How to play Cribbage

Learn the rules to the 2-player card game Cribbage quickly and concisely - This video has no distractions, just the rules. While there are many variations to Cribbage, this video covers the original base rules.

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RULES:
The object of this 2-player card game is to be the first player to score 121 or more points over several deals. Setup. Place out the pegboard for keeping score. Place 2 pegs of each color into the 0 or resting spots on the board. Using a standard 52 card deck of playing cards with King high and ace low, each player cuts the deck and the player with the lowest card is the first dealer. The dealer shuffles the deck, the non-dealer cuts, then the dealer deals 6 cards, one at a time, to each player. The dealer places the deck face down on the table. Players pick up and look at their own cards but keep them hidden from their opponents.

Each player chooses two cards to discard face down to form the crib. These four cards are set aside until the end of the hand. The crib will count for the dealer. The non-dealer then cuts the deck, allowing the dealer to take the top card from the remaining, then puts the cut back on top and the dealer then flips the pulled card faceup on top of the deck. This is called the start card. If the start card is a jack. Then the dealer immediately pegs 2 holes.

“Pegs” or “Pegging” means to score. Each player has 2 pegs, 1 peg represents their current score while the other represents their old score. Each hole represents 1 point. To score, move your farthest back peg in front of your current score peg by the number of points scored. Traditionally pegs travel down the outside of the board then travel back on the inside of the board, looping around twice to track 120 points.

Beginning with the non-dealer, the players take turns playing single cards. You play cards from your hand to a face-up pile in front of yourself, keeping them separate from the other player's cards. In this stage of the game the combined total pip value of the cards played by both players is counted, starting from zero and adding the value of each card as it is played. This total must not exceed 31. The pip values are:

Aces are worth 1
Numbered cards are worth their face value
And Face cards are worth 10

As each card is played, the player announces the running total - for example the non-dealer plays a king and says "10", the dealer plays an 8 and says "18", the non-dealer plays a jack and says "28", and so on.

A player who cannot play without exceeding 31 does not play a card but instead says “Go”, allowing his opponent to continue playing if possible. When no more cards can be played without going over 31, the count is restarted from zero.

The cards that have been played are turned face down and a new round starts with the player who said “Go”. Players use the remaining cards in the their hands. This process repeats until all the cards have been played. It is possible for one player to run out of cards before their opponent. In this case, the other player continues playing and scoring until all their cards have been played.

Players score points in the following ways:
If you are the player to say “Go”, you score 1 point.
Playing the last card in a round that doesn’t equal 31 gives you 1 point.
Playing a card to get the total exactly to 15 or 31 scores you 2 points.
Playing the same ranked card as the previously played card is called a pair and scores you 2 points. Playing a 3rd matching card in this way is called a “pair royal” and scores you 6 points. Playing a 4th matching card in this way is called a “double pair royal” and scores you 12 points.
Playing a card that creates or continues a run of 3 or more cards of consecutive rank gives you points equal to the number of cards in that run. The cards in the run do not have to be played in the exact consecutive order to count. But If another card is played interrupting the run before it is complete, then no points are scored.

Once all the cards have been played, each player, starting with the non-dealer, scores points based on combining the start card with their played hand. This is called “the show.” Combine the cards you played with the each other and/or the start card to score points. Take note that when scoring a hand, the same card may be counted and scored as parts of several different combinations.