Nibs and nobs are two of the most-confused terms in cribbage. They both involve Jacks, they both sound similar, and many players — even experienced ones — mix them up. Here’s the definitive explanation. Both terms trace back centuries in cribbage tradition.

Quick Reference

Term Also Called What Triggers It Points Who Scores
Nibs His Heels A Jack is cut as the starter card 2 Dealer only
Nobs His Nobs A Jack in your hand matches the starter’s suit 1 Whoever holds the Jack

Nibs (His Heels) — 2 Points for the Dealer

What It Is

After the deal, the non-dealer cuts the deck and the dealer reveals the top card as the starter (also called the turn card or cut card). If that starter card is a Jack, the dealer immediately scores 2 points. This is called nibs or His Heels.

Key Rules

  • Only the dealer scores. Even though the pone cut the deck, nibs points go to the dealer.
  • Score immediately. Nibs is scored as soon as the Jack is revealed — before the pegging phase begins.
  • Any Jack. The suit doesn’t matter. Any of the four Jacks as the starter triggers nibs.
  • Must be claimed. In games using the muggins rule, if the dealer forgets to peg nibs, the pone can claim those 2 points.

How Often Does Nibs Happen?

There are 4 Jacks in a 52-card deck. After dealing 12 cards (6 to each player in a 2-player game), there are 40 remaining cards. The probability of nibs depends on how many Jacks are in those 40 cards.

On average, nibs occurs roughly once every 13 hands — about 7.7% of the time. Over a full game (8–10 hands), you’ll see nibs approximately once.

Why Nibs Matters

Two free points for the dealer may seem small, but in close games, nibs can be decisive. In the endgame, when the dealer needs just 2–3 points to win, a lucky Jack cut can end the game instantly — before any pegging or counting happens.

Example

You’re the dealer. After dealing, the pone cuts the deck. You flip the top card: J♦.

“Two for his heels!” — you peg 2 points immediately, before any card is played.

Nobs (His Nobs) — 1 Point

What It Is

If you hold a Jack in your hand (or the crib) and it’s the same suit as the starter card, you score 1 point during the counting phase. This is called nobs or His Nobs.

Key Rules

  • Either player can score nobs. Whoever holds the matching Jack gets the point — including in the crib.
  • The suit must match. Holding the J♠ only scores nobs if the starter card is also a ♠. Rank doesn’t matter (the starter doesn’t need to be a Jack).
  • Scored during counting. Nobs is counted as part of your hand score, not during the cut or pegging.
  • Only one nobs per hand. Even if you somehow held multiple Jacks, only the one matching the starter’s suit scores nobs.

Example

Your hand: 5♥ 7♣ 8♣ J♦ | Starter: 10♦

The J♦ in your hand matches the ♦ suit of the 10♦ starter. You score 1 point for nobs as part of your hand count.

Nobs in the Crib

Yes, nobs counts in the crib too. If the crib contains a Jack matching the starter’s suit, the dealer scores 1 additional point when counting the crib.

The 29 Hand Connection

Nobs is what makes the perfect 29 hand possible. The 29 requires 5-5-5-J with the matching 5 cut — the nobs point (for the Jack matching the starter’s suit) provides the 29th point. Without nobs, the maximum hand would be 28.

How to Remember the Difference

Several mnemonics help:

Mnemonic Explanation
Nibs = cut, Nobs = hand Nibs is about what’s cut; nobs is about what’s in your hand
Nibs = 2, Nobs = 1 The bigger event (Jack appearing in the cut) gives more points
Nibs is for the dealer The dealer reveals the starter, so they score nibs
“Nobs in hand, nibs on the board” Nobs relates to your hand; nibs is scored immediately on the board

Another way: Nibs sounds like “nib” (a pen tip) — the dealer “writes” 2 points on the board. Nobs sounds like “knob” (a handle) — you “handle” the Jack in your hand.

Common Mistakes

Mistake Correction
Pone tries to score nibs Only the dealer scores nibs
Player forgets nobs when counting hand Always check your Jacks against the starter suit
Scoring nibs during hand counting instead of immediately Nibs is scored at the time of the cut, not during the show
Thinking any Jack in hand scores nobs The Jack must match the suit of the starter
Confusing the terms Nibs = cut Jack (2 pts, dealer). Nobs = hand Jack matching starter suit (1 pt, anyone).

Nibs and Nobs Together

Can you score both nibs AND nobs in the same hand? Not for the same card, but here’s an interesting scenario:

  1. You’re the dealer
  2. You cut a J♠ as the starter — you score 2 for nibs
  3. In your hand, you hold the J♠ — wait. The J♠ is already the starter. This can’t happen.

Actually, it’s impossible to score both nibs and nobs from the same Jack. Nibs requires a Jack in the starter position, while nobs requires a Jack in your hand. They’re different cards.

However, if a J♠ is cut (nibs = 2 for dealer), and the dealer holds a different Jack — say J♥ — that J♥ would NOT score nobs because it doesn’t match the starter’s suit (♠). Unless the dealer specifically holds the… wait, the J♠ is the starter. So the dealer would need another J♠ — impossible, there’s only one J♠.

Bottom line: In a single hand, the dealer can score nibs (2 points) but cannot also score nobs from the same starter Jack suit.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “one for his nob” mean?

“One for his nob” (or “one for his nobs”) is the traditional call when a player scores the nobs point — 1 point for holding a Jack that matches the starter card’s suit. You’ll hear this phrase in casual games and tournaments alike.

Can the pone score nibs?

No. Nibs is exclusively a dealer bonus. Even though the pone physically cuts the deck, the 2 points for a Jack starter always go to the dealer. This is one of the reasons the deal is an advantage.

Do nibs and nobs apply in the crib?

Nibs is scored at the cut (before pegging) and isn’t related to the crib. Nobs does apply in the crib — if the crib contains a Jack matching the starter’s suit, it scores 1 point as part of the crib count.

What happens if the dealer forgets to claim nibs?

In games using the muggins rule, the pone can call muggins and claim the 2 nibs points for themselves. In casual games without muggins, players typically just remind the dealer. Either way, it’s important to claim nibs immediately when the Jack is cut.