Two players race to 121 points by making combinations. Each hand has three stages: discard, pegging, and the count.
Teach it in a minute
- The goal: First to 121 points. You score during play and again when counting your hand.
- Your turn: Throw two of your six cards into the crib, then take turns laying cards and adding up the count, never past 31.
- How a hand goes: Discard to the crib, cut a card, play out your cards scoring as you go, then count your hand, then the dealer counts the crib.
- What people get wrong: The cut card counts as part of everyone's hand, and the crib belongs to the dealer.
- First-game tip: Keep cards that add up to 15 and cards next to each other. Throw good cards into your own crib, poor ones into theirs.
Card values
Ace 1, number cards their face value, J Q K 10. For runs, the order is A-2-3…J-Q-K.
1. Discard
- Each player gets six cards and throws two face down into the crib.
- The crib is a bonus hand that belongs to the dealer. The deal alternates each hand, so you get the crib every other hand.
- A card is then cut from the deck: the starter. It belongs to everyone's hand when counting. If it's a Jack, the dealer scores 2 straight away ("his heels").
2. Pegging (the play)
- The non-dealer plays first. Players take turns laying one card and adding to a running total, which can't go past 31.
- Reaching exactly 15 or 31: 2 points.
- Same rank as the card just played: a pair, 2 points (three of a kind 6, four of a kind 12).
- Three or more cards in sequence at the end of the line, in any order: 1 point per card.
- Can't play without passing 31? You say "Go". The other player keeps going if they can; the last card scores 1. Then the count restarts at 0.
3. The count
Your 4 cards plus the starter score: each different combination making 15 (2 each), each pair (2), runs (1 per card), a flush (4, or 5 with the starter), and the Jack of the starter's suit ("nobs", 1). The non-dealer counts first, then the dealer's hand, then the crib. The app shows every combination it finds.
Why it works like this
- The crib belongs to the dealer. It gives the dealer an extra hand to make up for the non-dealer playing first. The deal alternates, so it evens out.
- A cut card joins every hand. It adds a bit of luck and makes your four cards worth more or less after you have already chosen them.
- Pegging, then the count. You score twice from the same cards: once for how you play them, once for what they make together.
- "Go" and the last card. It rewards whoever gets the last card in before 31, so even small cards matter.
- 121 points on a board with pegs. Scoring is frequent and visible, so you always know who is ahead and by how much.
Common questions
- Can I play with friends? Yes. Press Play with friends to make a room, then send the link. The table has two seats; computer players fill any empty seat, and a friend who arrives later can take one over. Each player has their own coach, which only sees their own cards.
- Why does Rosie get the crib? She's dealing this hand; you get it next hand.
- Do my pegging cards still count later? Yes, your four cards are counted again in the show.
- Can I go over 31? No. Cards that would take you past 31 are greyed out.
The quickest way to learn is to play a hand: the coach explains each rule the moment it matters. Start a game of Cribbage →