Cards4Couples
Medium · 3/5Adding gamesBritain, 17th century

Cribbage (Six-Card)

Also known as Crib

The classic pub game: score points on a peg board for card combinations that make 15, pairs, runs and flushes, both during play and in your hand, with the dealer earning an extra hand called the crib.

You'll need: One standard 52-card deck, plus a cribbage board and pegs (or any way to track two scores up to 121).

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Objective

Be the first to peg 121 points, scored across many deals from combinations during the play and in the show.

Card ranking

K (high) Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 A (low). Ace is low for runs.

Card values

Ace = 1, 2-10 = face value, J/Q/K = 10 (for the counting-to-31 play and for making fifteens).

Setup

  1. 1Cut for first deal; lower card deals and takes the first crib. Deal alternates thereafter.
  2. 2Dealer deals six cards to each player.
  3. 3Each player discards two cards face down to form the crib (a four-card extra hand that scores for the dealer).
  4. 4The non-dealer cuts the remaining deck and the dealer turns up the top card of the lower portion as the 'start' card. If it is a Jack, the dealer immediately pegs 2 ('two for his heels').

How to play

  • The Play phase: starting with the non-dealer, players alternately lay one card face up in front of themselves, announcing the running total of all cards played.
  • The running total may not exceed 31.
  • If you cannot play without exceeding 31, you say 'Go' and your opponent continues playing if able.
  • When neither can play, the last player to lay a card pegs 1 ('one for last'), or pegs 2 if they hit exactly 31. The count then resets to zero and play continues with remaining cards.
  • Continue rounds until both hands are exhausted.

Scoring during the play

  • Fifteen: playing a card that makes the running total 15 pegs 2.
  • Thirty-one: making the total exactly 31 pegs 2.
  • Pair: playing a card matching the rank of the one just played pegs 2 (a 10 and a Queen are NOT a pair).
  • Pair royal: a third matching rank in a row pegs 6; double pair royal (fourth) pegs 12.
  • Run: completing a run of 3+ consecutive ranks (any suits, played within the current count, not necessarily in order) pegs the length of the run.
  • Last card: pegging 1 for playing the last card of a count (unless you made exactly 31).

The show

  • After the play, players score their hands (the four cards they kept), and the start card counts as a fifth card belonging to every hand and to the crib.
  • Order: non-dealer's hand first, then dealer's hand, then the crib (which scores for the dealer).
  • Fifteen: each distinct combination of cards totaling 15 = 2 points.
  • Pairs: pair = 2, three of a kind = 6, four of a kind = 12.
  • Runs: each run of 3+ consecutive ranks scores its length; a card can count in multiple runs when duplicated ranks are present.
  • Flush: four hand cards of one suit = 4; if the start card matches too = 5. In the crib, a flush scores only if all five cards share a suit.
  • One for his nob: holding the Jack of the same suit as the start card = 1 point.
  • A single card may score in several combinations at once.

Scoring

Scored in points (pegs) · play to 121

Good to know

  • Points are pegged the instant they are earned, so the game can end mid-play or mid-show.
  • You do not need to land on 121 exactly; passing it wins.
  • Optional 'muggins': if a player misses points in their count, the opponent may claim them.
  • Optional 'skunk': a loser under a threshold (often 90, or 60) loses a double stake.

Winning

The first player to reach or pass 121 wins immediately, as long as the opponent has not already pegged out.

Game mechanics referenced from pagat.com (John McLeod); rules text is our own wording.

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