Cribbage Scoring
Every point in cribbage comes from a short list of combinations. Points are scored in two places: during the play (pegging) and afterwards in the show, when hands are counted with the starter card. Here's the whole chart.
Scoring during the play
| During pegging | Points |
|---|---|
| Making the count exactly 15 | 2 |
| Pair (matching the previous card's rank) | 2 |
| Three of a kind in a row ("pair royal") | 6 |
| Four of a kind in a row ("double pair royal") | 12 |
| Run of three or more (latest cards, any order, no interruption) | 1 per card |
| Making the count exactly 31 | 2 |
| Go (opponent can't play; you played last) | 1 |
| Last card of the play | 1 |
| Dealer cuts a jack as the starter ("his heels") | 2 |
Pairs count by rank, not value — a king doesn't pair a ten. Landing exactly on 31 scores 2 in total (it replaces the go point, not adds to it).
Scoring in the show
Each hand is counted as five cards: the four you kept plus the starter. Every distinct combination counts separately.
| In the show | Points |
|---|---|
| Each combination of cards totalling 15 | 2 |
| Each pair (three of a kind = 3 pairs = 6; four of a kind = 6 pairs = 12) | 2 |
| Run of 3, 4, or 5 cards | 3, 4, or 5 |
| Flush — all four held cards one suit | 4 |
| Flush including the starter (the only flush allowed in the crib) | 5 |
| Nobs — a jack of the same suit as the starter | 1 |
Counting combinations: a worked example
Hand: 7♠ 8♦ 8♥ 9♣, starter 6♦.
- Fifteens: 7+8♦ and 7+8♥ and 6+9 — three fifteens, 6 points
- Runs: 6-7-8♦-9 and 6-7-8♥-9 — two runs of four, 8 points
- Pair of eights — 2 points
- Total: 16 points
That pattern — a run counted once for each duplicate card — is where "double run" totals come from: a double run of three with its pair is always 8 before fifteens (e.g. 4-4-5-6).
The famous 29 hand
The highest possible cribbage hand is 29: three fives and the jack, with the fourth five — matching the jack's suit — as the starter. Eight fifteens (16), four of a kind in fives (12), and nobs (1). The odds of being dealt it are about 1 in 216,000.
Curiosity: 19 is impossible — no hand scores exactly 19 (nor 25, 26, or 27). "I had a nineteen hand" is the traditional way of saying you scored zero.
Never miscount again
On our table the show is scored automatically, with an animated walkthrough of every fifteen, pair, and run — a painless way to internalize this chart. See also the full rules and strategy guide, or start from the beginner's guide.