The game unfolds through a series of "hands," each comprising a "deal," "the play," and "the show." At any point in these stages, if a player attains the target score (typically 121), the game concludes instantly, declaring that player as the winner. This outcome is possible even during the deal, as the dealer earns points if a Jack is cut as the starter.
The deal
Players determine the first dealer by cutting cards, and the individual with the lowest-cut card assumes the dealing role. The dealer shuffles the deck and distributes either five or six cards to each player, depending on the player count. In a two-player game, each player receives six cards, while in a three or four-player game, each player gets five cards. In a three-player scenario, an additional card is placed face down in the center to kickstart the crib.
Following the distribution, players select four cards to keep and discreetly discard the remaining one or two to create the "crib" (also known as the box). This crib will come into play later and is managed by the dealer. Consequently, each player and the crib end up with precisely four cards each. The player to the left of the dealer then cuts the deck, and the dealer reveals the top card, known as the "starter" or "cut." If the revealed card happens to be a Jack, the dealer scores two points for achieving "his heels."
The play
Commencing with the player to the dealer's left, each participant takes turns placing a card face up on the table, articulating the count—the cumulative value of the laid cards. For instance, the first player puts down a five and declares "five," followed by the next player placing a six and stating "eleven," and so forth. The objective is to avoid surpassing a count of 31. Rather than positioning the cards in the center of the table, players place them in front of themselves since, at the conclusion of the "play," each player retrieves the cards they laid.
Points are earned during the play. Achieving a count of exactly fifteen garners two points, and the play continues. Forming a pair (two of a kind) accrues two points, while three or four of a kind are treated as multiple pairs—completing three of a kind equates to three different pairs, or 6 points, and four of a kind equals 6 different kinds of pairs, or 12 points. A run of three or more consecutively played cards scores the number of cards in the run.
If a player cannot play without exceeding 31, they declare "Go." The play then proceeds with the player on their left until no one can play without surpassing 31. A player must play a card unless there is no viable option in their hand without exceeding 31. Once 31 is reached or no one can play, the player who played the last card scores one point if the count is still under 31 and two if it is exactly 31. The count resets to zero, and players with remaining cards repeat the process, commencing with the player to the left of the last card player. When all players exhaust their cards, the game advances to the "show."
Participants strategically choose the order in which to lay their cards to maximize scores, known as either good or poor "pegging" or "pegsmanship" among experienced players. If a player reaches the target score (typically 61 or 121), the game concludes immediately, and that player emerges as the winner. In instances of tied scores during a game, players' pegs align side by side, giving rise to the term "level pegging."
The show
After the culmination of the play, each player, taking turns beginning with the player to the left of the dealer, reveals their hand on the table and tallies points based on its composition in combination with the starter card. Points are awarded for various combinations, including cards totaling fifteen, runs, pairs (with multiple pairs being scored pair by pair and sometimes referred to as three or four of a kind), a flush, and the presence of a Jack matching the suit of the starter card (referred to as "one for his nob" or "nobs," sometimes called the "right" Jack). A four-card flush scores four but cannot include the cut or starter, while a five-card flush scores five.
The dealer assesses their hand last and then exposes the cards in the crib face up. The crib's cards are scored by the dealer as an additional hand, also in association with the starter card. Unlike the dealer's personal hand, the crib cannot earn points for a four-card flush, but it has the potential for a five-card flush with the starter.
Scores ranging from 0 to 29 are feasible, excluding 19, 25, 26, and 27. Players may casually refer to a hand scoring zero points as a "nineteen hand."
Match
Similar to tennis, a cribbage match comprises more than one game, typically an odd number. The match points are registered on the cribbage board using designated holes for this purpose. On a spiral board, these holes are commonly found at the bottom, arranged in a line with 5 or 7 holes. On a standard board, they may be situated in the middle, or at the top or bottom.
In a two-player cribbage game, a player earns one match point for winning a game, and their opponent takes on the dealer role in the subsequent game. If a player achieves a "skunk" by reaching 121 points before their opponent scores 91 points, they secure two match points for that game. Achieving a "double skunk" (reaching 121 points before the opponent reaches 61) results in scoring three or four match points, depending on local conventions. If a player accomplishes a "triple skunk" (reaching 121 points before the opponent reaches 31 points), they automatically win the entire match. It's worth noting that double and triple skunks are not part of the official cribbage rules and are considered optional. Various scoring formats for match points exist.
