Cribbage is traditionally a 2-player game, but 3-player Cribbage is an excellent variant that keeps all the scoring satisfaction and pegging strategy. The main change: everyone gets 5 cards and discards 1 to the crib.

Setup

What You Need

  • 1 standard 52-card deck
  • 3 players
  • Cribbage board with 3 tracks (or 3 separate pegging tracks)
  • Or use an online Cribbage game with 3-player support

The Board

A 3-player Cribbage board has three tracks instead of two. If you only have a standard 2-player board, use coins or markers on a separate track for the third player.

Dealing

  1. Each player cuts the deck — lowest card deals first (Aces are low)
  2. The dealer shuffles and the player to their right cuts
  3. Deal 5 cards to each player, one at a time, clockwise
  4. The remaining deck is placed in the center

Discarding to the Crib

  1. Each player looks at their 5 cards
  2. Each player selects 1 card to discard face-down to the crib
  3. This creates a 3-card crib
  4. The dealer then deals 1 card from the top of the deck face-down to the crib
  5. The crib now has 4 cards (3 discarded + 1 from deck)

Each player keeps 4 cards in their hand.

The Starter (Cut Card)

The player to the dealer’s left cuts the deck. The dealer turns up the top card of the bottom half — this is the starter card (also called the turn-up or cut card).

  • If the starter is a Jack: The dealer scores 2 points (“His Heels”)

The starter card is used by all players during the Show phase.

The Play (Pegging)

The player to the dealer’s left leads by playing a card face-up and announcing its value.

How Pegging Works

  1. Players take turns clockwise, each playing a card and announcing the running total
  2. Face cards (J, Q, K) count as 10. Aces count as 1. All other cards are face value.
  3. The running total cannot exceed 31
  4. If you can’t play without exceeding 31, say “Go”
  5. After a “Go,” remaining players continue if they can play
  6. The last player to play (reaching or nearest to 31) scores 1 point (or 2 points if they hit exactly 31)
  7. Reset the count to 0 and continue until all cards are played

Pegging Scores During Play

Combination Points
Running total hits 15 2
Running total hits 31 2
Pair (same rank as last card) 2
Three of a kind (pair royale) 6
Four of a kind (double pair royale) 12
Run of 3+ (sequential, any order) 1 per card in run
Last card (Go) 1

The Show (Counting Hands)

After all cards are played, each player counts their hand’s scoring combinations using their 4 cards plus the starter card (5 cards total).

Counting Order (Important!)

  1. Player to dealer’s left counts first
  2. Next player clockwise counts second
  3. Dealer counts third
  4. Dealer counts the crib fourth

This order matters because you can win by reaching 121 mid-count.

Scoring Combinations

Combination Points Example
15s — Any combination totaling 15 2 each 5 + 10 = 15 (2 pts)
Pairs — Two cards of same rank 2 each Two 7s (2 pts)
Three of a kind 6 Three Queens (6 pts)
Four of a kind 12 Four 5s (12 pts)
Runs — 3+ sequential cards 1 per card 4-5-6 (3 pts)
Flush — 4 cards same suit in hand 4 All 4 hand cards are Hearts
Flush + starter — 5 same suit 5 All 4 hand cards + starter are Hearts
His Nobs — Jack of starter’s suit in hand 1 Jack of Hearts when starter is a Heart

Crib flush rule: A flush in the crib only counts if all 4 crib cards AND the starter are the same suit (5-card flush only).

Winning

First player to reach 121 points wins. Points can be scored at any time — during pegging or during the show. The game can end mid-count if a player pegs past 121.

In 3-player Cribbage, only the winner matters — there is no second place. Some groups play that the last-place finisher owes the winner double in casual stakes.

Strategy Adjustments for 3 Players

The Crib Is Less Predictable

In 2-player Cribbage, you know the crib has 2 of your cards and 2 of your opponent’s. In 3-player, the crib has 1 card from each player plus 1 random card from the deck. This makes:

  • Your own crib harder to optimize — you only contribute 1 card
  • Opponent cribs safer to leave scraps — your 1 discard is diluted

Keep Your Best Cards

Since you’re discarding only 1 card (instead of 2 in standard Cribbage), you keep a higher percentage of your dealt hand. Hands tend to be slightly stronger.

Pegging Against Two Opponents

With three players pegging, runs and pairs happen more frequently. Be cautious about trapping yourself — if you play into a sequence, two opponents can extend it.

Positional Awareness

Counting order matters. The dealer counts last but gets the crib — a significant advantage. The player after the dealer counts first, which matters most when approaching 121 (you might peg out before the dealer even counts).

3-Player vs. 2-Player Quick Reference

Feature 3-Player Standard (2-Player)
Cards dealt 5 6
Cards discarded to crib 1 per player + 1 from deck 2 per player
Cards kept in hand 4 4
Crib composition 1+1+1+1 (deck) 2+2
Game target 121 121
Pegging pace Faster (3 players) Standard
Game length 30-40 min 20-30 min

Three-player Cribbage keeps everything that makes the game great and adds its own tactical wrinkles. Play Cribbage online free at Rare Pike.