Cribbage rules

Find clear answers to the most common cribbage rules, with simple examples for scoring, pegging, dealing, and more. Our guides follow American Cribbage Congress rules.

Written by Nobs editorial team

Last reviewed 2026-08-02

• How Do You Play Cribbage with 3 or 4 Players? What changes with three or four players: the deal, the crib, partnerships, and turn order.
• How Many Points Is 4 of a Kind in Cribbage? Three of a kind scores 6 and four of a kind 12, in hand, crib, or play; the pair count explains both.
• What Is the Best Hand in Cribbage? The best hand counts 29: three 5s plus a jack, with the matching fourth 5 cut; 28 is next.
• Are Aces High or Low in Cribbage? Aces are always low and count 1: ace-2-3 is a run, queen-king-ace never is.
• How to Score a Cribbage Hand Every point in a cribbage hand: fifteens, pairs, runs, flush, and nobs, with a fully worked count.
• How Do You Count Fifteens in Cribbage? Why 7-7-8 makes two fifteens: how pairs and triples multiply fifteens, with worked counts.
• Who Counts First in Cribbage? The show runs in a fixed order: non-dealer, dealer, then crib, and it decides close endgames.
• Does a Flush Count in the Crib? A crib flush needs all five cards in one suit; four score nothing. The exact rule, with examples.
• How Do Go and 31 Work in Cribbage? The cribbage go rule explained: when to say go, who pegs the point, why 31 scores 2, who leads after the reset, and what happens on a mistaken go.
• How Do You Peg Out to Win in Cribbage? Reaching 121 ends the game on the spot, in any phase, exact count or not.
• Why Is 19 an Impossible Hand in Cribbage? Nineteen is a score no hand can make, which is why players announce a zero hand as "a nineteen hand."