Cribbage Online
The classic two-player cribbage game in your browser: build your crib, peg your way through the play and race your opponent around the board to 121.
You vs. the computer in classic six-card cribbage. First to 121 wins!
How to play Cribbage
Each player gets 6 cards and puts 2 of them face down in the crib, which belongs to the dealer. The other player cuts the deck and the top card, the starter, is turned up. If it’s a Jack, the dealer pegs 2 points right away (“his heels”). The deal switches every hand.
Then comes the pegging: starting with the non-dealer, you take turns playing one card at a time and calling out the running total, which can never go over 31. Making exactly 15 or 31 scores 2, a pair scores 2 (three of a kind 6, four of a kind 12) and a run of 3 or more scores 1 per card. If you can’t play without passing 31, you say “Go” and your opponent scores 1 for the last card under 31.
Finally the hands are counted: first the non-dealer’s, then the dealer’s, then the crib, always together with the starter. You score 2 for every combination adding up to 15, 2 for each pair, 1 per card in runs, 4 for a flush (5 if the starter matches; the crib only counts a 5-card flush) and 1 for “his nobs”, the Jack of the starter’s suit. Here every score is shown step by step, and the first player to reach 121 wins.
Frequently asked questions
Which cards should I throw into the crib?
Keep the 4 cards that score best together, especially 5s, 15s, pairs and runs. When it’s your crib, giving it a 5 or a pair helps you; when it’s your opponent’s crib, throw cards far apart, like a King and a 2, that are unlikely to score.
What’s the best possible cribbage hand?
The famous 29 hand: three 5s and the Jack of the remaining suit, with the fourth 5 as the starter. It scores eight 15s, six points for the 5s and 1 for his nobs. A hand worth nothing is jokingly called a “nineteen”, because 19 is impossible to score.
Are there other ways to play cribbage?
This is standard two-player six-card cribbage. Some tables play with 5 cards to 61, with three or four players, or with “muggins”, where you can steal points your opponent forgets to count. A “skunk” means winning before your opponent passes 91.