Cribbage Free Online | Rules, Pegging Strategy & Scoring

Cribbage is one of the most played card games in the world, and one of the least understood. Most people have played it, most people have forgotten the rules, and almost nobody knows the optimal strategy. This guide covers all three.

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How Cribbage Works (Quick Version)

Two players. A standard 52-card deck. First to 121 points wins.

Each round has three phases:

1. Discarding: Each player is dealt 6 cards and discards 2 face-down into "the crib" — a bonus hand that belongs to the dealer
2. Pegging: Players alternate playing cards, scoring for combinations, until all cards are played
3. Counting: Each player scores their hand; the dealer also scores the crib

The dealer alternates each round. Being the dealer is a small advantage because you get to score the crib.

Card Values in Cribbage

• Ace = 1
• 2 through 10 = face value
• Jack, Queen, King = 10

Unlike most card games, suits only matter for flushes and "nobs" (explained below). The Jack of clubs is worth 10 whether you're counting fifteens or playing pegging.

Phase 1: What to Discard

Before pegging starts, both players pass 2 cards to the crib.

When you're the dealer (the crib is yours):

• Keep your best scoring cards in hand
• Send cards that help the crib: 5s are powerful (they combine with any 10-card for a fifteen), pairs help, cards close in value help runs

When you're not the dealer (the crib is your opponent's):

• Try to "spoil" the crib: discard wide-value cards that won't combine easily
• Classic anti-crib discards: King and Ace (spread 12 apart), wide gaps, mismatched suits
• Avoid giving them 5s or 10-cards — those are crib gold

Phase 2: Pegging Strategy

Players take turns placing a card face-up and announcing the running total. The count resets when 31 is reached or nobody can play without exceeding 31.

Score during pegging for:

• Fifteen: Running total hits exactly 15 → 2 points
• Thirty-one: Running total hits exactly 31 → 2 points
• Pair: Your card matches the last card played → 2 points
• Pair Royal: Three cards of the same rank in a row → 6 points
• Double Pair Royal: Four of the same in a row → 12 points
• Run: Three or more cards in sequence (any order, any suit) → 1 point per card
• Last card: Playing the final card when opponent can't go (but doesn't hit 31) → 1 point ("Go")

Pegging tip — the 5 and 10-card trap: Playing a 5 when the count is at 10 means your opponent can play any 10-card (10, J, Q, K) to score 15. Avoid playing a 5 when the count is 10. Conversely, play a 5 when count is 0-4 so your opponent can't immediately score off it.

Defensive pegging: If you're behind, peg aggressively. If you're ahead by a lot, play defensively — avoid plays that let your opponent score.

Phase 3: Hand Scoring

After pegging, players count their hands. The non-dealer goes first; then the dealer counts hand and crib.

Score for:

• Fifteens: Every combination of cards totaling exactly 15 → 2 points each
• Pairs: Each pair → 2 points (three of a kind = 3 pairs = 6 pts, four of a kind = 6 pairs = 12 pts)
• Runs: Three or more cards in sequence → 1 point per card. A run of four = 4 pts. Double run (e.g., two 4s and a 3 and a 5) scores the run twice
• Flush: Four cards same suit in hand → 4 points. All five (including starter) same suit → 5 points
• Nobs: Jack in hand with same suit as the starter card → 1 point
• Nibs (or "Heels"): Dealer flips a Jack as the starter card → 2 points immediately

The starter card: After discarding, the top card of the remaining deck is flipped (the "cut" or "starter"). It's added to everyone's hand for scoring purposes only — not for pegging. If it's a Jack, dealer immediately scores 2 points.

The Best Cribbage Hands

• 29 points: Perfect hand. Jack as starter + 5, 5, 5, J of same suit as starter. Absurdly rare.
• 28 points: Four 5s + 10-card starter (or J+5+5+5 with non-matching Jack). Still very rare.
• 24 points: Several ways to get here, usually involving three 7s or three 8s with the right starter.

In practice, a 12-16 point hand is very good. Anything over 20 in a hand is exceptional.

Common Scoring Mistakes

Missing runs: A hand with 3, 4, 5, 5 contains TWO runs of three (3-4-5 and 3-4-5 using the other 5). Count each complete sequence separately.

Forgetting multiple fifteens: A hand of 7, 8, 7 contains three fifteen combinations: 7+8 (first 7), 7+8 (second 7), and 7+8 (both 7s... wait, that's 22). Actually: 7+8=15 (twice) = 4 points, not a triple. Learn to systematically check all combinations.

Overcounting pairs: Three of a kind looks like one pair but it's three pairs (A-B, A-C, B-C). That's 6 points.

Cribbage vs the AI

The cribbage AI on PlayBrain plays competent but beatable cribbage. Key things it does well: efficient pegging, basic fifteen construction. Where it's beatable: it doesn't always discard optimally to spoil your crib.

Strategy to beat it:

1. Always discard to protect your hand — don't over-gift the crib
2. Keep pairs and runs over isolated high cards
3. In pegging, play a card that scores now rather than setting up future scoring for your opponent

Why Cribbage Is Worth Learning

Cribbage has a 400-year track record. It was reportedly invented by the English poet Sir John Suckling in the early 1600s. It's popular in pubs across the UK, in retirement communities across North America, and in military barracks worldwide.

The scoring system looks complex but clicks quickly. After 5 games you'll be counting fifteens automatically. After 20 you'll have pegging instincts. It's genuinely one of the best 2-player card games ever designed.

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