What Is Pone in Cribbage? The Non-Dealer Explained
What 'pone' means in cribbage, why the non-dealer is called pone, the advantages and disadvantages of the pone position, and how it affects strategy.
What Is Pone in Cribbage?
Pone (rhymes with “bone”) is the cribbage term for the non-dealer — the player who did not deal the current hand. The deal alternates every hand, so you’ll be pone roughly half the time over a full game.
Origin of the Word
“Pone” comes from an old Latin card game term meaning “put” or “place.” It appeared in early English card game literature and was adopted into cribbage when the game was codified in the 1600s. Today it’s used exclusively as the cribbage term for the non-dealer.
Pone’s Responsibilities
During each hand, the pone has specific duties:
| Phase | Pone’s Role |
|---|---|
| Deal | Receives cards dealt by the dealer |
| Discard | Chooses 2 cards to give to the dealer’s crib |
| Starter card | Cuts the deck for the dealer to flip the starter |
| Pegging | Leads the first card — plays before the dealer |
| Show | Counts their hand first — before the dealer |
| After hand | Becomes the next dealer |
The Pone’s Advantages
1. Leads in Pegging
The pone plays the first card in the pegging phase. This is a real advantage:
- You control the opening card and set the initial count
- Playing a 4 or lower as pone prevents the dealer from immediately making fifteen (a 10-value card + your lead card wouldn’t reach 15 if you lead 4 or lower)
- You have more information on the first response — you can react to the dealer’s play
2. Counts First
The pone counts their hand before the dealer counts theirs or the crib. In cribbage, the game ends the instant a player reaches 121 — regardless of what phase of counting is happening.
This means: if pone’s hand count takes them to 121, the game is over. The dealer’s hand and crib are never counted. The pone wins.
This is a crucial advantage in close games. When pone is within a hand’s count of winning, the dealer’s crib advantage becomes irrelevant. See Positional Play for how this changes endgame decisions.
The Pone’s Disadvantages
1. No Crib
The crib belongs to the dealer. The pone contributes 2 cards to it but receives no benefit from its score. The crib averages approximately 4–5 points per hand. Over a full game with ~10 hands each as dealer, this represents roughly 40–50 bonus points that pone never gets.
2. Discarding Into the Enemy Crib
As pone, every discard benefits the opponent. You’re not just giving away cards — you’re actively helping the dealer score. This constrains your discard options compared to when you’re the dealer.
When you’re the dealer, you can discard cards you’d like to score in your crib. When you’re pone, you must choose between optimizing your own hand and minimizing the dealer’s crib boost — sometimes these goals conflict.
Pone Discard Strategy
As pone, your discard philosophy is the opposite of when you’re the dealer:
| As Dealer | As Pone |
|---|---|
| Give crib high-value cards | Give crib low-value garbage |
| Feeding crib a 5 is fine (you benefit) | Never give crib your 5s |
| Matching suited cards to crib = good | Disconnected cards to crib = good |
| Cards that form runs/fifteens to crib = fine | Avoid giving cards that already make 15 |
Best pone discards:
- K-9, K-8, Q-9, Q-8 — high value but totaling 17+, no fifteen together, no run
- Two unconnected face cards (K-J, Q-J) if they don’t form a run sequence
Worst pone discards:
- Any 5 — it will make fifteens with every face card the dealer holds
- Two cards that together make 15 (5-10, 6-9, 7-8)
- Two cards that form the start of a run (7-8, 8-9)
Is Dealer or Pone Better?
Over a full game, the dealer has a slight edge due to the crib advantage. However:
- At specific board positions, pone can be strongly preferred (especially when pone is close to winning)
- As the game progresses and both players approach 121, the pone’s first-count advantage becomes increasingly decisive
- In tournament play, experienced players adjust their entire strategy based on whether they’re dealer or pone in each hand
The deal alternates, so neither player maintains permanent advantage. Cribbage is designed to balance across the alternation.
See Discard Strategy for a full guide to what to keep and what to give the crib, both as dealer and pone.
Experience the pone advantage firsthand: play a free game and pay attention to whether you count first — it matters more than most beginners expect.