You know the rules. You can count a hand. Now you want to start winning more often. These 10 strategies are the highest-impact changes a beginner can make — each one is simple to remember and immediately applicable. Once you’ve mastered them, the American Cribbage Congress is a great resource for players ready to explore competitive play.

1. Protect the 5

The 5 is the most valuable card in cribbage. Sixteen cards in the deck (10, J, Q, K — four of each) pair with a 5 to make fifteen. This means:

  • Always keep 5s in your hand (they generate fifteens reliably)
  • Never discard a 5 to your opponent’s crib (it’s like giving them free points)
  • Never lead a 5 during pegging (your opponent will play a face card for an easy fifteen)

If you take nothing else from this guide, protect your 5s.

2. Keep Cards Close in Rank

Cards that are close together in rank (consecutive or near-consecutive) have the highest scoring potential because they form runs and interact well with starter cards.

Strong keeps: 6-7-8, 3-4-5, 7-8-9, 4-5-6

Weak keeps: A-6-9-K (no runs possible, limited fifteens)

When choosing between two equally scoring options, favor the one with cards close in rank — it has more upside when the starter is revealed.

3. Know the Dealer Advantage

The dealer scores the crib — an extra 4-card hand worth roughly 4.7 points on average. This means:

  • As dealer: You can afford to discard generously to your crib. Send it 5s, pairs, and consecutive cards.
  • As pone (non-dealer): You need to make up for the crib deficit through pegging and strong hand selection. Peg aggressively and discard “garbage” to the opponent’s crib (K-A, K-9, far-apart cards).

Understanding this asymmetry is fundamental to improving.

4. Don’t Lead With a 5 (or a Face Card)

During pegging, your opening lead should make it hard for your opponent to score:

  • Best leads: 4, 3, 2, A — no single card makes fifteen from these counts
  • Worst leads: 5 (opponent plays any face card for fifteen), 6 (opponent plays 9), 10/J/Q/K (opponent plays a 5)

If you have a pair of low cards (e.g., two 4s), lead one and hope your opponent pairs it — then you play the second for a pair royal (6 points).

5. Set the Pair Trap

One of the easiest ways to win pegging points:

  1. Lead a card you have a pair of (preferably low, like 3 or 4)
  2. Your opponent might pair it (2 points for them)
  3. You play your second one — pair royal (6 points for you)

Net gain: 4 points. This works best with cards 7 and below, where three of the same rank won’t exceed 31. It’s a simple trap but surprisingly effective even against experienced players.

6. Count the Starter Before You Count Your Hand

When the starter card is revealed, take a moment to consider how it affects your hand before the pegging phase begins. You’ll know your approximate hand value, which helps you decide how aggressively to peg.

  • Great starter for your hand? You can peg conservatively — your hand will do the scoring.
  • Bad starter? Peg aggressively to make up for the weak hand.

7. Discard “Safe” Cards to Opponent’s Crib

As the pone, your crib discards should be as unhelpful to your opponent as possible:

Safe Discards Why
K + A Maximum distance, no fifteens possible
K + 9 Far apart, no synergy
Q + A Distant, weak
10 + A No fifteen (11, not 15)
Dangerous Discards Why
5 + anything 5 makes fifteens with 16 cards
7 + 8 Guaranteed fifteen
Any pair Guaranteed 2 points
Consecutive cards Run potential

For the full breakdown, see our Discard Strategy guide.

8. Pay Attention to the Count During Pegging

Always know the running total. This sounds obvious, but many beginners focus on their own cards and forget to track the count. Knowing the count lets you:

  • Play a card that makes exactly 15 (2 points)
  • Avoid leaving the count where your opponent can easily hit 15 or 31
  • Plan ahead for the Go and last-card points

Dangerous counts to leave: 5 (opponent plays face card for 15), 10 (opponent plays 5 for 15), 21 (opponent plays face card for 31).

9. Remember: Pone Counts First

In close games, this decides the winner. The non-dealer always counts their hand before the dealer counts hand and crib. If both players are near 121, the pone has the advantage of getting there first.

Practical implication: When you’re within ~15 points of winning and you’re the pone, you can play more conservatively during pegging because you’ll count your hand first. When you’re the dealer, you may need to peg aggressively to compensate for counting second.

10. Keep It Simple: Fifteens First

When evaluating your 6-card hand, count the fifteens in each possible 4-card combination. The hand with the most fifteens is usually the best keep.

This isn’t always true (runs and flushes matter too), but it’s the right heuristic for beginners. Fifteens are the single largest source of points in cribbage, and optimizing for them will serve you well until you develop more nuanced evaluation skills.

The Biggest Beginner Mistake

New players often keep the 4 highest-value cards and discard the 2 lowest. This is wrong. A hand of K-Q-J-10 scores only 4 points (a run of 4, if all consecutive) — or zero if they’re not consecutive.

Meanwhile, 3-4-5-6 scores at least 5 (run of 4 + fifteen: 4+5+6=15) and has massive upside with the right starter.

Card rank ≠ scoring power. Low and middle cards (3–8) are generally more valuable than high cards because they form more fifteens and runs.

What to Learn Next

Once these 10 tips feel automatic:

  1. Discard Strategy — the deep dive into optimal discarding
  2. Pegging Strategy — advanced pegging tactics
  3. Endgame Strategy — how to close out games using board position
  4. Dealer Strategy — exploiting the dealer advantage fully

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the single most important cribbage tip?

Never discard a 5 to your opponent’s crib. It’s the highest-impact mistake beginners make. A 5 in the opponent’s crib is worth an average of 2+ extra points to them every round.

How long does it take to get good at cribbage?

Most players feel comfortable with the rules after 5–10 games. Basic strategy clicks after 30–50 games. Competitive-level play takes hundreds of games and deliberate practice with concepts like positional play and optimal discarding.

Should I focus more on pegging or hand scoring?

For beginners, focus on hand scoring (discarding well and counting accurately). As you improve, pegging becomes a more significant differentiator because experienced players already discard optimally — the edge comes from the play phase.

Is cribbage more luck or skill?

In a single game, luck plays a significant role (you can’t control which cards you’re dealt). Over multiple games, skill dominates. The best players consistently make 1–3 better decisions per round, which compounds to a significant win-rate advantage over dozens of games.

If you’re also learning gin rummy, check out our cribbage vs gin rummy comparison to see how strategy differs between the two games.