Cribbage Rules
Cribbage Rules
Object
To be the first to score 121 points or over. Points are scored mainly for
combinations of cards: pairs, triplets, fours, and run sequence of 3 or more
cards either occurring during the play or occurring in a player’s hand or in
the cards discarded before the play, which form the crib.
Board, Pegs & Score
The Cribbage score is kept by means of a board and pegs kept as they occur
with each player using two pegs alternately: the forward peg shows the
player’s latest score, and the rear peg shows the previous score.
Deal and Discard
In two-handed cribbage, each player is dealt 6 cards then selects two cards
to discard to form a 4-card crib. This 4-card crib is set aside until the
end of the hand. The crib will count for the dealer. Non-dealer (or Pone)
will try to throw cards that are unlikely to make valuable combinations, but
must balance this against keeping a good hand for himself. The dealer may
sometimes find it pays to place good cards in the crib – especially if they
cannot be used to best advantage in the hand.
Starter Card
After the discard, the Pone or non-dealer cuts the cards and the dealer
turns the top card face up. This is the starter card - it will count for
combinations as part of both players’ hands as well as for the dealer’s crib
after the play of cards when each player is counting up their hands. If the
starter card is a Jack, the dealer immediately pegs 2 holes - this is called
Two for his heels.
Play of the Cards
Starting with the non-dealer, the players take turns playing single cards.
You play your own cards to form a face-up pile in front of yourself, keeping
them separate from the other players’ cards. In this stage of the game the
total pip value of the cards played by both players must not exceed 31. The
pip values of the cards are:
Ace = 1; 2 to 10 = face value; jack = 10; queen = 10; king = 10.
As each card is played, a running total is kept until the accumulated score
reaches 31 without going over. If a card is played which brings the total
exactly to 31, the player who did it pegs 2 points and announces ‘31 for 2′.
If you cannot play a card without going over 31 you declare a “GO” and your
opponent must play any cards that will not put the accumulated score over
31. When no more plays can be made and the score is under 31, a final “GO”
is declared and one point is awarded to the player who last laid down a card.
The cards that have been played are turned over and a fresh round of play
starts with the un-played cards in exactly the same way. The opponent of the
player who played last in the previous round (scoring Thirty one for two or
One for last) plays first in the new round. This second round of play again
continues until neither can play without going over 31. The last player
again scores “1 for last” or “31 for 2″, and if either player has any cards
left there is a further round. Play continues for as many rounds as
necessary until both players’ cards are exhausted. Towards the end, it may
happen that one player has run out of cards but the other still has several
cards. In that case the player who still has cards simply carries on playing
and scoring for any combinations formed until all his cards have been played.
Example: Player A has king-king-2-2; player B has 9-8-7-6.
First round: A plays king - “10″; B plays 6 - “16″; A plays king - “26″; B
says “go”; A plays 2 - “28″; A plays 2 - “30 for 3″. A pegs 3, namely 2 for
the pair of twos and 1 for playing the last card of this round.
Second round: B plays 8 - “8″; A has no cards left so cannot do anything;
B plays 7 - “fifteen two” (B pegs 2 points); B plays 9 “24 for 3 and 1 for
last” (B pegs 4 points: three for the run 7-8-9 and one for playing the last
card).
Please note: it is never possible to score “one for last” and “31 for 2″ at
the same time. They are alternatives. If you make exactly 31 for two points
you do not get an additional “one for last”.
Tactical note: It is often worth keeping low cards in hand for this phase of
the game, especially when there is a strong possibility of being able to peg
out before one’s opponent.
Scoring During Play
A player who makes any of the following scores during the play pegs them
immediately:
15: If you play a card which brings the total to 15 you peg 2 claiming
Fifteen two.
31: As mentioned above, if you play a card which brings the total to exactly
31 you peg 2.
Pair: If you play a card of the same rank as the previous card (e.g. a king
after a king) you peg 2 for a pair.
Triplet: If immediately after a pair a third card of the same rank is
played, the player of the third card scores 6 for pair royal.
Double Pair Royal: Four cards of the same rank, played in immediate
succession. The player of the fourth card scores 12.
Run: A run or sequence is a set of 3 or more cards of consecutive ranks
(irrespective of suit) - such as 9-10-jack or 2-3-4-5. The cards do not have
to be played in order, but no other cards must intervene. Score equals to a
number of cards in a run.
Last Card: If neither player manages to make the total exactly 31, whoever
played the last card pegs 1.
The Show
All of the cards that were put down during the play are now retrieved and
score for combinations of cards held in hand. First the non-dealer’s hand is
exposed, and scored. The start card also counts as part of the hand when
scoring combinations. All valid scores from the following list are counted:
15: Any combination of cards adding up to 15 pips scores 2 points. For
example king, jack, five, five would count 8 points (four fifteens as the
king and the jack can each be paired with either five). This combination
would be marked as fifteen: eight.
Pair: A pair of cards of the same rank score 2 points. Three cards of the
same rank contain 3 different pairs and thus score a total of 6 points for
pair royal. Four of a kind contain 6 pairs and so score 12 points.
Run: Three cards of consecutive rank (irrespective of suit), such as
ace-2-3, score 3 points for a run. A hand such as 6-7-7-8 contains two runs
of 3 (as well as two fifteens and a pair) and so would score 12 altogether.
A run of four cards, such as 9-10-J-Q scores 4 points (this is slightly
illogical - you might expect it to score 6 because it contains two runs of
3, but it doesn’t. The runs of 3 within it don’t count - you just get 4),
and a run of five cards scores 5.
Flush: If all four cards of the hand are the same suit, 4 points are scored
for flush. If the start card is the same suit as well, the flush is worth 5
points. There is no score for having 3 hand cards and the start all the same
suit. Note also that there is no score for flush during the play - it only
counts in the show.
One For His Nob: If the hand contains the jack of the same suit as the start
card, you peg One for his nob or nibs
After a non-dealer’s hand has been shown and the score pegged, dealer’s hand
is shown, scored and pegged in the same way. Finally the dealer exposes the
four cards of the crib and scores them with the start card. The scoring is
the same as for the players’ hands except that a flush in the crib only
scores if all four crib cards and the start card are of the same suit. If
that happens the flush scores 5.
Three-Handed Cribbage
Deal five cards each and one card in the crib. Each player discards one card
in the crib bringing the total to 4 crib cards. Each player pegs their own
line.
Four-Handed Cribbage
Deal five cards to each player. Each player discards one in the Crib for a
total of 4 crib cards. The two players seated opposite play as partners and
peg the same line. Play continues alternately and when counting each hand’s
count contributes to the team score as does the crib for the dealing team.
An alternative form is four handed cut-throat or four players playing as
individuals like three handed cribbage.