How to play Canadian Doubles
A 2v2 partners game where only two players are dealt cards: the dealer and the opponent after them each pick up ten cards.
Each splits their ten three ways — keep 4, send 4 to their partner, and toss 2 to the crib (those four tosses build the dealer’s crib). Choosing two hands at once is the whole art.
From there it’s standard partnership cribbage: cut the starter, peg as a team, count all four hands, and race to 121 together.
Canadian Doubles strategy tips
- You are building two hands at once. Split the ten so both score — two decent hands usually beat one great hand and one empty one.
- Your partner can’t choose what they get, so send four cards that already work together: a run, a pair with a 15, a five with tens.
- Remember whose crib it is before you toss. All four crib cards come from just two players, so each toss carries twice its usual weight.
Common questions
Who gets cards in Canadian Doubles?
Only two players: the dealer and the opponent who plays after them. Each picks up ten cards, keeps four, passes four to their partner and throws two to the dealer’s crib.
Is the rest of the game different?
No. Once the hands are set it is standard partnership cribbage — cut the starter, peg as a team, count all four hands and the crib, first side to 121.
Play Canadian Doubles online
You can play Canadian Doubles at eCribbage Plus in any browser, on a computer, tablet or phone, with nothing to download. Open a table in the lounge and another player can sit down with you, or look for one already waiting; a free account is all you need.
