Cribbage scoring: how to count a hand

1The counting order

Every hand is five cards: the four in your hand plus the starter card turned up after the discard. The same card can be used in as many different combinations as it fits, and each combination scores on its own. Counting in the same order every time is how experienced players avoid missing points.

Start with fifteens. Look for every group of cards that adds up to exactly 15, where face cards count 10 and aces count 1. Each different group scores 2. Next count pairs: every two cards of the same rank score 2. Then runs: three or more cards in rank order score 1 point per card. Then check for a flush. Last, look for nobs, the jack in your hand that matches the starter's suit.

2How to say the count out loud

At the table you announce the count as a running total, not as separate numbers. Fifteens are called "fifteen 2, fifteen 4, fifteen 6" and so on. When you move to pairs, keep adding: "and a pair is 8." Runs are added the same way: "and a run of three is 11." End with the total so your opponent can check it before you peg.

Saying it aloud matters because your opponent is expected to follow along. If you play muggins, they can claim any points you miss, so a clear spoken count protects you as well as keeping the game honest. Beginners should point to the cards in each combination while they count.

3Double runs, double-double runs, and triple runs

When a run has a pair inside it, you score the run twice, once with each card of the pair, plus the pair itself. These patterns come up often enough that players learn their values by heart instead of counting them piece by piece. Fifteens are added on top of these totals.

A double run of three, such as 4-4-5-6, is two runs of three (6) plus a pair (2), so 8. A double run of four, such as 3-4-5-5-6, is two runs of four (8) plus a pair (2), so 10. A double-double run, such as 7-7-8-8-9, is four runs of three (12) plus two pairs (4), so 16. A triple run, such as 6-6-6-7-8, is three runs of three (9) plus three of a kind (6), so 15.

4Flush rules: hand vs crib

In your own hand, a flush needs all four hand cards to be the same suit. That scores 4. If the starter also matches, it scores 5. Three hand cards plus a matching starter is not a flush.

The crib is stricter. A crib scores a flush only when all four crib cards and the starter are the same suit, for 5 points. Four matching crib cards with a starter of another suit score nothing for the flush. This is one of the most common counting mistakes at family tables.

5His nobs vs his heels

His nobs (often just "nobs" or "one for his nob") is a jack in your hand or in the crib that is the same suit as the starter. It is worth 1 point and is counted last, during the show. Either player can score it.

His heels is different. If the starter itself is a jack, the dealer pegs 2 points immediately, before any cards are played. It is never counted again during the show, and only the dealer can get it.

6The 29 hand and the scores you can never get

The highest possible hand is 29. You need three 5s and a jack in your hand, with the fourth 5 turned up as the starter, and the jack must be the same suit as that starter. Four 5s make eight fifteens with the jack and each 5 (4 of them) plus the four ways to pick three 5s (4 more), so 16. Four 5s are six pairs for 12. Nobs adds 1, for 29. If the jack is a different suit, or the jack is the starter, the hand scores 28 instead.

Some totals between 0 and 29 cannot be made by any five cards: 19, 25, 26, and 27. Because 19 is impossible, players say "I have nineteen" as a joke when their hand scores zero. You will hear it at almost any cribbage table.

• Impossible hand scores: 19, 25, 26, 27
• Highest hand: 29 (three 5s and the matching jack, fourth 5 as starter)
• Next highest: 28 (all four 5s plus any other ten-card, no nobs)
• "Nineteen" is slang for a hand worth zero

7Common counting mistakes

Players often forget that a single card can be in several fifteens. A 5 with three ten-cards makes three separate fifteens. Players also forget to count the pair inside a double run, or they count a crib flush with only four cards. Count slowly, in order, and point to the cards.

8Worked examples

Questions people ask

What order do you count a cribbage hand in?

Count fifteens first, then pairs, then runs, then a flush, then nobs. Keep a running total as you go, such as "fifteen 2, fifteen 4, and a pair is 6." The order is a habit rather than a rule, but it is the standard way to avoid missing points.

How much is a double run worth in cribbage?

A double run of three, like 4-4-5-6, is worth 8: two runs of three plus a pair. A double run of four, like 3-4-5-5-6, is worth 10. Fifteens are added separately.

Does a flush count in the crib?

Only when all five cards match. The four crib cards and the starter must all be the same suit, and that scores 5. A four-card flush counts in your hand for 4, but never in the crib.

Why is 19 impossible in cribbage?

No combination of five cards produces exactly 19 points under the scoring rules. The same is true for 25, 26, and 27. Players use "nineteen" as a joke name for a zero hand.

How do you get a 29 hand?

Hold three 5s and a jack, then have the fourth 5 turned up as the starter in the same suit as your jack. That gives 16 for fifteens, 12 for pairs, and 1 for nobs.

What is the difference between nobs and heels?

Nobs is a jack in a hand or crib matching the starter's suit, worth 1 during the count. Heels is when the starter itself is a jack, and the dealer pegs 2 right away.

Sources

Checked by Morgan Hale against the sources below. Last reviewed September 28, 2026.

1. Cribbage (six-card), pagat.com. Read September 28, 2026.
2. How to Play Cribbage, Bicycle Cards. Read September 28, 2026.
3. Cribbage statistics, Wikipedia. Read September 28, 2026.

The full Cribbage rules