Cribbage

How to play Cribbage

Cribbage is a card game for two, played here against a computer opponent called Ben. You score points by making fifteens, pairs and runs, both while you play your cards and when you count your hand afterwards. The first player to reach 121 points wins. At a real table, players keep score by moving pegs along a cribbage board; here, the two tracks at the top of the table do the same job.

The deal and the crib

At the start of the game you and Ben each cut a card, and the lower card deals first. After that, the deal changes hands every hand. Each player gets six cards and chooses two to put face down into the crib, an extra hand that belongs to the dealer. Then a card is turned up from the deck: the starter. If the starter is a Jack, the dealer scores 2 straight away, “two for his heels”.

Pegging: playing your cards

• The player who didn't deal goes first. You take turns laying one card at a time, adding up a running count: number cards count their number, Jacks, Queens and Kings count 10, and an Ace counts 1.
• Score 2 for bringing the count to exactly 15, and 2 for exactly 31.
• Score for matching the card just played: 2 for a pair, 6 for three of a kind and 12 for four.
• Score for a run: three or more cards in a row, like 4, 6, 5, played one after another in any order. A run scores a point for each card in it.
• The count can never go past 31. If you can't play without passing it, you say “go” (the game does this for you) and your opponent plays on as far as they can. The last player to lay a card scores 1 for the go, and the count starts again at zero. The very last card of the hand also scores 1.

The show: counting your hand

When all the cards have been played, each hand is counted together with the starter: the non-dealer's hand first, then the dealer's, then the dealer's crib. Every combination that adds up to 15 scores 2, every pair scores 2, every run scores a point per card, four cards of one suit score 4 (5 if the starter matches; the crib needs all five), and the Jack of the starter's suit scores 1, “one for his nob”. The game counts every hand out loud for you, just as players do at the table: “fifteen 2, fifteen 4, and a pair is 6.”

Because the non-dealer counts first, the order matters near the end: the game stops the moment someone reaches 121, even in the middle of pegging or the count.

Tips

• Keep the cards that score together. Fives are the most valuable cards, because any ten-card makes 15 with them. Pairs, runs and cards that add up to 15 are worth keeping.
• Think about whose crib it is. When it's your crib, put in cards that work well together, like a pair or a 5. When it's Ben's, throw cards that are unlikely to help, like a King and a far-off low card.
• Lead a low card. With a card under 5, your opponent can't make 15 with the next card.
• Avoid leaving the count at 5 or 21. So many cards are worth 10 that your opponent can often make 15 or 31 from there.
• Use the hint. It suggests which two cards to throw and says how many points the four you keep are guaranteed to score, and during pegging it explains each play.

Questions

What's a skunk?

If the loser finishes more than 30 points behind (with 90 or fewer when the winner reaches 121), it's called a skunk. In our test games it happened in about one game in seven.

Is any money involved?

No. Cribbage here is played just for fun: there's no betting, no prizes and no real money, and nothing to buy.

Does Ben cheat?

No. Ben sees only one hand of cards, plus the cards that have been played, follows the same rules as you, and chooses which cards to keep by working out what each choice scores on average. In our tests, a player making the same choices as Ben won about half the games, and hands averaged about 8 points.

How long does a game take?

A game to 121 usually takes about 8 hands, around 15 to 20 minutes at a relaxed pace. Your game saves itself after every card, so you can stop at any time and carry on later on the same device.

What is the game number?

Every game has a number, and the same number always cuts and deals the same cards. Share the link to play the same game as a friend, or try today's game, which is the same for everyone.