# Play Cribbage Online — full content

> Cribbage is a two-player card game, played since the 1600s, in which you score for card combinations that total fifteen, for pairs, runs and flushes, and race pegs around a wooden board to 121 points. Each deal has three scoring phases: the discard to the crib, the play (pegging) to 31, and the show, where every hand is counted against a shared cut card.

This document aggregates the reference content of https://playcribbageonline.com/ for AI ingestion.
Canonical URLs are listed per section — cite the URL, not this file.

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## Play Cribbage Online Free

Canonical: https://playcribbageonline.com/

Cribbage playable instantly in the browser, no login and no download, with full rules, scoring and strategy on the page.

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## Cribbage Rules: How to Play

Canonical: https://playcribbageonline.com/rules

Cribbage is a two-player card game in which you score points for card combinations (fifteens, pairs, runs and flushes) first while playing cards alternately up to a count of 31, and then by counting your hand against a shared cut card. The first player to peg 121 points wins. Each deal has three phases: the discard, where both players throw two of their six cards into a bonus hand called the crib; the play, where cards are laid alternately without passing 31; and the show, where both hands and the crib are counted.

### Setup and the deal

You need a standard 52-card deck and a cribbage board (or this page, since the game above tracks the pegging for you). The dealer alternates every hand, and dealing is an advantage because the dealer owns the crib.
1. Cut for first deal: Both players cut the deck; the lower card deals first. Ace is low. The deal alternates every hand for the rest of the game.
2. Deal six cards each: The dealer shuffles and deals six cards to each player, one at a time, starting with the opponent (the "pone").
3. Throw two cards to the crib: Each player chooses two cards from their six and places them face down in a shared pile called the crib. The crib belongs to the dealer and is counted at the end of the hand, so throw generously to your own crib and cautiously to your opponent’s.
4. Cut the starter card: The pone cuts the remaining deck and the dealer turns the top card of the lower half face up. This is the starter (or "cut"). If it is a jack, the dealer immediately pegs 2 points, called "his heels".

### The play (pegging)

Starting with the pone, players alternately lay one card face up, announcing the running total of card values. The total may never pass 31. Aces count 1, face cards count 10.
- Bringing the count to exactly 15 pegs 2 points; exactly 31 pegs 2 points.
- Pairing the previous card pegs 2. A third card of the same rank pegs 6 (pair royal); a fourth pegs 12.
- Completing a run of three or more pegs 1 point per card. The run cards need not be played in order, so 7, then 5, then 6 pegs a run of three, but the run must be unbroken by any other card.
- If you cannot play without passing 31, you say "go". Your opponent keeps playing while able, then pegs 1 for the go (or 2 if they reach exactly 31). The count resets to zero and the player who did not play last leads.
- Playing the very last card of the hand pegs 1 ("last card"), unless it makes 31, which already pegged 2.
**Do runs have to be in order during pegging?**
No. Runs during the play may form in any order as long as they are unbroken: 3, then 5, then 4 pegs a run of three because the last three cards can be arranged as 3-4-5. A duplicate rank or an unrelated card breaks the run.
**Can you score a flush during pegging?**
No. Flushes count only in the show, when hands are counted. During the play, only fifteens, thirty-ones, pairs, runs, goes and last card score.

### The show: counting the hands

When all eight cards are played, the hands are counted, always in this order: the pone’s hand first, then the dealer’s hand, then the crib. Each is counted as five cards: the four held plus the shared starter. In a close game the counting order decides the winner, because the game ends the instant anyone reaches 121.
| Combination | Points | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fifteen: any set of cards totalling 15 | 2 each | Count every distinct combination |
| Pair | 2 | Three of a kind is 3 pairs = 6; four of a kind is 6 pairs = 12 |
| Run of 3 / 4 / 5 | 3 / 4 / 5 | A pair inside a run doubles it: 4-5-5-6 is two runs of three |
| Flush: four hand cards of one suit | 4 | Plus 1 if the starter matches. In the crib, only a five-card flush counts |
| His nobs: jack matching the starter suit | 1 | The jack held in hand, not the starter itself |
| His heels: starter is a jack | 2 | To the dealer, pegged immediately at the cut |
The highest possible hand is 29: three fives and the jack of the starter suit, with the fourth five as the starter. The totals 19, 25, 26 and 27 are mathematically impossible, which is why "a nineteen hand" is cribbage slang for scoring nothing. Use the hand calculator to count any hand and see exactly which cards make each combination.

