Cribbage Game

  • Country of origin - England
  • Other Names - Crib
  • Number of players - 2-4
  • Number of cards - 52
  • Ranking System - K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 A
  • Time Duration - 15-30 Min
  • Direction to start - Clockwise
  • Highest Score to win - 61-121
  • Modes to Play - Offline or Online

Introduction to Cribbage Gam

The Cribbage Card game is a simple & scoring game that is played online with other players. It is also known as 2 player card game cribbage. The game is usually played between two players that involves playing & grouping cards in combinations that gain points. Though, three to four players can also play this game. The main goal of the players is to score the highest, typically 61 to 121.

Historical Journey of Cribbage Game 

According to Sir John Aubrey, Cribbage Game was introduced as a derivation of the game ''noddy''. The popularity of the Noddy game has become historical but over time Cribbage Game gained popularity among the masses.  

General Set-up in Cribbage Game

  • Cribbage Board: The cribbage board is a scoring board on which scores get tallied with the help of a peg also known as spillikin. These scores can be tallied on paper also but since the scoring keeps on going throughout the game, the cribbage board is helpful for the gameplay.  
  • Peg: With the help of a peg, scores get tallied on a Cribbage board. Each player needs at least two pegs for scoring. 
  • 52 Card Deck: The deck should be placed face-down on the table. 

How to Play Cribbage Game

Cribbage is easy to understand & can be played by everyone & that's the best thing about it. Due to its easy steps, till date its popularity never goes down! 

Now, let's look at the various Cribbage Game Rules & steps involved: 

Role of a dealer

In the Cribbage Game, dealers play a significant role. The dealer is decided when each player chooses one card from the deck. The player who gets the lowest card is declared the dealer & it's his responsibility to shuffle & deal five or six cards to each player. 

The dealer keeps on changing in consecutive rounds.

Role of the Crib 

Once the cards get distributed, each player looks at their card & gets a chance to keep the best four cards & discard the rest 2 of them. A crib is formed when both players discard their four cards. These cards are kept aside and used at the end of the round to score additional points. The crib is important, especially for the dealer in later phases.

Role of the starter card 

Once the crib sets up, the players begin the game. A starter card is introduced when the non-dealer or a player sitting on the dealer's left cuts the remaining deck of cards and turns over the top card. A starter card is shown face-up for the entire game but doesn't have any effect until the end. If the starter card is a jack of any suit, the dealer gets 2 points & pegs 2 holes on the board. 

The Play

The next step involves the non-dealer or the person sitting left of the dealer playing a card from their hand by placing it face up on the table.It's important to remember to not pile up all cards on top of each other because players need to review their played cards at the end of the round. The value should be announced, when the first player lays down a card. Upon receiving the next card, the dealer will lay it down on their side. In addition to their card, the dealer will also announce the value of their opponent's card. Alternatively, this process will be repeated. All cards will be laid down and players will declare the new total until 31 has been reached. The next player can play a card if the player cannot play without exceeding 31.

If neither player can play a card without going over 31, the count will reset to zero. In the next series, the game continues with the remaining cards in the players' hands until all cards have been played.  

  1. Numbered cards have the same numerical value
  2. Face cards (jacks, queens, and kings) have a value of ten. 
  3. Aces count as one. 


There are many methods through which players score during a hand of cribbage, and this is tracked by using the pegs.  If the player says go, this means they cannot play a card without exceeding 31, so the other player receives 1 point.

The Show

Players accumulate points at the end of a hand, based on the cards they played. Once all the players play their cards, each will count their score by combining their played cards with the starter card. The starter card is the card that the dealer turned over before the game began. 

This process is called "the show." There are other ways as well where players can score during the show, and players can use the same card to make different combinations of cards for scoring.

Below are the scores for each combination in the show:

  1. Any two cards with a total of 15: 2 points
  2. Pair: 2 points
  3. Three of a kind (Pair Royal): 6 points
  4. Four of a kind (Double Pair Royal): 12 points
  5. Consecutive cards: total number of cards in the run
  6. Four cards in the same suit (Flush): 4 points
  7. The starter card is in the same suit as the Flush: 5 points
  8. The starter card is in the same suit as a jack in a player’s hand (“One for his Nob”): 1 point

Don't forget to score consecutive cards together. It is never a good idea to score small runs within larger runs. You do not score six to seven if you have a run of six to ten, for instance. As soon as the four cards face down on the crib are revealed, and the starter card is revealed, the dealer will score them. Dealers are the only ones who can score from the crib; this privilege is only available to dealers. Scoring will be the same as on the show. There is only one difference between a flush and a straight: the starter card must match all cards in the crib. Five points will be awarded to the dealer when this occurs.According to the points they get during the game and the show, players must move their pegs forward. Points are awarded for each hole on the board. To keep track of their previous scores, they should always use one peg after the other on the board.


Afterward, all cards will be collected by the players, and the dealer role will be switched. To win, players must reach or exceed 121 points.

You can play Cribbage games on many online platforms, but if you want to explore money earning games, try texas hold'em poker or teen patti.

  • Texas Hold'em: Texas Hold'em is a popular variant of poker in which players deal two private cards (known as "hole cards") and then use a combination of their hole cards and five community cards to form the best possible hand. Texas Hold'em is a strategic game that requires skill, bluffing, and a good understanding of the odds and probabilities involved.
  • Teen Patti: Teen Patti is a popular Indian card game. It is also known as Flash or Flush in some regions of India. The game is played with a deck of 52 cards with 3-6 players.


The craze for poker is spreading widely, poker players because it’s a cash game that requires skills as well as calmness. If you want to show your skills, you can play card games on the Adda52 poker app & website. On the poker sites you can also avail various poker offers. 

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