About Cribbage Hand Counter: Count Any Cribbage Hand Free
Add up fifteens (2 each), pairs (2 each), runs (1 a card), a flush (4 or 5) and his nobs (1), using your four cards and the starter. The counter lists each one so you can check yourself.
By the ToolFluency team · Updated October 2026
Count any cribbage hand in seconds. Pick the four cards in the hand and the starter (the card cut from the deck), and the counter scores the show the way a player says it out loud: fifteen two, fifteen four, a pair is six, and so on. Every fifteen, pair, run, flush and his nobs is listed, and pointing at a line lights up the cards that make it, so you can see where each point comes from. Tick Count it as the crib and the flush follows the crib rule (all five cards the same suit). Practice mode deals random hands for you to count yourself, then checks your total.
How to count a cribbage hand
- Pick the first card: press its rank, then its suit. The counter moves on to the next card by itself. Pick four cards for the hand, then the Starter.
- To change a card, tap it on the table and pick again.
- Read the count on the right. Fifteens: every group of cards that adds up to 15 (picture cards are 10, an ace is 1) scores 2.
- Pairs: every two cards of the same rank score 2, so three of a kind is 6 and four of a kind is 12.
- Runs: three or more cards in a row score one point a card. A double run (like 6 7 7 8) counts each run separately.
- Flush: four hand cards of one suit score 4, or 5 with the starter. In the crib only a five-card flush counts. His nobs: the jack of the starter's suit in your hand scores 1.
- Choose Practice counting to get random hands, type your count and press Check.
Examples
Counting tips
- Count in the same order every time: fifteens, pairs, runs, flush, nobs. That is how players say it at the table, and it stops you missing points.
- Look for 5s first: every 5 makes fifteen with each 10, J, Q and K.
- A double run (two runs that share cards) with a pair is 8; a double double run (like 6 6 7 7 8) is 16 before fifteens.
- The best possible hand is 29: three 5s and the jack in hand with the fourth 5 of the jack's suit cut as the starter.
- A hand that scores nothing is jokingly called a nineteen hand, because 19 is a score you cannot make.
Frequently asked questions
How do you count points in cribbage?
Add up fifteens (2 each), pairs (2 each), runs (1 a card), a flush (4 or 5) and his nobs (1), using your four cards and the starter. The counter lists each one so you can check yourself.
What is the highest cribbage hand?
29: three 5s and the jack in hand, with the fourth 5 of the same suit as the jack cut as the starter. 19, 25, 26 and 27 are impossible.
How is the crib counted differently?
The crib is counted the same way, except a flush only counts if all five cards, including the starter, are the same suit. Tick Count it as the crib.
Does the starter count toward a flush?
A four-card flush in your hand scores 4 without it, and 5 if the starter is the same suit too.
Is this cribbage counter free?
Yes. Count as many hands as you like, free, with no sign-up.
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