Cribbage scoring is rich and layered — that’s what makes the game great, and what makes a reference chart essential. This page covers every scoring combination for hand counting, pegging, and the crib.

Hand Scoring (Show Phase)

After each round of play, you count your hand. You use your 4 cards plus the shared starter (cut) card to find scoring combinations. Every valid combination scores — and combinations can overlap, so one card can contribute to multiple scores.

Combination Points Description
Fifteen 2 Any combination of cards totaling exactly 15
Pair 2 Two cards of the same rank
Pair Royal 6 Three cards of the same rank (3 pairs)
Double Pair Royal 12 Four cards of the same rank (6 pairs)
Run of 3 3 Three consecutive cards (suit doesn’t matter)
Run of 4 4 Four consecutive cards
Run of 5 5 Five consecutive cards
Flush (4 cards) 4 All 4 hand cards are the same suit (not counting starter)
Flush (5 cards) 5 All 4 hand cards + starter are the same suit
Nobs 1 Jack in hand matches the suit of the starter card

Card Values for Counting 15s

Card Value
A 1
2-9 Face value
10, J, Q, K 10

Key insight: Face cards (J, Q, K) all count as 10 for 15-combinations. A 5 is the most valuable card in cribbage because it pairs with any 10-value card to make 15.

Hand Scoring Examples

Example 1: A simple hand

Hand: 4♣ 5♦ 6♥ 6♠ | Starter: J♦

Combination Cards Points
Fifteen 5 + J = 15 2
Fifteen 4 + 5 + 6♥ = 15 2
Fifteen 4 + 5 + 6♠ = 15 2
Pair 6♥ + 6♠ 2
Run 4-5-6♥ 3
Run 4-5-6♠ 3
Total 14

Example 2: The perfect 29

Hand: 5♥ 5♦ 5♣ J♠ | Starter: 5♠

Combination Points
Eight 15-combinations (each 5+J, each pair of 5s + 5) 16
Six pairs (four 5s = 6 pair combinations) 12
Nobs (J♠ matches 5♠ starter) 1
Total 29

Example 3: Zero-point hand

Hand: A♠ 3♥ 6♦ 8♣ | Starter: 10♠

No cards add to 15, no pairs, no runs, no flush, no nobs. Total: 0 points.

Pegging Points (During Play)

During the play phase, players take turns playing cards onto a running count (up to 31). Points are scored as follows:

Event Points
Hitting 15 2
Hitting 31 2
Last card (Go) 1
Pair 2 (last two cards same rank)
Pair Royal 6 (three in a row same rank)
Double Pair Royal 12 (four in a row same rank)
Run of 3+ 1 per card in the run

Run clarification: During pegging, runs don’t need to be played in order — only the last cards played need to form a valid sequence. If plays go 3, 5, 4, that’s a run of 3 (3 points) because 3-4-5 can be arranged consecutively.

Crib Scoring

The crib belongs to the dealer and is scored after the non-dealer’s hand. Crib scoring follows the same rules as hand scoring with one exception:

A 4-card flush does not count in the crib. You need all 5 cards (the 4 crib cards plus the starter) to be the same suit for a flush to score in the crib.

Everything else — 15s, pairs, runs, nobs — scores identically.

Special Scoring Events

Event Points When
Nibs (His Heels) 2 Dealer turns over a Jack as the starter card
Nobs (His Nobs) 1 Jack in your hand matches the starter suit
Go 1 Opponent can’t play without exceeding 31
Last Card 1 Playing the final card when count hasn’t hit 31
31 Exact 2 Playing a card that makes the count exactly 31
Skunk — Winning before opponent reaches 91 (some games count double)
Double Skunk — Winning before opponent reaches 61 (some games count triple)

Scoring Order Rules

Scoring follows a strict order each round:

  1. Pegging — Points scored during the play phase
  2. Non-dealer’s hand — Counted first (this matters for close games)
  3. Dealer’s hand — Counted second
  4. Crib — Counted last (always the dealer’s)

Why order matters: If the non-dealer reaches 121 during hand counting, the game ends immediately — even if the dealer would have scored more. In tournament play, counting order determines many close games.

Common Hand Values to Memorize

Hand Pattern Typical Score
Nothing 0
One 15 2
A pair + a 15 4
Double run of 3 (e.g., 3-4-4-5) 8
Double run of 4 (e.g., 3-4-4-5-6) 10
Triple run (e.g., 3-4-4-4-5) 15
Quadruple run (e.g., 3-3-4-4-5) 16

Pro tip: The average cribbage hand scores about 4.77 points. Anything above 8 is a strong hand. Anything above 12 is exceptional.

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