How to Play Cribbage
Cribbage – A Beginner’s Guide
Cribbage is a fairly famous card game with a history dating back to the 17th century. Although it’s quite popular in places like England, many parts of the world remain unfamiliar with it. If you find yourself among the majority who don’t know much about Cribbage, let alone how to play, then this guide is perfect for you!
In this blog, we’ll walk you through the steps of playing Cribbage, along with many strategies and unexpected rules that new players often don’t know. With that said, let’s dive into how to play Cribbage.
How to Play Cribbage
One of the biggest hurdles to playing Cribbage is that it takes some time to learn the gameplay. You need to understand three separate steps to play correctly: dealing, pegging, and scoring.
You only need a standard deck of 52 cards, so everything should look familiar. Don’t be intimidated though—compared to games like chess, this is relatively easy to pick up.
The Objective of Cribbage
The main goal of Cribbage is to be the first player to score 121 points, which are tracked on a Cribbage board. Points are earned by creating specific card combinations such as pairs, runs, and combinations that add up to 15.
Players earn points during different stages of the game, including during play, from their hand, and from the “crib” (a special extra hand belonging to the dealer). As points accumulate, pegs on the Cribbage board move forward, and the first player to reach the finish line wins.
Dealing
At the start of a Cribbage game, both players cut the deck to decide who deals first. The player who cuts the lowest card becomes the dealer.
The dealer then shuffles and deals six cards to each player. After receiving their cards, each player must select two cards to discard into the crib. The dealer gets the crib hand, so if you’re the dealer, try to discard cards that might score points. If you’re not the dealer, discard cards that are least likely to form good combinations.
Pegging
When learning how to play Cribbage, the pegging phase is critical. After both players decide which cards to keep, they enter the pegging stage.
Players take turns playing one card at a time, announcing the total value of cards played so far. Jacks, Queens, and Kings each count as 10 points, and Aces count as 1.
The goal during pegging is to create scoring combinations. For example, reaching exactly 15 or 31 scores 2 points. Making pairs, three-of-a-kinds, four-of-a-kinds, or runs of three or more cards also scores points.
Players continue playing cards until they cannot play without exceeding 31. When the count reaches 31 or as close as possible without going over, the count resets to zero. Every time points are scored, players advance their pegs on the Cribbage board.
Counting Your Score
After all cards have been played, it’s time to count your score! This is often the most fun part of learning Cribbage. Most points are recorded here, so accurate counting is essential to avoid missing points. Online games usually handle scoring automatically.
Scores are counted using five cards: the four cards in your hand plus the starter card that was cut. Points come from different combinations such as pairs, runs of three or more, flushes, and any groups adding up to 15.
Pairs and 15s are worth 2 points each—these are the most common ways to score. Runs score points equal to their length. For example, a run of 3 cards scores 3 points, a run of 4 cards scores 4 points, and so on.
The non-dealer counts their score first, followed by the dealer who then reveals the crib and scores it using the same rules as their hand.
Continuing the Game
The game continues in this way, with players alternating between dealer and non-dealer roles each round. Make sure to switch who deals each hand, as being the dealer offers a significant advantage.
Now that you’ve learned how to play Cribbage, go ahead and give it a try! You can play it on Coolmath Games or buy a Cribbage board to play with friends in real life. Either way, you’re in for a fun time.
