How do you count points in cribbage?

Count in this order with the starter card included: every combination of cards that adds to 15 scores 2, every pair scores 2, every run of three or more scores 1 per card, four cards of one suit in your hand score 4 (5 if the starter matches), and a jack of the starter’s suit scores 1 for his nobs.

What is the highest possible cribbage hand?

Twenty-nine: three 5s and the jack of the fourth suit in your hand, with the matching 5 turned as the starter. That gives eight fifteens (16), six pairs (12) and his nobs (1).

Does a four-card flush count in the crib?

No. In the crib a flush only scores when all four crib cards and the starter are the same suit, for 5 points. Tick “This is the crib” and the counter applies that rule.

Why can’t a cribbage hand score 19?

No combination of five cards adds up to exactly 19 points (or 25, 26 or 27). Players say “nineteen” as a joke for a hand worth nothing.

Does the counter include his heels?

No. His heels (2 points for the dealer when the starter is a jack) is scored when the starter is turned, not when hands are counted, so it is not part of any hand’s total.

Cribbage Hand Counter: Count Any Hand Free

How the counter scores a hand

Cribbage hands are counted with five cards: your four plus the starter that was turned up before the play. The counter checks every one of the 26 combinations of two or more cards for totals of 15, with face cards worth 10 and aces worth 1, and scores 2 for each. Each pair scores 2, so three of a kind (a pair royal) is 6 and four of a kind is 12. Runs of three or more consecutive ranks score 1 per card, and when a duplicate card makes two or more runs, each run counts, which is why 7 7 8 8 9 is worth 24.

A flush is four cards of one suit in your hand for 4 points, or 5 if the starter matches. The crib is stricter: it needs all five cards in one suit, so tick “This is the crib” when you count it. Finally, a jack in your hand of the same suit as the starter is his nobs, worth 1. The order you see in the spoken count (fifteens, pairs, runs, flush, nobs) is the order most players use at the table.

Two worked hands

4♠ 5♥ 6♦ J♣ with a 5♣ starter: 17

Fifteens: 4+5♥+6, 4+5♣+6, J+5♥ and J+5♣ make four fifteens for 8. The two fives are a pair for 10. The 4-5-6 run can be made with either five, so there are two runs of three for 16. The jack of clubs matches the club starter: his nobs, 17.

5♥ 5♣ 5♠ J♦ with a 5♦ starter: 29

Four fives can be split into four fifteens of three fives each, and each five pairs with the jack for four more fifteens: eight fifteens for 16. Four fives make six pairs for 12 more, 28. The jack of diamonds matches the diamond starter for his nobs: 29, the highest hand in the game.

If you are new to the game, start with the full cribbage rules, the step-by-step guide to counting cribbage hands, how pegging works, or print the one-page cheat sheet.

Hand counter FAQ

How do you count points in cribbage?: Count in this order with the starter card included: every combination of cards that adds to 15 scores 2, every pair scores 2, every run of three or more scores 1 per card, four cards of one suit in your hand score 4 (5 if the starter matches), and a jack of the starter’s suit scores 1 for his nobs.
What is the highest possible cribbage hand?: Twenty-nine: three 5s and the jack of the fourth suit in your hand, with the matching 5 turned as the starter. That gives eight fifteens (16), six pairs (12) and his nobs (1).
Does a four-card flush count in the crib?: No. In the crib a flush only scores when all four crib cards and the starter are the same suit, for 5 points. Tick “This is the crib” and the counter applies that rule.
Why can’t a cribbage hand score 19?: No combination of five cards adds up to exactly 19 points (or 25, 26 or 27). Players say “nineteen” as a joke for a hand worth nothing.
Does the counter include his heels?: No. His heels (2 points for the dealer when the starter is a jack) is scored when the starter is turned, not when hands are counted, so it is not part of any hand’s total.