What Is His Heels in Cribbage?
His heels is a jack turned up as the starter card. It scores two points for the dealer, pegged immediately, before a single card is played. The American Cribbage Congress glossary also lists the same rule under "nibs": a jack turned as the starter, two for the dealer.
How the points work
After the cut, the dealer turns the top card of the deck as the starter. If that card is any jack, the dealer calls "two for his heels" and pegs 2 on the spot. The suit doesn't matter, nobody else can claim it, and it happens once per hand at most.
Timing is the detail that matters: the heels points belong to the moment the jack is turned. Under American Cribbage Congress rules the points are forfeit once the dealer plays a card, and forfeited heels cannot be reclaimed later through muggins.
His heels vs. nobs: what's the difference?
The two jack points are cribbage's most confused pair, but the whole difference fits in one small table:
| Point | Where the jack is | Worth | Who scores | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| His heels | Turned up as the starter | 2 | Dealer only | Immediately |
| Nobs | In a hand or crib, matching starter suit | 1 | Whoever holds it | At the count |
The same jack never scores both: a jack that's the starter scores heels, while a jack in a hand can only ever be nobs.
The endgame wrinkle
Because heels pegs immediately, it can end a game before the hand is played. A dealer sitting at 119 who turns a jack pegs 2, reaches 121, and wins; the pone's cards never matter. It's the only two points in cribbage you can score without playing or holding a single card, which is why experienced players never forget to claim it.
By the Nobs Cribbage team Last reviewed 2026-08-01