has the deal, you need to maximize the cards you keep in your hand and try not to give away too many pegged points. You want to be able to peg a lot when the hand is played and have your hand scored to put you at or over 121 before the dealer’s hand is counted.

Peg and Play to Win at Solitaired

Cribbage is fun to play and offers plenty of opportunities to practice different skills and strategies to keep your gameplay sharp. If you want to learn how to play Cribbage or practice maximizing your scoring combinations, start pegging points today and play Cribbage free online at Solitaired.