Cribbage
Peg your way to 121: fifteens, runs, pairs and a sneaky crib against the computer.
How to play Cribbage
You and the computer are each dealt six cards and lay two away to the "crib", an extra hand that belongs to the dealer, whose turn to deal alternates each round. Cut a starter card, then take turns in the play, laying cards so the running total never passes 31 and pegging points for hitting fifteen or thirty-one, for pairs, and for runs. Then comes the show: each player counts their hand plus the starter for fifteens (2 each), pairs, runs, a flush, and "nobs" (the Jack of the starter's suit), and the dealer also scores the crib. Click two cards then DISCARD to build the crib, and click a card to play it. First to peg 121 wins.
The two decisions that decide every hand
Cribbage is a race to 121 points, pegged out on a board, and almost all of it comes down to two choices made over and over. First: which two of your six cards do you throw to the crib? Second: which card do you play during the pegging? Get those right more often than the computer and the board takes care of itself.
The crib belongs to the dealer, and that fact changes everything about the throw. When it is your crib, feed it well: a pair, two cards that add to fifteen, or cards that could grow into a run. When it is the computer's crib, do the opposite. Break up your good spares and toss junk, ideally a King with a low off-suit card that rarely combines into anything. A decent rule for the throw: count what your four keepers would score with a neutral starter, then ask what your two discards might hand the crib, and weigh one against the other.
Counting tips that add up fast
- Fives are gold. Four other ranks are worth ten each, so any five pairs with a huge number of cards to make fifteen. A hand stuffed with fives and tens scores heavily.
- Never lead a five into the play. The computer holds a ten-value card far too often and will peg an easy fifteen right on top of it.
- Leading a four or lower is safer, because the opponent cannot reach fifteen with a single reply.
- Chase pairs and runs in the play. Following the computer's card with one that makes a pair or extends a run pegs you points a card at a time.
- Remember nobs: holding the Jack that matches the starter's suit is a quiet extra point in the show.
A show you can count in your head
Counting looks scary and is not. Take a real hand: you hold 7, 8, 8, 9 and the starter is a 6. Fifteens first. Seven plus eight makes fifteen, and with two 8s that happens twice, four points. Six plus nine is another fifteen, two more. Now runs: 6, 7, 8, 9 is a four-card run, and the second 8 gives you that run twice over, eight points. The pair of 8s adds two. Total: sixteen. Count in that order every time, fifteens, then runs, then pairs, then flush and nobs, and you will stop leaving points on the table. The show is also where the deal's rhythm matters. The dealer counts the crib on top of their hand, so a fat crib can swing a round by ten points on its own.
Winning the pegging duel
The play to 31 is a fencing match, and a few habits win it. Do not be the player who brings the count to 21, because every ten-value card then makes 31 against you. Pair the computer's card only when you could stand a third of that rank landing on yours. Keep touching cards like a 4 and a 5 together late in the play, since they give you chances at runs while the count is still low. When the count sits high, a face card is often the safest throw because it leaves so few replies. None of this is flashy. Pegging is a game of small denials, two points refused here, two stolen there, and across a race to 121 those little swings decide who pegs out first. Position should colour it all, too. Far behind late in the game, throw your crib bold and peg recklessly, because a safe loss is still a loss; sitting on a lead, do the opposite and give nothing away.
Four hundred years of pegging
Cribbage is credited to Sir John Suckling, an English poet and gambler, around 1630. He took an older game called Noddy, added the crib, and the design has barely moved since; the game on your screen is the one his century played. Suckling was a rogue about it too. The writer John Aubrey claimed he shipped marked decks to country houses across England, then toured those houses winning at cards. The game later crossed the Atlantic and dug in deep. It became the classic pastime of American submarine crews in World War II, and by tradition the oldest submarine in the US Pacific fleet still carries the personal cribbage board of wartime skipper Dick O'Kane in its wardroom.
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Cribbage: frequently asked questions
How does scoring work in Cribbage?
You score two points for every combination of cards adding to fifteen, two for each pair, one point per card in a run of three or more, points for a flush, and one for "nobs": holding the Jack that matches the starter card's suit. Points are pegged during the play (for fifteens, thirty-ones, pairs, runs and the last card) and again in the show when hands and the crib are counted.
What is the crib?
The crib is a fifth hand made from the two cards each player discards. It is scored by the dealer after both hands are counted, so you want to keep strong cards for yourself and only feed the crib helpful cards when it is your own.
What does "his heels" and "his nobs" mean?
If the cut starter card is a Jack, the dealer immediately pegs two points. That is "his heels." Separately, if you hold the Jack of the same suit as the starter in your hand or crib, that Jack is worth one point, known as "his nobs."
Is Cribbage free to play?
Yes. Cribbage runs free in your browser against the computer, with no download and no sign-up, in a clean style with a full peg board and correct scoring.
Whose points is the crib worth?
The dealer's. The crib is a fifth hand built from the four cards both players discard, and only the dealer counts it. That is why you throw good cards into your own crib and junk into the computer's.
How many points is a fifteen?
Two, every time. Any combination of cards adding up to fifteen scores two points, both during the play and in the show, which is why five-value and ten-value cards are so prized.
What is nobs?
If you hold the Jack of the same suit as the cut starter card, that is worth one point, called nobs, counted in the show. It is small, but in a tight race to 121 single points decide games.
Why should I not lead a 5 in the play?
Because tens, Jacks, Queens and Kings all count as ten, the opponent very likely holds one, and playing it on your five makes fifteen for an easy two points. Leading a low card denies them that gift.
How does the deal alternate?
The role of dealer switches each round. Since the dealer gets the crib, that advantage passes back and forth, so a hand where you feed good cards to the computer's crib is balanced by the next one, where the crib is yours.
What is the best possible cribbage hand?
Twenty-nine points: three 5s and a Jack in hand, with the 5 of the Jack's suit cut as the starter. The four 5s and the Jack combine for eight fifteens worth sixteen, the four 5s add twelve more in pairs, and nobs makes twenty-nine. Many lifelong players never see one dealt.
Is Cribbage free to play?
Yes. Cribbage is completely free on Inkplay, with no download, no sign-up, and no in-game purchases. Open the page and play instantly on desktop or mobile.
Can I play Cribbage unblocked?
Yes. Cribbage runs entirely in your browser with no download, install, or plugins, so it loads instantly and keeps working even on school or work networks where bigger game sites get blocked.
More games to play
In the mood for more? Try Chess, Tic Tac Toe, Connect Four, Reversi, or browse all board games and the full games list on Inkplay. Cribbage also appears in Card Games.