Cribbage | Play Online Free

Welcome to Cribbage Box – your home for playing classic Cribbage online, learning the rules, and sharpening your skills! Whether you’re a seasoned pegger or just picking up the game, you’ll find everything you need to enjoy this timeless card game right here.

You can play Cribbage online for free, no sign-up required. Challenge the computer or test your skills against other players. It’s fast, fun, and a great way to keep your mind sharp.

How to Play Cribbage

If you’re new to Cribbage, don’t worry! The basics are easy to pick up, and the game is full of strategy and excitement. Here’s a quick overview to get you started:

Cribbage is played with a standard 52-card deck and usually two players. Each player is dealt six cards, and two cards from each hand are discarded into the “crib” (a special hand scored by the dealer). The goal is to be the first to reach 121 points, moving pegs along the board as you score.

Gameplay has two main phases:

• The Play: Players take turns laying down cards, adding up the total (without going over 31), and scoring for combinations as they go.
• The Show: After all cards are played, each player (and the dealer’s crib) scores their hand for combinations like 15s, pairs, runs, and more.

Want to see the rules in action? Try a game and follow along!

How to Score in Cribbage

Scoring in Cribbage is what makes the game so unique and fun. There are lots of ways to earn points, and every hand is a new puzzle! Here’s what you’re looking for:

• Fifteen: Any combination of cards that adds up to 15 scores 2 points.
• Pair: Two cards of the same rank score 2 points.
• Pair Royal (Three of a Kind): Three cards of the same rank score 6 points.
• Double Pair Royal (Four of a Kind): Four cards of the same rank score 12 points.
• Run: Three or more consecutive cards (regardless of suit) score 1 point per card.
• Last Card: If you play the last card in the play phase, you get 1 point (or 2 if the total is exactly 31).

Scoring in the “show” (after the play) is similar, but you can also score for:

Extra Points in the Show

• Nobs: If you have a Jack that matches the suit of the starter card, score 1 point (“one for his nob”).
• Flush: Four cards of the same suit in your hand score 4 points; if the starter matches, score 5. In the crib, all five must match.

The Best Possible Cribbage Hand

Did you know the highest possible hand in Cribbage is 29 points? It’s incredibly rare, but here’s how it happens:

• You hold three 5s and a Jack, and the starter card is the fourth 5 (matching the suit of your Jack).
• You score for multiple 15s, pairs, and “nobs.”

This hand is so rare that the odds are about 1 in 216,580! If you ever get it, be sure to brag a little.

What is a Cribbage Flush?

A flush in Cribbage is when all the cards in your hand are the same suit. If you have four of the same suit, you score 4 points. If the starter card matches too, that’s a 5-point flush! (In the crib, you only get a flush if all five cards match.)

Cribbage Terms You Should Know

Cribbage has its own lingo! Here are a few terms you’ll hear at the table:

• Crib: The extra hand made from each player’s discards, scored by the dealer.
• Pegging: Moving your pegs along the board as you score points.
• Starter: The card cut from the deck after the deal, used in scoring.
• Nobs: A Jack in your hand that matches the starter’s suit.
• Go: When you can’t play a card without going over 31.

Ready to play? Scroll up and start your first game, or check out our score calculator if you want to practice counting points. Have fun, and happy pegging!

• Go: A “go” in Cribbage refers to a player scoring 31 in which the play ends immediately.
• Pone: A pone in Cribbage refers to the player who is not the dealer.

What are “Nobs” & “Nibs” in Cribbage?

These terms relate to various ways in which you can score points that involve a jack. Let’s go over both terms so you understand how they appear in a Cribbage game.

• Nobs: This happens when a player has a Jack in their hand which matches the suit of the cut card. When counting points in the hand this scores one point.

• Nibs: When the dealer flips a Jack it is called Nibs and results in the dealer receiving two points.

What are Skunks & Double Skunks?

A skunk in Cribbage refers to a game in which a player wins by thirty or more points. If they player wins by sixty or more points that is known as a double skunk.

Cribbage Scoreboad

To keep track of score in a Cribbage game a Cribbage board is used with two tracks each with 121 holes. Each player then has two pegs in their track to help keep track of scoring as they use the two pegs to mark out the points they currently have.

How to win at Cribbage

The first player to reach 121 points will win the Cribbage match. Both skill and luck come into play when determining the winner.