### Winning, skunks and muggins

- The first player to 121 points wins immediately, even in the middle of counting a hand. The remaining hands are never counted.
- If the loser has not reached 91, they are skunked, which counts as a double loss in match play. Under 61 is a double skunk.
- Muggins (optional, and playable here): a player who undercounts their hand keeps only what they announced, and the opponent may claim the points they missed by calling "muggins".

### Crib and cribbage are the same game

Crib is cribbage. The short form is the ordinary name for the game across Britain and Canada, and everything on this page applies to it unchanged: same board, same 121 points, same count. If you searched for crib rules and landed here, you are in the right place.
The word does double duty, which is the only thing that makes it confusing. Cribbage is the game; the crib is the four-card bonus hand the dealer counts last, built from the two cards each player throws away. So a sentence like "I won at crib because the crib had a flush" is not a typo. Where a rule below depends on which one is meant, this site says "the crib" for the extra hand and "cribbage" for the game.
Regional habits vary beyond the name. In parts of Canada and New England the crib itself is called the box or the kitty, and five-card cribbage still runs in British pub leagues in South Wales, Hampshire and Surrey, while the six-card game is standard everywhere else. None of that changes how a hand is counted.

### Cribbage terms

**Crib**: The extra four-card hand formed by each player’s two discards. It belongs to the dealer and is counted last, after both hands.
**Pone**: The non-dealer. The pone leads the first card of the play and counts their hand first in the show.
**Pegging**: Both the play phase itself and the act of scoring points by moving pegs along the board. Each player uses two pegs, leapfrogging so the rear peg always shows the previous score.
**Go**: What you say when you cannot play a card without taking the count past 31. Your opponent pegs 1 point for the go once neither of you can play.
**His nobs**: A jack in your hand of the same suit as the starter card, worth 1 point in the show.
**His heels**: A jack turned as the starter card, worth 2 points to the dealer, pegged immediately.
**Muggins**: An optional rule: if a player undercounts their own hand, the opponent may call "muggins" and claim the missed points for themselves.
**Skunk**: Winning while your opponent is still below 91 points. In match play a skunk counts as two game wins; below 61 is a double skunk.
**Nineteen**: Slang for a hand worth zero, because 19 is a total no cribbage hand can actually score. The other impossible totals are 25, 26 and 27.
**Starter**: The card cut face up after the discard, also called the cut card. It counts as a fifth card in every hand and in the crib.

### Frequently asked questions

**How many cards do you deal in cribbage?**
Six cards each in the standard two-player game. Both players discard two to the crib, leaving four in hand. Older six-card variants and three- or four-player games deal five.
**What is the best hand in cribbage?**
The perfect 29: three fives and the jack of the same suit as the starter, with the fourth five cut as the starter. It scores eight fifteens (16), six pairs (12) and his nobs (1). The odds are about 1 in 216,580 hands.
**Does a four-card flush count in the crib?**
No. In the crib, a flush only scores when all five cards (the four crib cards and the starter) share a suit, for 5 points. In a hand, four matching cards score 4, or 5 if the starter matches too.
**Who counts first in cribbage?**
The non-dealer (pone) always counts first, then the dealer’s hand, then the crib. This matters at the end of the game: a pone who reaches 121 wins before the dealer ever gets to count.
**Is crib the same game as cribbage?**
Yes. Crib is simply the short name, used as standard in Britain and Canada. The rules, the board and the 121-point target are identical, so crib rules and cribbage rules mean the same thing. Confusingly the crib is also the name of the dealer’s four-card bonus hand.
**What is the old name for cribbage?**
Noddy. Cribbage is a 17th-century derivation of it, credited to the English poet Sir John Suckling, and noddy itself is now a historical game that is rarely played.
**Do you have to get exactly 121 in cribbage?**
No. The game ends the moment a player reaches or passes 121, so pegging 2 points from 120 wins outright. There is no need to land on the number exactly and no penalty for overshooting it.
**Why do cribbage players say "fifteen two, fifteen four"?**
Each combination totalling fifteen scores 2 points, and players call the running total as they count: "fifteen two, fifteen four, and a pair is six". The hand calculator on this site speaks any hand this way.

