Cribbage is the 400-year-old two-player card game of fifteens, pairs and runs, played here against a computer opponent with a full 52-card deck and a two-lane pegging board. Each hand you are dealt six cards and throw two into the crib, a bonus hand that belongs to the dealer — and because the deal alternates, so does the crib. A starter card is cut, and a Jack there gives the dealer 2 for his heels. Then the pegging: you take turns laying cards and calling the running count, scoring 2 for fifteen or thirty-one, 2, 6 or 12 for pairs, a point a card for runs, and 1 for the go or the last card. When the cards run out comes the show, counted in the fixed order non-dealer, dealer, crib — an order that decides plenty of close games, because the moment somebody reaches the target the game stops. Every point is counted for you, so there is no muggins and nothing to miss. Twelve levels take you from a 61-point board against a loose opponent to the full 121-point game against one that guards its crib and avoids leading a five. No download, no sign-up.
How to play Cribbage
- Cribbage uses a full 52-card deck. The opponent deals the first hand of every game and the deal alternates after that, so the crib changes hands every deal too.
- Both players get six cards and choose two to throw into the crib. Tap two cards, then To Crib. The crib is a fifth hand that the dealer scores at the end, so throw generously into your own and carefully into theirs.
- A starter card is cut from the rest of the deck. If it is a Jack, the dealer immediately scores 2 for "his heels".
- Pegging: the non-dealer plays first, and you take turns laying a card face-up and adding its value to a running count. Face cards count 10, Aces count 1. You may never take the count past 31.
- Score as you play — 2 for making the count exactly 15, 2 for a pair, 6 for three of a kind, 12 for four, and one point per card for a run of three or more played in a row, even out of order.
- Reach exactly 31 and score 2. If one player cannot lay a card without passing 31, the go is called for them and the other keeps playing. When neither can, whoever played last scores 1 for the go and the count resets to zero. The very last card of the hand also scores 1, unless it made 31.
- When both hands are empty it is the show. Each player counts their four kept cards together with the starter: 2 for every combination adding to fifteen, 2 per pair, one per card for runs, 4 for a four-card flush (5 with the starter), and 1 for nobs — the Jack matching the starter's suit. The crib only scores a flush if all five cards share a suit.
- The show is counted non-dealer first, then dealer, then the crib. First to the target — 61 on levels 1 to 4, then the standard 121 — wins immediately, even mid-count, and unlocks the next level.
Tips
- Fives are gold. A 5 combines with all sixteen ten-value cards for fifteen, so keep them in your hand and never throw one into the opponent's crib.
- Never lead a 5 in pegging. Whatever ten-value card they hold makes fifteen and takes 2 points off you for nothing. Leading a 4 or lower is safest of all: no single card can turn it into fifteen.
- Watch the count as it approaches 21. Leaving it there invites a ten-card for exactly 31, so it is often better to play a bigger card earlier.
- Think twice before pairing your opponent's card. The pair scores you 2, but if they hold the third card of that rank it hands them 6.
- Throw to the crib according to whose it is. Adjacent cards and pairs are worth a lot in a crib; giving them to the opponent's is the biggest single leak in beginners' play. Into their crib, throw cards far apart in rank, such as a King and a 2.
- When choosing your four, think about the starter too. A hand of 4-5-6 with a spare card scores well whatever is cut, while a bare pair needs a lucky starter to grow.
- Being non-dealer late in a close game is an advantage, because you count first and the game stops the moment someone reaches the target — a dealer with a monster hand can lose before ever showing it.
- The classic 29 hand is three fives, the Jack matching the starter's suit, and the fourth five cut. It happens roughly once in 216,000 deals, so do not wait for it.
FAQ
How do you play Cribbage?
Two players are dealt six cards each and both throw two face-down into the crib, which the dealer scores later. A starter card is cut. Players then take turns laying cards and keeping a running count up to 31, scoring for fifteens, pairs, runs and the go. Finally each hand of four is counted with the starter, then the dealer counts the crib. Points are pegged on the board, and the first to 121 wins.
