Flushes in cribbage are straightforward once you know the rules, but they trip up many players because they work differently from poker flushes — and the crib has its own special flush rule.

Flush Scoring Summary

Flush Type Points Where It Counts
4-card flush (all 4 hand cards same suit) 4 Hand only
5-card flush (hand + starter all same suit) 5 Hand or crib
3-card flush 0 Never scores
4-card flush in crib 0 Crib flush doesn’t count unless it’s 5 cards

Hand Flushes

The 4-Card Flush (4 Points)

If all four cards in your hand are the same suit, you score 4 points — regardless of the starter card’s suit.

Example: Your hand is 3♥ 7♥ 9♥ J♥. The starter is 5♣. You score 4 points for the flush (all four hand cards are hearts), even though the starter is a club.

The 5-Card Flush (5 Points)

If all four hand cards and the starter card are the same suit, you score 5 points (not 4 + 1; it’s simply 5).

Example: Your hand is 3♥ 7♥ 9♥ J♥. The starter is K♥. All five cards are hearts — that’s 5 flush points.

What Doesn’t Count

  • Three cards of the same suit: No flush. You need all four hand cards.
  • Three hand cards + the starter: Not a flush. The four hand cards must match; you can’t substitute the starter for a hand card.

The Special Crib Flush Rule

The crib follows a stricter rule: only a 5-card flush counts in the crib. A 4-card flush in the crib scores zero.

Why the Rule Exists

In the crib, two of the four cards come from your opponent. Unlike your hand (where you chose to keep suited cards), crib flushes are partially accidental. The stricter rule prevents “unearned” flush points.

Crib Flush Examples

Crib: 4♠ 8♠ J♠ Q♠ | Starter: 2♥

  • All four crib cards are spades, but the starter is a heart
  • No flush — crib requires all 5 cards

Crib: 4♠ 8♠ J♠ Q♠ | Starter: 3♠

  • All four crib cards AND the starter are spades
  • 5-point flush — the only way to score a flush in the crib

Common Mistake

Many casual players incorrectly score 4 points for a 4-card crib flush. This is wrong by standard rules. If you’re playing in a tournament or following official ACC rules, the crib flush must be five cards.

Flushes During Pegging

Flushes never score during the pegging phase. The play (pegging) only awards points for fifteens, pairs, runs, reaching 31, and the Go/last card. Suits are irrelevant during pegging.

Flush Strategy

When to Keep a Flush

A 4-card flush guarantees 4 points. Whether to keep it depends on what you’d sacrifice:

Keep the flush when:

  • The four suited cards have other scoring potential (fifteens, runs, pairs)
  • The alternative hand without the flush scores less than 4 points more
  • You’re the pone (no crib to send good cards to)

Break the flush when:

  • The non-suited cards create significantly more fifteens or runs
  • A 5 is one of the non-suited cards and you’re the pone (don’t throw it to the crib)
  • Your alternatives score 6+ more points than the flush hand

Example decision: You hold 3♥ 6♥ 8♥ Q♥ 5♣ 7♦.

  • Flush option: Keep 3♥ 6♥ 8♥ Q♥ = 4 (flush) + 2 (fifteen: 7, wait — no, 6+8 is 14, not 15. Actually the only 15 here is… let me think. 3+6+Q nope. No fifteens.) = 4 points total
  • Scoring option: Keep 5♣ 6♥ 7♦ 8♥ = 5-6-7-8 run of 4 (4 points) + fifteens: 5+Q no Q isn’t kept. 7+8=15 (2 points) = 6 points total

The run hand scores 6 vs. 4 for the flush. Break the flush.

Flush Probability

What are the odds of being dealt a 4-card flush?

With 6 cards dealt from a 52-card deck, the probability that at least 4 of your kept cards are the same suit is approximately 10-15% depending on your discard choices. It’s reasonably common, which is why flush awareness matters.

The probability that the starter matches your flush suit (making it 5 cards): about 9 out of 46 remaining cards of that suit, or roughly 19.6%.

Flush Scoring Combined With Other Points

Flushes stack with all other scoring categories. A hand can score a flush AND fifteens, pairs, runs, and nobs simultaneously.

Example: A big flush hand

Hand: 4♠ 5♠ 6♠ 7♠ | Starter: 5♠

Category Points
Fifteens: 4+5+6=15, 4+5+6=15, 5+6 nope… Let me count properly.
5+5 = 10 (not 15)
4+5+6 = 15 (two ways, one with each 5) 4
5+4+6 already counted above
6+7+… no. 7+5+… = 12 nope.
5+7 = 12, nope. 6+7 = 13, nope.
Pairs: 5-5 2
Runs: 4-5-6-7 × 2 (one with each 5) 8
Flush: 5 cards all spades 5
Nobs: None (no Jack) 0
Total 19

Flushes turn good hands into great ones. That same hand without the flush scores 14 — the flush adds 5 “free” bonus points.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you get a flush during pegging?

No. Flushes only count during hand counting and crib counting. During the pegging (play) phase, suits are completely irrelevant — only card values matter.

Does a 4-card flush in the crib score 4 points?

No. This is the most common flush mistake in cribbage. The crib requires all 5 cards (4 crib cards + starter) to be the same suit. A 4-card crib flush scores zero.

Do you score 4 AND 5 for a five-card flush?

No. A 5-card flush scores 5 points total, not 4 + 5 = 9. It’s 1 point per card that’s part of the flush.

Is a flush worth keeping over a run?

Compare the total hand values. A 4-card flush is worth 4 points. A 4-card run is also worth 4 points but usually comes with fifteens that push it past the flush value. Generally, runs + fifteens beat a plain flush — but sometimes the flush hand has its own fifteens and pairs that make it competitive.