Cribbage Scoring
Cribbage Scoring: How to Count a Hand, With a Scoring Chart
Cribbage scoring explained: fifteens, pairs, runs, flushes and nobs in the show, the points you peg during the play, and a full scoring chart with worked examples.
Cribbage pays out twice in every hand. First comes the play, or pegging, where you score as the cards go down: 2 for bringing the count to 15 or 31, 2 for a pair and 1 per card in a run. Then comes the show, where each four-card hand is counted together with the starter card: 2 for every combination that adds up to 15, 2 for every pair, 1 per card in each run, 4 or 5 for a flush and 1 for his nobs. Last of all, the dealer counts the crib the same way, a bonus hand built from the players’ discards.
Cribbage scoring chart
One chart covers both halves of the game, the show and the play. A dash means that combination scores nothing in that phase.
| Combination | In the show | In the play (pegging) |
|---|---|---|
| Fifteen (cards adding to 15) | 2 for each different combination | 2 when the count reaches exactly 15 |
| Pair | 2 | 2 |
| Three of a kind (pair royal) | 6 | 6 |
| Four of a kind (double pair royal) | 12 | 12 |
| Run of 3, 4 or 5 cards | 1 per card | 1 per card (runs can be longer in play) |
| Flush: four hand cards of one suit | 4 | — |
| Flush including the starter | 5 | — |
| Crib flush (all five cards) | 5 | — |
| His nobs: Jack of the starter’s suit in hand | 1 | — |
| His heels: the starter is a Jack | 2 to the dealer at once | — |
| Thirty-one | — | 2 |
| Go / last card under 31 | — | 1 |
For fifteens, picture cards count 10 and Aces count 1. For pairs and runs, every card keeps its own rank: a Queen and a King weigh the same towards fifteen, but they are not a pair, while Jack, Queen, King is a perfectly good run of three.
How to count a cribbage hand, step by step
Count in the same order every time and points stop slipping through the cracks. Put the starter beside your four cards and treat all five as a single hand.
- Fifteens: find every combination of two or more cards that adds up to exactly 15, and say them out loud as you go: “fifteen two, fifteen four…”. The running total keeps you honest.
- Pairs: any two cards of the same rank score 2. Three of a kind hides three pairs (6), and four of a kind hides six (12).
- Runs: three or more consecutive ranks score 1 per card. If a duplicate card lets you build the same run two ways, it counts twice.
- Flush: four hand cards of one suit score 4, or 5 if the starter matches. The crib only scores a flush when all five cards match.
- Nobs: a Jack in your hand of the same suit as the starter scores 1.
Example: 5♣ 5♦ 6♥ 7♠ with an 8♣ starter. One fifteen (7 + 8) is 2 and the pair of fives is 2. Then 5-6-7-8 is a run of four you can make with either five, so it counts twice: 8 points. Total: 12.
Double runs and the combinations to memorise
Experienced players do not list every run and pair one by one. They spot these patterns and call the total at a glance:
| Pattern | Example | Runs and pairs |
|---|---|---|
| Double run of three | 3-4-4-5 | 8 (two runs of 3 + a pair) |
| Double run of four | 3-4-5-5-6 | 10 (two runs of 4 + a pair) |
| Triple run | 3-3-3-4-5 | 15 (three runs of 3 + three of a kind) |
| Double-double run | 3-3-4-4-5 | 16 (four runs of 3 + two pairs) |
The totals leave out fifteens, so add those on top. With a 5 starter, 3-3-4-4 also holds two fifteens (3 + 3 + 4 + 5, once with each four), which lifts the full hand to 20.
Pegging: scoring during the play
Players take turns laying one card face up and announcing the running total. You score when your card brings the total to 15 or 31, pairs the previous card, or completes a run with the cards just before it. The run does not have to arrive in order: 4, 6, 5 is a run of three, however untidy it looks on the table.
If you cannot play without going over 31, say “Go”. Your opponent keeps playing for as long as they can, and whoever lays the last card scores 1, or 2 for hitting exactly 31. Then the count goes back to zero and play carries on. The very last card of the whole play also scores 1.
Flush in cribbage: the rules people get wrong
- A hand flush needs all four cards in your hand to share a suit. Three hand cards plus a matching starter look like a flush and score nothing.
- The crib is stricter still: its four cards and the starter must all match, and only then does it score 5.
- Flushes never score during the pegging; the play only cares about ranks and the count.
The order of counting and how a game ends
The show always runs in the same order: the non-dealer counts first, then the dealer counts their hand, then the crib. The first player to reach 121 wins on the spot, even halfway through the show, so in a close game that order matters: the non-dealer can peg out while the dealer’s hand and crib are still waiting their turn.
Not sure about a count? Enter the hand in the cribbage calculator and it lists every fifteen, pair, run, flush and nobs point separately, like an itemised receipt.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many points is a fifteen in cribbage?
Two points for each different combination of cards that adds up to 15. Find three separate fifteens and you have 6 points before you have even looked for pairs.
Does a run of four count as two runs of three?
No. Only the longest run counts, so 4-5-6-7 is one run of four worth 4 points. A run counts twice only when a duplicate card gives you two different ways to make it, as in 4-5-5-6.
Do face cards count as 10 in cribbage?
Yes. Jacks, Queens and Kings count as 10, both for fifteens and for the running total in the play. For pairs and runs they keep their own rank, so a Jack and a King are not a pair.
Can you score a flush with the starter card?
Only as a bonus. All four cards in your hand must already share a suit; a matching starter then lifts the flush from 4 to 5. A crib flush needs all five cards to match.
What is the highest score in cribbage?
29, and it takes a very particular hand: three fives and a Jack in hand, with the five of the Jack’s suit cut as the starter. The best cribbage hands guide counts it point by point, along with the other top scores.
Sources
We check these rules against the standard references:
- Six Card Cribbage · Pagat, John McLeodFifteens, pairs and runs, the hand and crib flush, nobs and heels, pegging with go and thirty-one, the order of the show and the game to 121.
- Cribbage Tournament Rules (2025 edition) · American Cribbage CongressThe official scoring chart for the play and the show, double, triple and double-double runs, and the non-dealer counting first.