What are the basic rules of cribbage?

Cribbage is a 2-player card game played with a standard 52-card deck and a 121-hole cribbage board. Each player is dealt 6 cards and discards 2 face-down to the dealer's crib . The non-dealer cuts and the dealer turns up a starter card (if it's a Jack, dealer pegs 2 for ‘his heels’). Players then take turns playing cards face-up in front of themselves, calling the running total. The total may never exceed 31. Points are pegged for hitting 15, 31, pairs, runs, and the last card / a Go. Then comes the show — non-dealer counts their hand first, dealer next, and the dealer counts the crib last. First to 121 points wins.

How do you score in cribbage?

During the play , you peg for: hitting exactly 15 (2 points), exactly 31 (2 points), a pair (2), pair royal of 3 (6), double pair royal of 4 (12), a run of 3+ consecutive cards (1 per card), and the last card or a Go (1 point). During the show , you count every distinct combination of your 4 hand cards plus the starter: each fifteen = 2, pair = 2, run = 1 per card, a 4-card flush = 4 (or 5 if the starter matches), and his nobs (Jack of the starter's suit) = 1. Face cards count as 10 and Aces as 1 for fifteens and the running total.

What is the crib in cribbage?

The crib is a separate 4-card hand made up of the two cards each player discards face-down at the start of the deal. It belongs to the dealer and is scored last, after both players have shown their own hands. The starter card counts as a fifth card for the crib too. Because the crib is the dealer's extra hand, non-dealers usually discard low-value cards or split-up combinations to it, while the dealer tries to keep cards that pair well with whatever might come over.

What is the highest possible hand in cribbage?

The highest possible hand in cribbage is 29 points , formed by holding the Jack of one suit plus all three other 5s, with the matching-suit 5 turned up as the starter (for example J&diams;-5&spades;-5&clubs;-5&hearts; with 5&diams; as starter). That scores: eight 15s (16 points) + four-of-a-kind 5s (12 points) + his nobs (1 point) = 29. It's a famously rare hand — most players never see one in a lifetime of play.

What is a skunk in cribbage?

A skunk happens when the winner reaches 121 while the loser is still under 91 points — it counts as a double game in tournament and league play. A double skunk is when the loser hasn't even reached 61, and counts as a triple game. (These are the ACC tournament thresholds; some traditions use under 90 / under 60.) Skunks aren't part of the basic two-player home game scoring, but they're standard in match-play formats and add an incentive to keep pegging hard even when you're trailing.

What is Muggins in cribbage?

Muggins is an optional rule where, if a player undercounts or misses points in their hand or crib, the opponent may call “Muggins!” and peg those missed points for themselves. It's off by default, and most tournaments do not use it either unless it is announced in advance. Decide whether you're playing with Muggins before the first hand — once it's agreed, you have to count carefully or you'll start handing free points to your opponent.

Free Printable Cribbage Rules — How to Play

About Free Printable Cribbage Rules

His heels is when the starter card itself is a Jack: the dealer pegs 2 at once. His nobs is when you hold the Jack of the same suit as the starter: you score 1 in the show. Both can happen in the same hand.

By the ToolFluency team · Updated October 2026

Cribbage is a two-player card game played with a standard 52-card deck and a pegboard to keep score. You earn points for fifteens, pairs, runs and flushes, first while playing cards in turn (pegging) and then by counting your hand and the dealer's crib. The first player to reach 121 points wins, usually in 15 to 30 minutes. The full printable rules sheet, with a board diagram and complete scoring charts, is on this page.

How to play Cribbage

Cut the deck; the lower card deals first (Ace is low). The dealer deals 6 cards to each player, one at a time.
Each player discards 2 cards face down to form the crib, a 4-card hand that belongs to the dealer.
The non-dealer cuts and the dealer turns up the top card of the lower half: the starter. If it is a Jack, the dealer pegs 2 for his heels.
The play: starting with the non-dealer, take turns laying a card face up in front of you and calling the running total. Face cards count 10 and Aces 1. Peg 2 for hitting exactly 15, 2 for a pair, 1 per card for runs of 3 or more.
The total can never pass 31. If you cannot play, say "Go"; your opponent plays any cards they can, then pegs 2 for exactly 31 or 1 for the last card. The count resets to zero and the player who did not play last leads again.
The show: pick your cards back up and count your 4 cards plus the starter. The non-dealer counts first, then the dealer, then the dealer counts the crib with the starter.
Move your front peg forward for every score, leap-frogging the rear peg. The deal then passes to the other player.
The first player to reach 121 wins immediately, even in the middle of a count. A loser still under 91 is skunked (double game), and under 61 is double-skunked (triple game).

