Beginner Cribbage Strategy

These fundamental strategies will give you an immediate edge. If you’re new to cribbage, focus on these concepts before moving to intermediate tactics.

1. Master Your Discards

Discarding is the most important strategic decision in cribbage. Every hand, you choose which four cards to keep and which two to send to the crib.

When You’re the Dealer (It’s Your Crib)

Your crib is bonus points, so feed it well:

• Send pairs to your crib when your hand is already strong
• Send 5s to your crib — they combine easily with face cards for fifteens
• Send connected cards (like 6-7 or 3-4) that could form runs
• Keep the best four-card hand and supplement with good crib cards

When You’re the Pone (Opponent’s Crib)

Starve their crib:

• Never send a 5 to your opponent’s crib — it’s the most dangerous card
• Avoid sending pairs or near-pairs (like 6-7)
• Send wide cards — cards far apart in rank (like A-K or 2-9)
• Send low cards — they form fewer fifteens than middle and high cards

The “Golden Rule” of Discarding

When in doubt: keep cards that make fifteens and pairs, break up runs only if necessary.

2. Learn the Power of 5s

The number 5 is special in cribbage:

• There are 16 cards worth 10 in the deck (10, J, Q, K)
• A 5 combines with ANY ten-card for fifteen (2 points)
• This means roughly 1 in 3 random cards pairs with a 5 for fifteen

Rule: Always keep 5s in your hand. Never give a 5 to your opponent’s crib.

3. Count Your Hand Completely

The biggest source of lost points for beginners is missing scoring combinations:

Systematic Counting Method

Count in this exact order every time:

1. Fifteens — Check every possible combination of cards that total 15
2. Pairs — Check for pairs, three-of-a-kind, four-of-a-kind
3. Runs — Check for sequences of 3, 4, or 5 consecutive cards
4. Flush — Check if all four hand cards are the same suit
5. Nobs — Check for a Jack matching the starter card’s suit

Practice Counting

Before playing competitively, practice counting random hands until you can do it quickly and accurately. Missing even 2 points per hand adds up to 10+ points per game.

4. Basic Pegging Strategy

During the play phase, you can pick up valuable pegging points:

Lead Strategy

• Lead low cards (A, 2, 3) — they’re harder for your opponent to make fifteen with
• Don’t lead a 5 — your opponent almost certainly has a ten-card
• Don’t lead from a pair unless you want to bait a response (risky for beginners)

Responding to Leads

• If they lead with a card that makes the count 5 or less, play a ten-card to reach 15 (2 points)
• If they lead with a face card, play a 5 to reach 15 (if you have one)
• Pair their lead if you can — that’s 2 points

The Count of 21

Try to make the count reach 21 — this forces your opponent to either:

• Play a card and give you a “go” (because they’d exceed 31), or
• Make it exactly 31 if they have a ten-card

5. Understand Hand Values

Knowing what an average hand looks like helps you make better discard decisions:

The average cribbage hand scores about 8 points (including the starter card). If your four kept cards score 6+ before the cut, you’re in good shape.

6. Pay Attention to the Board

Even at a beginner level, board awareness helps:

• Know where you are relative to your opponent — are you ahead or behind?
• Count remaining holes — each street (30 holes) represents roughly 4-5 hands of play
• Notice the “danger zone” — when either player passes 90 points, the game can end any deal

7. Play the Odds

Some simple probability awareness helps:

• Face cards (10, J, Q, K) are the most common card value — 16 out of 52 cards
• The cut card will be a ten-card about 30% of the time
• Your opponent probably has at least one face card in their hand
• Pairs happen — if you lead with a common card, expect it might be paired

Quick Reference: Beginner Do’s and Don’ts

Do:

• ✅ Keep 5s in your hand
• ✅ Count your hand systematically
• ✅ Lead low cards during pegging
• ✅ Send wide-apart cards to opponent’s crib
• ✅ Pay attention to the board position

Don’t:

• ❌ Give 5s to your opponent’s crib
• ❌ Lead with 5s during pegging
• ❌ Rush through counting your hand
• ❌ Ignore the crib — it’s 1/3 of your scoring
• ❌ Play the same way whether you’re ahead or behind

Next Steps

Once you’re comfortable with these basics, move on to intermediate strategy to learn about board position play and optimal discard tables.

Want to practice? Play against our computer opponent and apply these strategies in real games!