Cribbage Scoring Explained

In cribbage you score two points for every fifteen and every pair, one point per card in a run of three or more, four or five for a flush, and one for nobs. The dealer also pegs two for a jack starter, and points are won while laying cards too: fifteens, thirty-ones, pairs, runs and go.

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The hand is counted with the starter as a fifth card. Our hand counter will check any hand for you, and the rules page explains when each hand is counted.

Fifteens: two points each

Count an ace as 1, the 2 through 10 at face value and jack, queen and king as 10. Every different group of two or more cards that adds up to exactly 15 scores 2. The same card may be used in as many fifteens as it fits. A 5 with a king is a fifteen; a 5 with two kings is two fifteens; a 5, 5, 5 is a fifteen on its own. With a 5 and three ten-cards you already have six points.

Pairs: two points, six or twelve

Two cards of the same rank score 2. Three of a kind, a pair royal, scores 6, because it contains three different pairs. Four of a kind, a double pair royal, scores 12 for six pairs. Only matching rank counts. A queen and a king do not pair, even though both are worth 10.

Runs: one point per card

Three or more cards in consecutive rank, in any suit, make a run. Three cards score 3, four score 4 and five score 5. Ace is always low, so A-2-3 works, but Q-K-A does not. When you have repeated ranks inside a run, each different path through the run counts:

Fifteens are counted separately. The hand 6-7-7-8 with a king, for instance, has the run points above, a pair, and two fifteens from 7 plus 8, which gives 6 + 2 + 4 = 12. The hand 7-8-8-8 with a 9 starter scores 9 + 6 and then three fifteens (6) for 21.

Flush: four or five points

If all four cards in your hand are one suit, you score 4. If the starter also matches, you score 5. The crib is stricter: it scores only when all five cards match, and then it is worth 5. A four-card flush with a different starter is worth nothing in the crib.

Nobs and his heels

If you hold a jack of the same suit as the starter, you score 1 for nobs. It applies to your hand or the crib, and only the jack in your own four cards counts, never the starter. If the starter itself is a jack, the dealer pegs 2 as soon as it is turned. This is called his heels, and it can be a quick way for the dealer to build a lead.

Pegging points

While the cards are being laid down, a running count is kept. These scores go to the player who plays the card:

A run during play only has to consist of the last few cards in any order. Playing 4, 6, then 5 makes a run of three, even though they were not laid in sequence, but it must be the most recent consecutive cards. An unrelated card in between breaks it.

A worked example

Your hand is 4♠ 5♥ 5♦ 6♣ and the starter is the king of spades. Start with fifteens: each 5 with the king makes 15, which is two fifteens (4 points). The 4, 5 and 6 together also make 15, once with each five, which is two more (4 points). That is 8 points. Next, the two fives are a pair, 2 points. Finally, 4-5-6 is a run of three, and because there are two fives you have two of them, 6 points. In total 8 + 2 + 6 = 16. Say it aloud as you peg: "fifteen two, fifteen four, fifteen six, fifteen eight, and a pair is ten, and a double run is sixteen." Check any similar hand in the hand counter.

To use these points well, read the strategy guide.

Frequently asked questions