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The Starter
To commence, the player situated to the left of the dealer cuts the remaining portion of the undealt deck (leaving a minimum of 4 cards). Subsequently, the dealer unveils the top card, referred to as the "starter" or the "cut," and places it face up on the deck. During this process, it is strictly prohibited to peek at any other cards in the deck. If the revealed card happens to be a Jack, the dealer accumulates two points for achieving "his heels," also known as "his nibs" or simply "nibs." Notably, the game has the potential to conclude with the cut of a Jack for the dealer.
The play
Beyond earning one or two points for the last card played, players accumulate points based on the following criteria:
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Fifteen-twos: Two points for reaching a cumulative total of exactly fifteen ("fifteen two").
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Runs: Three points for completing a run of three cards, irrespective of the order in which they are laid. Four points for a run of four, five points for a run of five, six points for a run of six, and seven points for a run of seven (e.g., playing 2, 4, 6, A, 3, 5, and 7).
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Pairs: Two points for laying a card of the same rank as the previous card, resulting in a pair. Six points for laying a third card of the same rank (referred to as a "pair royal" or "trips"), and twelve points for laying a fourth card of the same rank (known as a "double pair royal" or "quad").
The show
Following the conclusion of the play, each player, starting from the player to the dealer's left, scores points based on their hand's composition. Players spread out their cards on the playing surface and calculate their score, considering these four cards and the starter card:
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Fifteen-twos: Two points for each distinct combination of two or more cards totaling exactly fifteen.
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Runs: Three points for a run of three consecutive cards, regardless of suit. Four points for completing a run of four, and five points for a run of five.
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Pairs: Two points for a pair of cards of the same kind, six points for three cards of a kind (referred to as a "pair royal"), and twelve points for four cards of a kind (termed a "double pair royal").
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Flush: Four points for a flush, where all four cards in the hand share the same suit. An additional point is awarded if the starter card is also of that suit.
- "His nobs": One point for holding the Jack of the same suit as the starter card (known as "one for his nob" or "... his nobs").
In What Order Should I Count My Points?
To count your hand in cribbage, you should start by counting 15s, then runs, pairs, flushes, and nobs. 15s are
the most common and difficult scoring combination to identify, so it is recommended to start with them. To count
15s, start from 0 and skip-count by 2. Runs are the next most challenging to count, especially if you have pairs
that multiply the points. Each individual run must be worth 3, 4, or (rarely) 5 points, so you will need to add
3, 4, or 5 points at a time to your current total. Pairs are worth 2 points, "pair royal" (three of a kind) is
worth 6 points, and "double pair royal" (four of a kind) is worth 12 points. Flushes are worth 4 or 5 points (if
they include the cut card), and nobs are worth 1 point. It is helpful to order your hand from lowest to highest
to develop consistent counting habits.
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How do you play a friend?
To play a friend do one of the following:
- The best way is to add them by their Invite Code / cribbage ID (not username). You can find
your Invite Code / cribbage ID by
clicking on your
profile, or going to the online game and it will be in the upper right hand corner. Then go to
Online->Play a Friend-> Invite Code
- You can also invite them by email granted they entered their email into their Cribbage profile settings.
- You can also invite them via Facebook invite if you both are friends and using the Facebook
version.
- You can also just create a private room and both join it.
- You can also add a friend while playing someone by clicking on the "+Friends" button in game.
You both need to friend each other, so exchange IDs so you both can invite each other. Inviting by ID will also
allow you send notification invites to each other while offline.
Custom Cribbage Boards
When playing online, you will see one of the two player's custom Cribbage boards and background. Both players
will see the same display. For example, if you are using the fish board, both players will see the fish board if
you're the host (blue player).
Rating System
The points are relative to all active users. It uses the ELO system. The rankings (Bronze, Silver, ...) are
based on your standings. For example, Bronze is 0%-35% percentile after you order all active users by rating.
Your rating goes up when you win. It goes up a little if the player was lower rated and up a lot if they
were
higher rated. The same for losing, it goes down a lot if they were lower rated and down a little if they were
higher rated.It get exponentially hard to go up the higher you go. It is also a zero based system. That means
if
you were to averages all the rating you come out with 0. In this case it averages 1000 as that is the starting
value. So far after millions of rated games the system remains balanced, averaging exactly 1000.
The ELO system is a skill rating system. So the more you play does not mean the rating will go up, that would
be
accumulated point system or an experience system. I do plan on adding another award system based on the
experience gained.
The goal of the ELO system is to extract a skill level with the purpose of match making.
Ranks
Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master and Grand Master
Source
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cribbage
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rules_of_cribbage
