Cribbage Scoring Chart and Hand Counter
Every way to score in cribbage on one page. Print the chart to keep by the board, or use the hand counter to check any hand. It shows where each point comes from.
Scoring during the play (pegging)
| Event | Points |
|---|---|
| Count reaches exactly 15 | 2 |
| Count reaches exactly 31 | 2 |
| Pair (same rank as the card just played) | 2 |
| Three of a kind in a row | 6 |
| Four of a kind in a row | 12 |
| Run of 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 cards (any order, uninterrupted) | 1 per card |
| Go (last card played before neither player can play) | 1 |
| Last card of the play | 1 |
Scoring in the show (counting hands)
| Combination | Points |
|---|---|
| Each combination adding to 15 | 2 |
| Pair | 2 |
| Three of a kind | 6 |
| Four of a kind | 12 |
| Run of 3 / 4 / 5 | 3 / 4 / 5 |
| Double run of 3 (e.g. 3-4-4-5, counting the pair) | 8 |
| Double run of 4 (e.g. 3-4-5-5-6, counting the pair) | 10 |
| Triple run (e.g. 3-3-3-4-5, counting three of a kind) | 15 |
| Double-double run (e.g. 3-3-4-4-5, counting both pairs) | 16 |
| Flush: 4 cards in hand, same suit | 4 |
| Flush: 4 in hand plus a matching starter | 5 |
| Crib flush (all 5 cards must match) | 5 |
| Nobs: Jack in hand of the starter’s suit | 1 |
| His heels: starter is a Jack (dealer, once, at the cut) | 2 |
Fifteens are not included in the run totals above; count them separately. The starter card is part of every hand and the crib.
Cribbage hand counter
Choose a suit, then tap the cards. The first four are your hand; the fifth is the starter. Tap a chosen card to remove it.
How to count a hand without missing points
Count in the same order every time, and you will rarely miss anything:
- Fifteens first. Look for pairs of cards that make 15 (a 5 with any ten-card, 6 with 9, 7 with 8), then groups of three and four cards.
- Pairs. Two of a kind is 2; three of a kind is 6; four of a kind is 12.
- Runs. Find the longest run, then check whether a pair doubles it.
- Flush. Four of the same suit in your hand.
- Nobs. Do you hold the Jack of the starter’s suit?
Famous hands and odd numbers
- 29 is the highest possible hand: 5-5-5 and the Jack in hand, with the fourth 5 of the Jack’s suit as the starter. Eight fifteens (16), four of a kind (12) and nobs (1).
- 28 is the same hand when the Jack doesn’t match the starter.
- 24: for example 4-5-5-6 with a 6 starter, which is four fifteens, two pairs and four runs of three.
- 19, 25, 26 and 27 are impossible. That’s why players jokingly call a zero hand “nineteen.”
Learning the game? The cribbage rules page walks through a whole hand, and you can play a free game where every point is counted and explained for you.