### Sources

These rules follow the American Cribbage Congress rules of play (cribbage.org) and the Bicycle / United States Playing Card Company rule sheet. Where casual and tournament practice differ, as with muggins and match scoring for skunks, the difference is noted rather than silently picking one.

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## Cribbage Scoring Chart: Every Score

Canonical: https://playcribbageonline.com/scoring

A cribbage hand scores 2 points for every distinct combination of cards totalling fifteen, 2 for each pair, 1 per card in a run of three or more, 4 or 5 for a flush, and 1 for the jack matching the starter suit. The two charts below cover the show and the play in full, including the compound runs that are the usual place points go missing.

### The scoring chart

Everything a hand or crib can score, on one table. Count fifteens first, then pairs, then runs, then the flush and his nobs, in that order, and out loud, because that is how you stop missing points.
| Combination | Points | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Each combination totalling 15 | 2 | 7♠ 8♦ = fifteen two |
| Pair | 2 | 9♠ 9♥ |
| Pair royal (three of a kind) | 6 | 9♠ 9♥ 9♦ (three distinct pairs) |
| Double pair royal (four of a kind) | 12 | 9♠ 9♥ 9♦ 9♣ (six distinct pairs) |
| Run of three | 3 | 4♦ 5♠ 6♥ |
| Run of four | 4 | 4♦ 5♠ 6♥ 7♣ |
| Run of five | 5 | 4♦ 5♠ 6♥ 7♣ 8♦ |
| Double run of three (run + one pair) | 8 | 4♦ 5♠ 5♥ 6♥ (two runs and a pair) |
| Double run of four | 10 | 4♦ 5♠ 5♥ 6♥ 7♣ |
| Triple run (run + three of a kind) | 15 | 4♦ 5♠ 5♥ 5♦ 6♥ |
| Quadruple run (run + two pairs) | 16 | 4♦ 4♥ 5♠ 5♥ 6♥ |
| Four-card flush (hand only, not crib) | 4 | All four hand cards one suit |
| Five-card flush | 5 | Hand or crib plus the starter, all one suit |
| His nobs | 1 | Jack in hand matching the starter suit |
| His heels (at the cut, dealer only) | 2 | Starter card is any jack |
| Event | Points |
| --- | --- |
| Bringing the count to exactly 15 | 2 |
| Bringing the count to exactly 31 | 2 |
| Pairing the previous card | 2 |
| Third card of the same rank | 6 |
| Fourth card of the same rank | 12 |
| Completing an unbroken run of N cards (any order) | N |
| Go: opponent cannot play under 31 | 1 |
| Last card of the hand (if not 31) | 1 |
| His heels: starter cut is a jack (dealer) | 2 |

### The scores people miss

**How do you score a run of 4 in cribbage?**
A run of four scores 4 points, one per card, so 9-10-J-Q is 4. It looks like it should be worth more, because a four-card run contains two separate runs of three, but cribbage does not count them separately: a run scores its own length and nothing else. The same rule gives 3 for a run of three and 5 for a run of five.
**What cribbage scores are impossible?**
A hand of four cards plus the starter can never total 19, 25, 26 or 27, and nothing above 29 exists. Every other total from 0 to 29 is achievable. "Nineteen" is the traditional way of announcing a hand worth nothing.
**What are nibs and nobs in cribbage?**
They are two different jacks. "His nibs" is a jack turned up as the starter card, and it scores the dealer 2 points immediately, before a card is played. "His nob" is a jack held in your hand or in the crib whose suit matches the starter, and it scores 1 point when you count. Both are scored from the jack, which is why the names get mixed up, but only the dealer can take nibs.
**Does a flush score in the crib?**
Only a five-card flush does. Four cards of one suit in the crib score nothing at all; the starter must match the suit as well, and then the crib scores 5. In the hand a four-card flush scores 4, and 5 if the starter matches. It is the one scoring rule that treats the hand and the crib differently.