Can you play Cribbage online against the computer?
Yes. This version is one player against a computer opponent, free in the browser with no download, no account and no in-game purchases. Every card responds to tap and the layout wraps to fit narrow screens, so it plays the same on phones, tablets and desktop. The opponent gets stronger over twelve levels, from a 61-point short game to the standard 121.
What is the crib in Cribbage?
The crib is a fifth hand made from the two cards each player throws away at the start. It belongs to the dealer, who counts it as a bonus hand at the show along with the starter card. Because the deal alternates, the crib alternates too — which is why you throw helpful cards into your own crib and junk into your opponent's. A crib flush only counts if all five cards, starter included, share a suit.
How do you count a Cribbage hand?
Add your four cards to the starter and count, in order: 2 for every combination totalling 15, 2 for each pair, one point per card for every run, 4 for a flush in hand (5 if the starter matches), and 1 for nobs. Hand 4-5-6-J with a 5 cut: 4-5-6 twice and J-5 twice is fifteen-eight, the pair of fives makes ten, and the double run of three makes sixteen. The game counts every hand for you.
How does pegging work in Cribbage?
Players alternate laying cards face-up onto a running total that may never pass 31. You score 2 for hitting exactly 15, 2 for a pair (6 for three of a kind, 12 for four), one point per card for a run of three or more, and 2 for hitting exactly 31. When neither player can lay a card without passing 31, the last to play scores 1 for the go and the count restarts at zero. The last card of the hand also scores 1.
What counts as a run in Cribbage?
Three or more consecutive ranks. In pegging they must be played one after another but do not have to arrive in order — 5, 7, 6 is a run of three worth 3 points — and a repeated rank breaks it, so 5, 6, 6 is not a run. In the show, runs are counted with multiplicity: 4-5-5-6 contains the run 4-5-6 twice, so it scores 6 for runs plus 2 for the pair. Aces are always low, so Q-K-A is not a run.
What are his nobs and his heels in Cribbage?
Both involve a Jack. His heels (also called his nibs) is when the starter card cut after the discard is a Jack: the dealer pegs 2 straight away, and it can even win the game. His nobs is holding the Jack of the same suit as the starter in your hand or crib, which scores 1 at the show. This version scores both automatically.
What is the highest possible Cribbage hand?
29 points. It needs three fives and the Jack of one suit in hand, with the fourth five cut as the starter in that same suit as the Jack. That gives eight different fifteens for 16, four of a kind fives for 12, and one for nobs. Nothing scores higher, and 19 cannot be scored at all, which is why players jokingly call a hand worth nothing "a nineteen hand".
What is a skunk in Cribbage?
A skunk is a traditional side rule for the 121-point game: if the loser finishes below 91, more than 30 points behind, the winner is often credited with a double game, and below 61 is a double skunk. This version plays single games and does not score skunks — a win simply unlocks the next level — but the final board shows both totals, so you can see when you would have skunked your opponent.
Why does the non-dealer count first in Cribbage?
Because it balances the dealer's crib. The game ends the instant somebody reaches the target, so in a close finish the non-dealer's hand is counted while the dealer's hand and crib may never be counted at all. This version enforces that order and stops scoring at the target exactly as the rules require, including mid-pegging.
How many points do you play to in Cribbage?
121 in the standard game — twice round a traditional board — or 61 for a shorter game once round. This version uses 61 on the first four levels and 121 from level 5 onward. Points beyond the target are never counted: the winner's peg stops at exactly 61 or 121, and the game ends there even mid-pegging.
How many levels does Cribbage have?
Twelve, and what changes is the opponent rather than the rules. On levels 1 to 3 it keeps a fairly random four and lays its first legal card. From level 4 it keeps whichever four cards score best across every possible starter, and from level 7 it also weights its discard by whose crib it is, avoids leading a five and avoids leaving the count on 21.