How Cribbage Scoring Works: Fifteens, Pairs, Runs and the Crib Explained

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Learn cribbage scoring in a fixed order — fifteens, pairs, runs, flush and nobs — with worked examples, the 29 hand, and why 19 is a joke.

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Cribbage is one of the oldest card games still played every day, and its scoring is what keeps players hooked for life. Here is how a hand is counted, step by step, with worked examples.

Few card games reward careful counting like cribbage. Invented in 17th-century England and credited to the poet Sir John Suckling, it is still a fixture of kitchen tables, pubs and submarine wardrobes. New players usually pick up the rules of play in one evening. Then they freeze when it is time to count their hand. The good news is that cribbage scoringlink outside website follows a small set of combinations that repeat in every hand. Learn to spot them in a fixed order and counting becomes second nature.

This guide walks through every way to score, the order to count in, and a few hands to practise on.

A quick refresher: how a hand of cribbage flows

In the standard two-player game, each player is dealt six cards and discards two face down into the crib, a bonus hand that belongs to the dealer. The non-dealer cuts the deck and the dealer turns up the top card, the starter (or "cut"). If the starter is a jack, the dealer immediately scores 2 points, called "his heels".

Play then has two scoring phases:

  • The play (pegging): players alternately lay cards face up, calling out the running total, which may not exceed 31.
  • The show: each player counts their four-card hand together with the starter, and the dealer counts the crib last.

Points are recorded by moving pegs along the cribbage board. The first player to reach 121 points wins, even if it happens in the middle of a hand.

Card values

Before anything else, remember the values used whenever cribbage asks for a total:

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

Suits only matter for flushes and for "nobs" (see below).

Scoring during the play

While cards are being laid, you score for:

  • Fifteen: bringing the running total to exactly 15 scores 2.
  • Thirty-one: bringing it to exactly 31 scores 2.
  • Go: if your opponent cannot play without passing 31, you score 1 for the last card. (31 itself already scores 2, not 2 + 1.)
  • Pairs: playing a card of the same rank as the previous one scores 2. Three in a row scores 6, and four scores 12.
  • Runs: if the last three or more cards played form a sequence in any order, you score 1 per card. For example, 4-6-5 scores 3 for the player who completed it.

Example: you lead a 7 and your opponent answers with an 8. They call "fifteen for two". You play another 8 for "twenty-three and a pair for two".

Counting the show: the five scoring combinations

In the show, your four cards plus the starter form a five-card hand. Count it in the same order every time and you will never miss points:

1. Fifteens: 2 points each

Every distinct combination of cards that adds up to 15 scores 2. A card may be used in several combinations. A hand of 5-5-10 with a King starter contains four fifteens: each 5 with the 10, and each 5 with the King. That is 8 points before you look any further.

2. Pairs: 2 points each

Every pair of matching ranks scores 2. Three of a kind contains three pairs (6 points) and four of a kind contains six pairs (12 points).

3. Runs: 1 point per card

Three or more cards in sequence score 1 per card. Watch for double runs: 6-7-8-8-9 holds two separate runs of four (6-7-8-9 with each 8), worth 8 points, plus 2 for the pair of 8s.

4. Flush: 4 or 5 points

Four cards of the same suit in your hand score 4, and 5 if the starter matches too. In the crib, a flush only counts when all five cards share a suit.

5. Nobs: 1 point

Holding the jack of the same suit as the starter scores 1.

Worked example: counting a 16-point hand

Your hand is 7♣ 8♦ 8♠ 9♥ and the starter is 6♣.

  • Fifteens: 7 + 8♦, 7 + 8♠ and 6 + 9 make three fifteens, 6 points.
  • Pairs: the two 8s, 2 points.
  • Runs: 6-7-8-9 using each 8 gives a double run of four, 8 points.
  • Flush and nobs: none.

Total: 16 points. Experienced players simply say "fifteen-six, a pair is eight, and a double run of four is sixteen."

The famous 29 hand (and why 19 is a joke)

The highest possible hand in cribbage is 29: three 5s and the jack in your hand, with the fourth 5 as the starter in the jack's suit. It adds up to eight fifteens (16), four 5s (12) and nobs (1). The odds of being dealt it are roughly 1 in 216,580.

Some scores between 0 and 29 are impossible, and 19 is the most famous of them. That is why "nineteen" became the traditional cribbage table joke for a hand worth nothing.

Order of counting and the crib

After the play, hands are counted in a fixed order: non-dealer first, then the dealer's hand, then the crib. The order matters in a close game. Late in a match, the non-dealer may count out and win before the dealer ever reaches their own points.

The crib is counted exactly like a hand, with the stricter flush rule above. Because the dealer owns it, smart discarding means feeding your own crib good cards when you deal and starving your opponent's crib when you do not. Splitting 5s, pairs and cards that total 15 is usually a gift to whoever owns the crib.

Winning big: skunks

A standard game goes to 121. If the loser has not reached 91 when the winner finishes, the game is a skunk and often counts as two wins. Under 61 is a double skunk. Many players keep a running tally of skunks on the board's spare peg holes.

Practise until it is automatic

Counting speed comes from repetition. Go through every hand in the same order (fifteens, pairs, runs, flush, nobs) and you will soon see "fifteen-six and a run of three is nine" at a glance. The rules have barely changed since Suckling's day, and the history of cribbage on Wikipedialink outside website is a fun read if you want the full story.

If cribbage is your entry point into classic card games, the card games section here on Cards Realmlink outside website has plenty more to explore once you have pegged your first 121.

Cribbage Scoring FAQ

In what order should you count a cribbage hand?

Count fifteens first, then pairs, runs, flush, and nobs. Using this fixed order every time prevents missed points and makes counting automatic through repetition.

What is a double run in cribbage?

A double run is a sequence of three or more cards containing a pair, scoring two runs plus the pair. For example, 6-7-8-8-9 scores 10 points.

Why is 19 called a joke in cribbage?

No hand can score exactly 19 points. Because the score is impossible, saying "nineteen" at the table is a traditional joke for a hand worth nothing.

What is the highest possible cribbage hand?

The highest hand is 29 points, made of three 5s and a jack in hand, with the fourth 5 as starter in the jack's suit. Cribbagelink outside website

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