### Printable score sheet

For games at a real table without a board: a clean printable sheet with running-total columns to 121, skunk lines marked, and a compact copy of the scoring chart so nobody has to look anything up mid-game.
- [Cribbage score sheet + scoring chart (PDF)](/downloads/cribbage-score-sheet.pdf)

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## Cribbage Hand Calculator

Canonical: https://playcribbageonline.com/calculator

Choose any four cards and a starter and the calculator counts the hand: every combination totalling fifteen, every pair, every run, the flush and his nobs, each one highlighted on the cards that make it. It runs the same scoring code as the game on this site, so the two cannot disagree, and it counts in the order a player would call it out loud.

### The order that stops you missing points

Points go missing in cribbage because a hand is counted in whatever order the cards happen to catch the eye. Tournament players use one fixed order every time, and say it aloud, which is why they do not leave points on the table. The calculator reports in that same order.
1. Fifteens first: Find every distinct combination of cards totalling fifteen, using any number of cards, and score 2 for each. Call the running total as you go: "fifteen two, fifteen four, fifteen six".
2. Then pairs: Score 2 for each pair. Three of a kind contains three distinct pairs and so scores 6; four of a kind contains six and scores 12.
3. Then runs: Score 1 per card in any run of three or more. If a rank is duplicated, the run counts once for each way it can be made, which is where double and triple runs come from.
4. Then the flush: Four hand cards of one suit score 4, and 5 if the starter matches too. In the crib only the five-card flush scores.
5. His nobs last: A jack in your hand matching the starter suit scores 1. Counting it last is the convention, and it is the point most often forgotten.

### Common questions

**Is there a cribbage calculator that shows the working?**
This one does. Rather than returning a single number it highlights the cards behind each combination, so a hand scoring 12 is shown as the particular fifteens, pairs and runs that made it. Seeing which cards paid is what teaches the counting.
**Can the calculator count a crib as well as a hand?**
Yes, with one rule difference to remember: a four-card flush scores 4 in the hand and nothing in the crib, because the crib needs all five cards in suit before a flush pays at all.
**What is a cribbage cheat sheet?**
A one-page summary of what scores and how much, kept beside the board so nobody has to argue about a count mid-game. The scoring chart on this site is that sheet, and it comes as a free printable alongside the score sheet.
**Do the calculator and the game score hands the same way?**
They share one scoring engine, so yes, by construction rather than by intention. That engine was written and tested before the game was built, which is why the game, the calculator and the discard table on the strategy page all agree.

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## The Best Cribbage Hand: 29 Points

Canonical: https://playcribbageonline.com/best-hand

The best possible cribbage hand is 29 points: three fives and the jack of one suit in hand, with the fourth five turned as the starter in that same suit. It pays eight fifteens for 16, six pairs for 12 and his nobs for the jack, and it comes up about once in 216,580 hands. No hand can score 30, and the totals 19, 25, 26 and 27 cannot be made at all.

### How 29 is made

Hold 5♠ 5♥ 5♦ and J♣, and cut the 5♣. Every five pairs with every other five, and the jack matches the starter suit. Nothing else in the deck combines that densely, which is why the maximum sits at 29 rather than somewhere higher.
| Combination | Count | Points |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fifteens (each five with the jack, and each trio of fives) | 8 | 16 |
| Pairs among the four fives | 6 | 12 |
| His nobs (jack matching the starter suit) | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 15 | 29 |
The four fives make four ways of reaching fifteen with the jack and four more as trios of fives, giving eight fifteens. Four cards of one rank contain six distinct pairs, which is the same arithmetic that makes four of a kind worth 12 anywhere else in the game. The jack adds the single point for his nobs, and there is nothing left to score.

### Hands worth knowing by sight

| Hand + starter | Score | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 5-5-5-J + 5 (jack matches cut suit) | 29 | The perfect hand: 8 fifteens, 6 pairs, his nobs. About 1 in 216,580 |
| 5-5-5-5 + any ten-card | 28 | 8 fifteens and 6 pairs, no nobs possible |
| 4-4-5-5 + 6 | 24 | Quadruple run of three plus four fifteens |
| 4-5-6-6 + 5 | 24 | Two double runs woven together |
| 7-7-8-8 + 9 | 24 | Quadruple run pattern in the middle ranks |
| 4-5-5-6 + 9 | 14 | The classic double run of three: 8 for the runs and pair, 6 in fifteens |
| 2-4-6-8 + 10 | 0 | A "nineteen": five cards, not a single point |
**How do you get 29 points in crib?**
Hold three fives and the jack of one suit, then have the fourth five cut as the starter in that same suit. That pays eight fifteens (16), six pairs (12) and his nobs for the jack (1). It is the highest hand the game allows, at roughly 1 in 216,580 deals.
**What is the highest score you can get in one cribbage hand?**
Twenty-nine, and only from three fives plus the jack of the starter suit with the fourth five cut. Twenty-eight is the same hand without the matching jack. No hand can reach 30, and the totals 19, 25, 26 and 27 cannot be made at all, which is why "nineteen" is the traditional way of announcing a hand worth nothing.
**How rare is a 29 hand in cribbage?**
The odds are 1 in 216,580 dealt hands once the discard is played correctly. Most regular players go years between 29s; the American Cribbage Congress keeps a registry of verified ones.
**What is the best hand you can be dealt before the cut?**
Three fives and a jack. On its own it is worth 14: four fifteens for 8 and three pairs for 6. A ten-card cut lifts it to 20, or 21 if that card is the jack’s own suit, and cutting the fourth five makes 28, or 29 when the jack matches the starter suit. It is the one hand where the cut is genuinely worth watching.

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## Cribbage Strategy: Discards & Pegging

Canonical: https://playcribbageonline.com/strategy

Good cribbage is two decisions made well: which two cards you throw to the crib, and which card you play at each count. The discard is the bigger one: the gap between a good and bad throw is often more than a whole hand of pegging. The table below gives the exact average crib value of every possible two-card throw, computed by enumerating all 58,800 ways each throw can meet two opponent cards and a starter, the same arithmetic the opponent in our game uses.

### The discard: throw to the crib like it matters

Keep the four cards that score with the starter, but always price the two you throw. To your own crib, 5s and touching cards are gifts to yourself. To your opponent’s crib, the safest throws are wide, unconnected cards, such as a king with anything far from it, and the most expensive mistake in casual play is tossing a 5 because it "wasn’t doing anything".
- A pair of 5s is the best possible crib throw (8.99 points on average) and the worst possible gift. Never throw 5s to your opponent unless the hand you keep is overwhelming.
- The best cheap throws to an opponent’s crib average around 3.4–3.6: 10-K, 9-K, 8-K, 6-K: high, wide, and unconnected.
- 2-3 (6.84) and 7-8 (6.77) are quietly excellent throws to your own crib: they make fifteens with the ten-cards that fill every deck.
- When the values are close, keep the hand that pegs: low cards and touching cards give you plays at every count.
| Throw | A | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | J | Q | K |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A | 5.5 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 5.7 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.8 |
| 2 | 4.4 | 5.8 | 6.8 | 4.9 | 5.8 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.9 |
| 3 | 4.6 | 6.8 | 6.2 | 5.5 | 6.4 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.9 |
| 4 | 5.5 | 4.9 | 5.5 | 6.1 | 7.0 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.9 |
| 5 | 5.7 | 5.8 | 6.4 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 7.1 | 6.4 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 7.0 | 7.3 | 6.9 | 6.8 |
| 6 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 7.1 | 6.3 | 5.5 | 4.9 | 5.6 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.6 |
| 7 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 6.4 | 5.5 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.6 |
| 8 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 5.8 | 4.9 | 6.8 | 5.6 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.6 |
| 9 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 5.5 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.5 |
| 10 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 7.0 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 3.4 |
| J | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 7.3 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 5.9 | 5.0 | 4.3 |
| Q | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 6.9 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 5.2 | 4.0 |
| K | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 6.8 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 5.0 |

### The magic eleven

Sixteen of the 46 cards you cannot see are worth ten. Keeping cards that total 11, like 4-7, 5-6, or A-4-6, means that whenever your opponent leads or answers with a ten-card, you make fifteen. It is the single highest-value pegging habit a improving player can adopt.
- Roughly one unseen card in three is a ten-card (16 of 46). Plan the play around that, not around hope.
- Never lead a 5, because any ten-card answers it for fifteen. Our hard opponent prices this risk on every single play rather than following the maxim blindly, and reaches the same conclusion.
- Lead from a pair: if your opponent pairs your lead for 2, you take 6 with the third.
- A lead of a 4 or lower is safe, because no single card can make fifteen on top of it.
- Hold low cards for the endgame of each count: they win goes, last card, and thirty-one.
- Count what is gone. If both 5s you can’t see are already played, ten-cards are safe in a way they were not a moment ago.

### Board position: when to peg and when to hide

Because hands are counted in a fixed order (pone first, dealer second, crib last), the same score is not worth the same amount everywhere on the board. As pone, you count first: if you can reach 121 in the show, aggressive pegging is unnecessary risk. As dealer near the end, you count last, so you must peg out or arrive close enough that hand-plus-crib gets you home before your opponent counts.
A serviceable rule: on your deal you would like to be at or past 96 (needing hand + crib + pegging), and off your deal past 105 (your hand counts first). Behind those pace lines, play on: take every pegging exchange. Ahead of them, play off: dodge runs and pairs, keep the count awkward, and make the hand end quietly.
**What is the average cribbage hand worth?**
Just under 8 points before the cut, and the crib averages around 4.85. That figure is the mean of the full discard table above. The dealer’s whole deal (hand, crib and pegging) averages roughly 16 points; the pone’s roughly 10.
**Should you ever throw a 5 to your opponent’s crib?**
Almost never. Every throw containing a 5 averages 5.7 or more in the table above, against 3.4–4.0 for wide high-card throws. Only a kept hand that outweighs that gap, a guaranteed double run for instance, justifies it.
**Is cribbage a game of luck or skill?**
Both, in a proportion the discard table makes concrete: the cards you are dealt are luck, but every deal contains fifteen possible throws whose long-run values differ by several points, and pegging adds another skill layer. Between the same two players, better discarding wins over any reasonable number of games. Our hard computer opponent beats the deliberately naive easy one in essentially every match, on nothing but these decisions.
**What is the best card to lead with in cribbage?**
A 4 is the standard lead. Ten-cards are the commonest cards in the deck, and a 4 met by any ten-card reaches 14 rather than 15, so the most likely reply scores nothing. For the same reason a 5 is the worst possible lead: every ten-card answers it for two. Leading one card of a pair is the other well-regarded option, because pairing your lead lets you play the third card back for six.

### Where these numbers come from

The discard table is not copied from a book. It was computed by this site, by brute-force enumeration: for each of the 91 rank-pairs, every possible pair of opponent discards (1,225) times every remaining starter (48), giving 58,800 crib deals, scored exactly with the same open scoring code the playable game uses, then weighted for the chance the thrown cards share a suit. The result reproduces the classic tables in the cribbage literature to the decimal, which is exactly what you want a verification to do. The script (scripts/crib-values.mjs) ships in the site’s source, so anyone can rerun it.

---

## Is Online Cribbage Rigged? Verify It

Canonical: https://playcribbageonline.com/fair-deal

Every hand on this site is dealt from a 52-card order that is cryptographically committed before the deal: the game shows you the SHA-256 fingerprint of a random seed first, deals from a shuffle derived from that seed, and reveals the seed when the hand ends. Hash the seed and it matches the fingerprint; feed it to the verifier below and you get the exact 52 cards in order. That proves the deck was settled before anyone saw a card and was never re-shuffled mid-hand, which is precisely what players suspect online card games of doing.

### How the commitment works

1. A seed is drawn: When a hand starts, your browser draws 128 bits from its cryptographic random source (crypto.getRandomValues). Nothing is fetched from a server. There is no server.
2. The commitment is shown first: The SHA-256 hash of that seed appears in the game’s fairness panel before any card is visible. A hash cannot be reversed, so the game has locked in the deck without revealing it.
3. The deck is derived deterministically: The 52-card order is a Fisher–Yates shuffle driven by a deterministic generator (sfc32) seeded from those bits. The same seed always produces the same deck, in any browser, forever.
4. The seed is revealed and checkable: When the hand ends the seed is displayed. Hash it with any SHA-256 tool and compare with the commitment, then paste it into the verifier on this page to reproduce the full deck: cards 1–6 were yours, 7–12 the bot’s, 13 the cut.

