How to Play Cribbage
Cribbage is a classic card game scored on a pegboard, loved for its mix of luck and clever play. This guide walks through the deal, the crib, pegging to 31 and counting your hand, so you can play your first game with confidence.
By the Multiplayer Games team · Updated · Rules checked against the sources below
Objective
Be the first to peg 61 points.
Setup
Two players are dealt six cards each. The dealer alternates every hand and owns the crib that round.
Cribbage rules, step by step
- Discard to the crib. Each player puts two cards face down into the crib, which scores for the dealer at the end of the hand.
- Cut the starter. A card is turned up from the deck. It counts as part of both hands and the crib.
- Pegging. Players take turns laying cards and calling the running total, which can't go over 31. Score for making 15 or 31, pairs, and runs.
- Go. If you can't play without passing 31, say 'go'. Your opponent keeps playing while they can, scores a point for the last card, and the count restarts.
- Count the hands. The non-dealer counts first, then the dealer, then the crib: fifteens (2 each), pairs (2), runs (1 per card), flushes and his nobs (the jack of the starter's suit).
- Win. The first player to reach 61 wins — even mid-hand.
Cribbage variants, and the rules we use
Cribbage is played slightly differently from place to place. These are the variants you're most likely to meet:
- 121 points. The full game, twice round the board.
- Three or four players. Five cards each, with partners in the four-player game.
- Muggins. If a player misses points while counting, the opponent can claim them.
How Cribbage works in Multiplayer Games:
- Played to 61 — the classic short game, once round the board.
- Hands, the crib and pegging are scored automatically.
- Go: if your opponent can't play, you keep playing while you can, and the last card scores 1.
- The dealer alternates every hand.
Cribbage strategy for beginners
- When you're the dealer, throw good cards into the crib — it's yours. When you're not, throw cards that don't combine well.
- Keep cards that make fifteens with 5s and 10-value cards; 5s are the most valuable card in the game.
- Avoid leading a 5 when pegging — it lets your opponent make 15 with any ten-card.
- Late in the game, peg defensively if your opponent is close to 61.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Giving your opponent's crib 5s or pairs.
- Forgetting to count runs that use the starter card.
Cribbage terms explained
- Crib
- The extra hand made from both players' discards; it scores for the dealer.
- Starter (cut)
- The card turned up after discarding; it counts in every hand.
- Pegging
- The play phase, where cards are laid towards 31.
- Go
- Said when you can't play without passing 31.
- His heels
- 2 points to the dealer when the starter is a jack.
- His nobs
- 1 point for the jack of the starter's suit in your hand.
A short history of Cribbage
Cribbage was invented in the early 17th century by the English poet Sir John Suckling, who based it on an older game called noddy. It's still the only common game scored on a pegboard.
It has a strong following in the UK, the US and Canada, and the American Cribbage Congress runs tournaments and publishes official rules. A full game goes to 121 points — twice round the board.
Cribbage FAQ
Sources
We checked these rules against:
