In cribbage, the deal alternates between players, and the dealer has a consistent edge. Over many games, the dealer is expected to outscore the pone by roughly 5 points per round (combining the crib and the nibs bonus). Understanding how to exploit this advantage — and how to minimize your opponent’s when they deal — is fundamental to winning consistently, whether in casual games or ACC-sanctioned tournaments.

The Dealer’s Built-In Advantage

Source Expected Points
Hand (both players) ~8.0
Pegging — dealer ~2.5
Pegging — pone ~3.5
Crib (dealer only) ~4.7
Dealer round total ~15.2
Pone round total ~11.5

The dealer’s round averages about 3.7 more points than the pone’s. This gap comes primarily from the crib. That extra ~4.7 points per deal is the reason alternating deals keeps the game balanced — if one player always dealt, they’d win consistently.

Discarding to Your Own Crib

When you’re the dealer, your 2 discards go to your crib. This changes your discarding calculus entirely.

High-Value Crib Discards

Discard Why It’s Good
5 + 5 Maximum fifteen potential. Average crib value jumps significantly.
5 + face card Guaranteed fifteen in the crib (2 points minimum).
5 + 10-value Same as above — the 5 generates fifteens.
Pairs Guaranteed pair (2 points). Better if the pair is near 5, 10, or 15-making values.
Consecutive cards Run potential — 6-7, 7-8, 3-4 all create crib run chances.
Cards totaling 15 7+8, 6+9, 5+10 — guaranteed fifteen (2 points minimum).

Discard Priority

When deciding what to throw to your crib, balance:

  1. How much does my hand lose? Don’t destroy a 12-point hand to make a 6-point crib.
  2. How much does my crib gain? A 5 in the crib is worth ~2 extra points on average.
  3. Net value: Keep the combination that maximizes hand + crib combined.

Example: You hold 4-5-6-7-8-K.

  • Option A: Keep 5-6-7-8 (hand = 16 with fifteens and run), discard 4-K (crib ~3.5)
  • Option B: Keep 4-5-6-7 (hand = 12 with run and fifteen), discard 8-K (crib ~2.5)

Option A is better: 16 + 3.5 = 19.5 expected vs. 12 + 2.5 = 14.5 expected.

The 5 in the Crib

Discarding a 5 to your own crib is almost always correct. The 5 interacts with the 16 ten-value cards in the deck plus the opponent’s discards. Average crib value with a 5 included increases by roughly 2 points.

Exception: If keeping the 5 in your hand creates a significantly better hand (e.g., 5-5-10-J gives you 4 fifteens = 8 points before the cut), the hand might be stronger when the 5 stays.

Pegging as Dealer

The dealer pegs second (the pone leads). This responsive position changes your pegging approach.

Dealer Pegging Principles

  1. Play reactively, not proactively. You see the pone’s lead before committing a card. Use this information.

  2. Avoid the pair trap. When the pone leads a low card (especially 2, 3, or 4) they may hold a second one. If you pair it, they could play the third for 6 points. If the count after your pair would allow a pair royal (count under roughly 22 for high cards, under 13 for low cards), be cautious.

  3. Take free fifteens. If the pone leads a face card and you have a 5, play it. That’s 2 easy points with no trap risk.

  4. Peg conservatively by default. Your crib gives you extra scoring — you don’t need to win the pegging war. Avoiding giving up 4-6 point swings (pair royals, long runs) is more valuable than scoring 2 for a fifteen.

  5. Adapt to board position. If you’re behind, the default conservative approach doesn’t apply — peg aggressively. See Endgame Strategy.

Common Dealer Pegging Sequences

Opponent leads 4 (count = 4):

  • You hold 4-6-9-K
  • Playing your 4 makes a pair (2 points), but if they have a third 4, they score 6 for pair royal at count 12 — and you’ve netted negative 4 points
  • Safer: play the 6 (count = 10) — they can’t easily hit 15 unless they have a 5

Opponent leads 10 (count = 10):

  • You hold 3-5-8-J
  • Play the 5 for fifteen (2 points). Low risk — they can’t pair your 5 without the count reaching 15 anyway
  • This is a “free fifteen” — take it

Exploiting Nibs

When you’re the dealer and a Jack is cut as the starter card, you score 2 points for nibs (also called “His Heels”). This happens about 1 in every 13 deals (7.7%).

While you can’t control the cut, you should:

  • Always claim nibs immediately — in casual games, some players forget and lose the points
  • Factor nibs probability into endgame calculations — if you’re the dealer and need 2 points to win, there’s a 7.7% chance you win just from the cut card
  • See Nibs & Nobs for the full explanation

Counting Order: Dealer’s Double Count

After pegging, the counting order is: pone hand → dealer hand → dealer crib. This means:

  • The dealer gets to count twice (hand + crib)
  • But the pone counts first
  • In close games, the pone’s first-count advantage can outweigh the dealer’s double count

When Counting Order Matters

Situation Advantage
Both players need 8–10 points Pone counts first — slight pone advantage
Both players need 15+ points Dealer has hand + crib — dealer advantage
Dealer needs ≤5, pone needs ≤12 Roughly even — pone may count out first with a strong hand
Dealer needs ≤10, pone needs ≤10 Pone favored (counts first)

Understanding counting order helps you decide how aggressively to peg. If your hand can get you to 121 and you’re counting first (pone), play safe during pegging.

When You’re Pone: Minimizing the Dealer’s Advantage

As the non-dealer, your strategy is the mirror image:

Discard Garbage to Their Crib

  • K + A — maximum distance, no fifteens, no runs
  • Q + A — same logic
  • K + 9 — far apart, no natural scoring combinations
  • Never give them a 5 unless your hand absolutely demands it
  • Avoid giving them pairs or consecutive cards

Peg Aggressively

The pone needs to peg roughly 1 more point per round than the dealer to stay even on the board. This means:

  • Set pair traps with your opening lead
  • Play for fifteens and runs
  • Try to squeeze out that extra Go or last-card point

Keep Your Strongest Hand

As pone, your hand is your primary scoring vehicle (no crib). Optimize your kept hand, even if it means throwing less-than-ideal cards to the opponent’s crib. A hand that scores 10+ justifies throwing a 5-8 to the crib.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the dealer advantage worth?

Roughly 3.7 points per round compared to the pone, combining the crib (~4.7 average) minus the pone’s pegging advantage (~1 point). Over a full game (typically 8–10 rounds), this is substantial but balanced by alternating deals.

Should I always throw 5s to my crib?

Almost always, yes. The exception is when keeping the 5 in your hand produces a significantly stronger hand — specifically, when the 5 is part of multiple fifteens or a scoring combination worth 8+ points that would be broken by discarding it.

Is it ever correct to sacrifice my hand for the crib?

Rarely. Your hand scores more reliably than the crib because you know all 4 cards. The crib contains 2 unknown opponent discards that may not sync with your discards. Sacrifice hand points only when: (a) your hand is weak regardless, or (b) you can send an extremely strong combination to the crib (e.g., 5-5 or 7-8).

Why does the pone peg more than the dealer?

The pone leads first, choosing a favorable card. They set the tempo and force the dealer to respond. This initiative generates roughly 1 extra pegging point per round. The dealer’s responsive position is safer but less aggressive.

In three-player cribbage, dealer strategy shifts because each round has a different dynamic — with two opponents discarding to your crib, the optimal discards and pegging approach change significantly.