Cribbage Scoring: The Complete Guide

Scoring is the heart of cribbage. Understanding every scoring combination — and being able to count them quickly and accurately — is what separates casual players from skilled ones.

This guide covers every way to score in cribbage, with detailed examples and systematic counting methods.

Scoring Overview

Points in cribbage are earned in three contexts:

1. During the Play (Pegging) — points scored as cards are played
2. Counting Your Hand (The Show) — points from your 4 cards + the starter card
3. Counting the Crib — the dealer scores the crib (4 discarded cards + starter)

Play Phase Scoring

During the play, the following score:

Pairs During the Play

Pairs must be consecutive — if any other card is played between matching ranks, the pair is broken.

Runs During the Play

Cards do not need to be played in sequence order. If the cards played are 6, 4, 5, that’s a run of 3 for 3 points. If the next card is 7, that’s a run of 4 for 4 points (the earlier run doesn’t also score).

Hand and Crib Scoring

When counting your hand (and the crib), you use all 5 cards: your 4 hand cards plus the starter card. Here are all scoring combinations:

Fifteens — 2 Points Each

Any combination of cards that totals exactly 15 scores 2 points. You can use 2, 3, 4, or even all 5 cards.

Example 1: Hand: 5♠, 10♥, Q♦, K♣ | Starter: 5♣

• 5♠ + 10♥ = 15 (2 pts)
• 5♠ + Q♦ = 15 (2 pts)
• 5♠ + K♣ = 15 (2 pts)
• 5♣ + 10♥ = 15 (2 pts)
• 5♣ + Q♦ = 15 (2 pts)
• 5♣ + K♣ = 15 (2 pts)
• Fifteens: 12 points

Counting tip: Work through combinations systematically — two-card combos first, then three-card, then four-card, then all five.

Pairs — 2 Points Each

Two cards of the same rank score 2 points per pair.

• Pair: 1 combination = 2 points
• Three of a Kind (Pair Royal): 3 combinations = 6 points
• Four of a Kind (Double Pair Royal): 6 combinations = 12 points

Example: Hand: 7♠, 7♥, 7♦, K♣ | Starter: 9♠

• 7♠-7♥, 7♠-7♦, 7♥-7♦ = 3 pairs = 6 points

Runs — 1 Point Per Card

Three or more cards in consecutive rank order (regardless of suit) score 1 point per card in the run.

Key rules:

• Runs go by rank: A-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K
• Aces are always low (A-2-3 is valid; Q-K-A is not)
• Suit doesn’t matter
• Duplicate cards create multiple runs

Example — Simple run: Hand: 3♠, 4♥, 5♦, 9♣ | Starter: K♠

• 3-4-5 = run of 3 = 3 points

Example — Double run: Hand: 3♠, 4♥, 4♦, 5♣ | Starter: 9♠

• 3-4♥-5 = run of 3 (3 pts)
• 3-4♦-5 = run of 3 (3 pts)
• 4♥-4♦ = pair (2 pts)
• Total: 8 points (this is called a “double run of 3”)

Example — Triple run: Hand: 3♠, 3♥, 3♦, 4♣ | Starter: 5♠

• Three runs of 3-4-5 (one with each 3) = 9 pts
• Three 3s = pair royal = 6 pts
• Total: 15 points

Example — Double-double run: Hand: 3♠, 4♥, 4♦, 5♣ | Starter: 5♠

• 3-4♥-5♣, 3-4♥-5♠, 3-4♦-5♣, 3-4♦-5♠ = four runs of 3 = 12 pts
• Two pairs = 4 pts
• Total: 16 points

Flush — 4 or 5 Points

A flush occurs when cards share the same suit.

In your hand:

• 4 cards of the same suit (not counting the starter): 4 points
• 5 cards (4 hand cards + starter) of the same suit: 5 points

In the crib:

• All 5 cards must be the same suit for a flush to count
• A 4-card flush does not count in the crib

Example: Hand: 2♥, 6♥, 9♥, J♥ | Starter: K♠

• Four hearts in hand = 4 points flush

Hand: 2♥, 6♥, 9♥, J♥ | Starter: K♥

• Five hearts = 5 points flush

Nobs — 1 Point

If you hold a Jack that matches the suit of the starter card, score 1 point.

This is called “one for his nob” or simply “nobs.”

Example: Hand: J♥, 3♠, 5♦, 7♣ | Starter: 9♥

• Jack of hearts matches the heart starter = 1 point

Nibs (His Heels) — 2 Points

Separate from hand counting: if the starter card is a Jack, the dealer immediately scores 2 points. This is called “nibs” or “his heels.”

Complete Scoring Examples

Example 1: Moderate Hand

Hand: 4♠, 5♥, 6♦, 6♣ | Starter: 5♠

Fifteens:

• 4 + 5♥ + 6♦ = 15 (2 pts)
• 4 + 5♥ + 6♣ = 15 (2 pts)
• 4 + 5♠ + 6♦ = 15 (2 pts)
• 4 + 5♠ + 6♣ = 15 (2 pts) Fifteens: 8 points

Pairs:

• 5♥ + 5♠ = pair (2 pts)
• 6♦ + 6♣ = pair (2 pts) Pairs: 4 points

Runs:

• 4-5♥-6♦ = run of 3 (3 pts)
• 4-5♥-6♣ = run of 3 (3 pts)
• 4-5♠-6♦ = run of 3 (3 pts)
• 4-5♠-6♣ = run of 3 (3 pts) Runs: 12 points

Total: 24 points

Example 2: The Perfect 29 Hand

Hand: 5♥, 5♦, 5♣, J♠ | Starter: 5♠

Fifteens:

• J + 5♥ = 15, J + 5♦ = 15, J + 5♣ = 15, J + 5♠ = 15 (8 pts)
• 5♥ + 5♦ + 5♣ = 15, 5♥ + 5♦ + 5♠ = 15, 5♥ + 5♣ + 5♠ = 15, 5♦ + 5♣ + 5♠ = 15 (8 pts) Fifteens: 16 points

Pairs:

• Six pair combinations of four 5s = 12 points

Nobs:

• J♠ matches 5♠ starter = 1 point

Total: 29 points — the maximum possible!

Example 3: Zero-Point Hand (The “19 Hand”)

Hand: 2♠, 4♥, 6♦, 8♣ | Starter: K♠

• No fifteens, no pairs, no runs, no flush, no nobs
• Total: 0 points

In cribbage slang, a zero-point hand is often called a “19 hand” because 19 is an impossible score — there’s no valid combination that scores exactly 19 points.

Systematic Counting Method

Use this order to count every possible point in your hand:

1. Fifteens — Check all 2-card, 3-card, 4-card, and 5-card combinations
2. Pairs — Count all matching ranks
3. Runs — Identify consecutive sequences
4. Flush — Check if 4 (or 5) cards share a suit
5. Nobs — Check for a Jack matching the starter’s suit

Pro tip: Always count in the same order. This builds muscle memory and prevents you from missing points.

Common Scoring Mistakes

1. Forgetting the starter card — It’s used in every combination
2. Missing multi-card fifteens — Don’t just check pairs; look at 3, 4, and 5-card combos
3. Under-counting runs with duplicates — Each unique combination of cards counts as a separate run
4. Counting Q-K-A as a run — Aces are always low
5. Claiming a 4-card flush in the crib — Must be all 5 cards
6. Confusing nobs and nibs — Nobs is a Jack in hand matching the starter suit (1 pt); nibs is a Jack as the starter (2 pts to dealer)

Practice your scoring with our Cribbage Score Calculator or play a free game to see scoring in action!