### What this does and does not prove

It proves the deck order existed, complete, before the deal, so the game cannot have peeked at your discard and re-dealt, stacked the cut, or "drawn what it needed" mid-hand. Those are the accusations that follow every online card game, and here they are checkable rather than a matter of trust.
It does not prove more than that, and it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise: the seed is generated on your own device, so this is not a server-audited provably-fair casino scheme. There is no server, no account and no stake. The honest claim is simply that the shuffle is uniform, committed in advance, and reproducible by you.
**Are online cribbage games rigged?**
Most are not, but almost none let you check, which is why the suspicion never dies. "The computer always gets the cards it needs" is the most common complaint about every major cribbage site. This site makes the deal verifiable: the deck order is hash-committed before the deal and the seed is revealed after, so anyone can reproduce the shuffle and confirm nothing changed mid-hand.
**Why would a fair shuffle still feel unfair?**
Memory is selective: a bot’s lucky cut is memorable, your own is not. Over a real sample the deals even out, and here you do not have to take that on faith, because every single deal can be replayed from its seed.

---

## Cribbage for 3, 4, 5 and 6 Players

Canonical: https://playcribbageonline.com/players

Cribbage is designed for two players, but it is regularly played by three, four, five and six. The deal shrinks as players are added: three players get five cards each with one card dealt straight to the crib, and four players in partnerships get five cards each with no free card. Every other rule stays as written in the two-player game, including the play to 31, the counting order and the target of 121 points. The American Cribbage Congress sanctions tournament play at two players and at four players in partnerships; three, five and six player games are traditional rather than governed, and the local rule is worth agreeing before the first cut.

### How many people can play cribbage?

Two to six, and the number decides how many cards you are dealt. The table below is the whole answer; the sections after it explain each row.
| Players | Cards dealt each | Cards to the crib | Discards each | Target |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 121 |
| 3 | 5 | 1 (dealt face down) | 1 | 121 |
| 4 (two partnerships) | 5 | 0 | 1 | 121 |
| 5 | 5 | 0 (one player sits out each deal) | 1 | 121 |
| 6 (three partnerships) | 5 | 0 | 1 | 121 |
Every count above two shares one thing: each player is dealt five cards and throws one to the crib, so the crib is always four cards. That is the single rule to remember. What changes is whether a card has to be dealt straight to the crib to make the arithmetic work, and who pegs for whom.

### Three-handed cribbage

Deal five cards to each of the three players and one card face down to the crib, then each player discards one card to it. The crib reaches four cards, the deal rotates clockwise, and play runs to 121 as usual.
1. Cut for the deal: All three players cut; the lowest card deals first. The deal then passes to the left after every hand, so each player owns the crib once every three hands.
2. Deal five each and one to the crib: The dealer gives five cards to each player one at a time, then deals a single card face down to start the crib. That card is what makes the crib reach four after the discards.
3. Discard one card each: Every player, dealer included, throws one card face down to the crib. You keep four cards, exactly as in the two-player game.
4. Cut the starter: The player to the dealer’s right cuts and the dealer turns the top card of the lower half. A jack still pays the dealer 2 for his heels.
5. Play to 31, starting left of the dealer: The player to the dealer’s left leads. Play runs clockwise with the usual pegging: fifteens, pairs, runs, the go and the last card. A player who cannot play without passing 31 says "go" and is skipped until the count resets.
6. Count in order, dealer last: Show hands starting with the player to the dealer’s left, then clockwise, then the dealer’s hand, then the dealer’s crib. The order matters because the first player to reach 121 wins the moment they get there.
A three-track board is the usual equipment, since a standard two-track board has nowhere to put the third peg. Paper works fine if you have not got one.
The dealer’s advantage is smaller here than in the two-player game. You own the crib once in three hands rather than once in two, and two opponents are throwing to it rather than one, so a discard that would be reckless against a single opponent is often worse in a three-hander.

