Who counts first
The pone counts first, then the dealer counts their hand, then the dealer counts the crib ACC r.9.2. The starter counts as a fifth card in all three ACC r.1.5.d. The game stops the moment someone reaches 121, so the pone can win before the dealer counts a card.
What scores, in the order you count
| What | Points |
|---|---|
| Fifteens. Cards that add up to 15 score 2. | 2 each |
| Pairs. Two of the same rank score 2. Three of a kind hold three pairs; four of a kind, six. | 2 each |
| Runs. Three or more in a row score 1 a card, any suit. A run of four is one run, never two of three. | 1 a card |
| Flush. Four hand cards of one suit; 5 with a starter of that suit. A crib needs all five. | 4 or 5 |
| Nobs. The jack of the same suit as the starter scores 1. | 1 |
Count every hand in that order, fifteens, pairs, runs, flush, nobs, and say the running total aloud. You will miss fewer points.
A nineteen hand. No fifteen, no pair, no run, no flush, no nobs. Players call a hand of nothing a nineteen because 19 is a score no hand can make.
A pair inside a run makes two runs, a double run. Three of a rank make a triple run, and two pairs a double double run:
The best hand is 29: three fives and a jack, with the fourth five turned up in the jack’s suit.
Our hand counter counts any hand this way, line by line, and tells you how rare the score is.
Questions
- Who counts first in cribbage?
- The player who did not deal. Then the dealer counts their hand, and the crib last.
- Is queen, king, ace a run?
- No. The ace is low in cribbage: it runs with the 2 and 3, never with the king.
- Does a four-card flush count in the crib?
- No. A crib scores a flush only when its four cards and the starter are all one suit, for 5.