Cribbage Strategy

Cribbage rewards small edges made over and over: a slightly better discard, a slightly safer lead, a hand played for the board position instead of the maximum count. These are the habits that separate steady winners from lucky ones. (New to the game? Start with how to play.)

Discarding: the crib is half the game

• Count your keeps, not your hopes. Before discarding, count what each possible four-card keep actually scores, then weigh how many starters improve it. Keep combinations — cards that work together in fifteens and runs — over high loose cards.
• Feed your own crib. As dealer, a 5, a pair, or touching cards (like 7-8) in the crib are points you'll count later. Tossing yourself a 5 is almost always right — a third of the deck counts ten.
• Starve your opponent's crib. Never give the opponent's crib a 5 if you can help it, and avoid pairs, touching cards, and 2-3 or 7-8 (both make fifteens easily). Classic safe throws are wide, unconnected cards like K-9, K-A, or Q-6.
• Balk your hand if you must. Against a crib, it's often worth keeping one point less in hand to avoid handing over a dangerous pair or a 5.

Pegging: lead safe, trap late

• Don't lead a 5 — any ten-card answers for an easy fifteen. Leading a card of rank 4 or lower is safest, since no reply can make the count 15 immediately.
• Lead from a pair. If your opponent pairs your lead for 2, you can drop the third for a 6-point pair royal.
• Watch the middle counts. Avoid bringing the count to 21 — a third of the deck counts ten, and any of it makes 31 on top of you. Be wary of counts your opponent can turn into 15 or 31; the habit is to think one reply ahead.
• Hold small cards for the endgame of the count. An ace or 2 kept in hand often turns a "go" into your point, and low cards win the scramble under 31.
• Pairs and runs cut both ways. Before pairing or extending a run, check whether the reply (trips, a longer run) costs more than you gained.

Board position: play the race, not just the hand

The deal alternates, and the dealer's crib makes dealing worth roughly a few extra points per hand — so the game is a race measured in deals, not just points. Near the end this changes how you play:

• Non-dealer counts first. If you're the non-dealer within striking distance of 121, an average hand may get you out before the dealer ever counts. Peg aggressively only if your hand won't finish the job.
• Dealer short of home: peg hard during the play — those points come before your opponent's show.
• Ahead late in the game? Peg cautiously, discard defensively, and make your opponent find their points the hard way.

How to actually improve

Strategy sticks when you see the points. Play against our computer — Hard and Expert discard and peg on these exact principles — and review your finished games hand by hand with replays. Keep the scoring chart handy until counting is reflex, and settle arguments with the rules page. Then take it to real opponents in ranked online play or against a friend at a private table.