Cribbage hand calculator
Pick the four cards in a hand and the starter. The calculator counts it and shows where every point comes from. Switch to Crib to count it as a crib.
How to count a cribbage hand
A hand is the four cards you kept plus the starter card cut from the deck, five cards in all. Go through them for each of these, and add everything up:
| Scores | What it is | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Fifteen | Any combination of cards adding to 15 | 2 |
| Pair | Two cards of the same rank | 2 |
| Three of a kind | Three pairs in one | 6 |
| Four of a kind | Six pairs in one | 12 |
| Run | Three or more cards in sequence, any suits | 1 per card |
| Flush | All four hand cards in one suit | 4 |
| Five-card flush | The starter matches the hand’s suit too | 5 |
| Nobs | A Jack in the hand of the starter’s suit | 1 |
Aces are low and count 1. Tens, Jacks, Queens and Kings all count 10 towards a fifteen, but they are different ranks for pairs and runs.
Counting tips
- Always count in the same order: fifteens, pairs, runs, flush, nobs. Saying it the traditional way — “fifteen two, fifteen four, a pair is six” — keeps the running total for you.
- Look for the fives and ten-cards first. Every ten, Jack, Queen or King makes 15 with every five, so a five with three ten-cards is six points before anything else.
- A double run of three (such as 6-7-7-8) is always 8 before you add fifteens: two runs of three and a pair. A double run of four is 10, a triple run 15, and a double-double run (6-6-7-7-8) 16.
- Check for nobs last. It is the point most often missed: a Jack in the hand of the same suit as the starter.
Common questions
How do you count a cribbage hand?
Count the four cards in your hand together with the starter. Every combination of cards adding to 15 scores 2. Every pair scores 2, so three of a kind is 6 and four of a kind is 12. A run of three or more cards in sequence scores 1 per card. Four cards of one suit in the hand score 4, or 5 if the starter matches. A Jack in the hand of the starter’s suit scores 1.
How is the crib counted differently?
Only the flush changes. In the crib a flush counts only if all five cards, starter included, are the same suit.
What is the highest possible cribbage hand?
29: three fives and a Jack in the hand, with the fourth five cut as the starter in the Jack’s suit.
Which scores are impossible?
19, 25, 26 and 27. No five cards can count to any of them.
Can the same card count more than once?
Yes. A card can be part of several fifteens, a pair and a run all at the same time, and every one of them scores.
Practise counting against the clock
Once the counting makes sense, try Cribbage Counter: ten hands, a draining points meter and a daily leaderboard. Or read the rules of traditional cribbage and the sixteen other cribbage games you can play here.