Cribbage scoring

Combination	Points	When
Fifteen	2	Play and show (each distinct combination in the show)
Thirty-one	2	Play
Go / last card	1	Play
Pair	2	Play and show
Three of a kind (pair royal)	6	Play and show
Four of a kind (double pair royal)	12	Play and show
Run of 3 or more	1 per card	Play and show
Flush in hand	4, or 5 if the starter matches	Show
Flush in crib	5 only if all 4 crib cards and the starter match	Show
His nobs (Jack of the starter's suit)	1	Show
His heels (starter is a Jack)	2 to dealer	Cut

Examples

Strategy tips

When it is your crib, keep 5s and cards that make fifteens with them in the crib. When it is your opponent's crib, avoid giving them 5s, pairs or touching cards like 7-8.
Do not lead a 5 in the play. Any 10-count card your opponent holds makes 15 and pegs 2.
Leading a 4 or lower is safe, because your opponent cannot reach 15 with one card.
Be careful pairing your opponent's card when they may hold a third, since that gives them a pair royal for 6.
Keep a low card late in the play so you can squeeze in under 31 and take the go or the 31.
Count fifteens first, then pairs, then runs, then flush and nobs, in the same order every time so you do not miss points.

Example: counting a hand

You hold the 5 of clubs, 5 of hearts, 10 of spades and Jack of diamonds, and the starter is the 4 of spades. There are four fifteens (each 5 with the 10, and each 5 with the Jack) for 8 points, plus the pair of 5s for 2. There is no run, no flush and no nobs, so the hand scores 10.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between his heels and his nobs?

His heels is when the starter card itself is a Jack: the dealer pegs 2 at once. His nobs is when you hold the Jack of the same suit as the starter: you score 1 in the show. Both can happen in the same hand.

Does a 4-card flush count in the crib?

No. In your hand, four cards of one suit score 4, or 5 if the starter matches. In the crib, a flush only counts when all 4 crib cards and the starter share one suit, for 5 points.

How do double runs score?

Count each run separately plus the pair. For example, 4-5-5-6 contains two runs of 3 (6 points) and a pair (2 points), for 8, before counting any fifteens.

Does the starter card count during pegging?

No. The starter is only used in the show, where it counts as a fifth card for both hands and the crib.

Who wins if both players could reach 121 in the same hand?

The non-dealer, because their hand is counted first and the game ends the moment anyone reaches 121. That is why the counting order matters.

What is the highest possible cribbage hand?

29 points: a Jack and three 5s in hand, with the fourth 5, of the Jack's suit, as the starter. That is eight fifteens (16), four of a kind (12) and his nobs (1).

How do you play cribbage with 3 or 4 players?

With 3, each player gets 5 cards and discards 1 to the crib, and the dealer adds 1 card from the stock to make 4. With 4, partners sit opposite, each player gets 5 and discards 1, the crib belongs to the dealing team, and one player per team keeps the pegs.

Part of ToolFluency’s library of free online tools for Printables. No account needed, no data leaves your device.

You might also need

♠Cribbage Hand Counter ♠Cassino Rules ♠Poker Rules ♠Klondike Solitaire Rules ♠Gin Rummy Rules

Embed this tool on your site (free)

Paste this where you want the tool. Please keep the attribution link.

<iframe id="tf-cribbage-rules" src="https://toolfluency.com/tools-v2/printables/games/cribbage-rules.html?embed=1" width="100%" height="640" loading="lazy" style="border:1px solid #e2e2e2;border-radius:12px;max-width:760px" title="Free Printable Cribbage Rules by ToolFluency"></iframe>
<script>addEventListener("message",function(e){var f=document.getElementById("tf-cribbage-rules");if(f&&e.source===f.contentWindow&&e.data&&e.data.tfEmbedHeight){f.height=e.data.tfEmbedHeight}});</script>
<p>Powered by <a href="https://toolfluency.com/tools-v2/printables/games/cribbage-rules.html">Free Printable Cribbage Rules</a> — free tools by ToolFluency</p>