### Four-handed cribbage (partnerships)

Four players sit as two partnerships, partners opposite each other. Deal five cards each and every player discards one to the crib. No card is dealt straight to the crib because four discards already make four.
This is the format the American Cribbage Congress sanctions alongside the two-player game, so it is the one with settled rules. Partners sit across from each other and play alternates around the table, which means you never follow your own partner.
One player from each partnership keeps the pegs and the partnership scores as a unit. Points either partner earns move the same pair of pegs, and only one of you should touch the board, because scores get lost when two people peg the same track.
Counting runs clockwise from the dealer’s left, and the dealer counts the crib last. Partners do not pool their hands: each hand is counted separately and both totals go on the partnership’s track. You may not tell your partner what you hold or what to discard, which is the rule most casual tables forget.
**Who pegs in four-player cribbage?**
One nominated player per partnership. Both partners’ points go on the same track, but only one person moves the pegs, which avoids the common argument about whether a score was already pegged.
**Can partners discuss what to throw to the crib?**
No. Partners may not signal, name cards or advise each other on the discard. The crib belongs to the dealing partnership, so a partner throwing to their own side’s crib is helping it blind.

### Five and six players

Neither count is governed by a published rule set, so agree the format first. Five players usually deal five cards each and sit one player out of each hand; six players usually split into three partnerships of two.
With five players, the common arrangement is that the dealer deals five cards to each of the other four and to themselves, everyone discards one, and the player to the dealer’s right sits the hand out. The seat that sits out rotates with the deal, so over five hands everyone misses one. A five-track board is rare, so most tables score on paper.
With six players, three partnerships of two is the usual answer, scored on a three-track board with one track per partnership. Six hands of five cards uses 30 of the 52 cards, which leaves enough deck for a starter and a normal cut.
A second deck is the other route at five and six players, shuffled in to make the deal comfortable. It changes the odds in ways nobody has published tables for, so treat it as a house game rather than cribbage as scored anywhere else. If you want the game the numbers on this site describe, four players in partnerships is the largest count that is still standard.
**Can you play cribbage with 6 players?**
Yes, most often as three partnerships of two, with five cards dealt to each player and one discard each into a four-card crib. It is a traditional arrangement rather than a sanctioned one, so agree the scoring order before the first deal.
**Can you play cribbage with 5 players?**
Yes. Deal five cards to each player, everyone discards one, and one seat sits the hand out, rotating with the deal. There is no governing rule for five-handed play, so it varies between tables more than any other count.
**How many people can play cribbage?**
Two to six. Two and four (in partnerships) are the counts with settled tournament rules; three, five and six are traditional variations that change the deal but not the scoring.
**Do you still play to 121 with more than two players?**
Yes. The target is 121 at every player count. What changes is how often you own the crib, which is once every two hands at two players and once every three, four, five or six hands as players are added.

---

## Cribbage Terms and Slang, Explained

Canonical: https://playcribbageonline.com/glossary

Cribbage carries more private vocabulary than any other pub card game, and most of it is worth points. Nibs is 2 points to the dealer when the starter card is a jack. Nobs is 1 point for holding the jack that matches the starter’s suit. Muggins is an optional rule that lets your opponent claim any score you failed to count. The glossary below gives every term you will hear at a table, what it is worth, and which are rules rather than slang.

### The glossary

Terms that carry a score are marked with their value. Everything else is table language, and you will hear it whether or not you use it yourself.
| Term | Also called | Meaning | Points |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nibs | His heels | The starter card turns out to be a jack. The dealer pegs immediately, before any card is played. | 2 to the dealer |
| Nobs | His nob | You hold the jack of the same suit as the starter card. Counted during the show, not during the play. | 1 |
| Muggins | None | An optional rule: if you undercount your own hand, an opponent may call 'muggins' and take the points you missed. | The missed points |
| Pone | Non-dealer, eldest hand | The player who is not dealing. The pone leads the first card and counts first at the show. | None |
| Starter | The cut, the turn-up | The card cut and turned face up before the play. It counts towards every hand and the crib. | None |
| Crib | The box | The four discarded cards, counted by the dealer after both hands are shown. | None |
| Pegging | The play | The phase where cards are laid alternately to a running count that may not pass 31. | None |
| Go | None | Called when you cannot lay a card without passing 31. Your opponent pegs for the go, or 2 if they land exactly on 31. | 1 (2 on 31) |
| Skunk | Lurch | Winning while your opponent is still short of 91, so they are more than 30 points behind. Usually counted as two games in a match. | None |
| Double skunk | None | Winning while your opponent is short of 61. Rarer, and counted as four games at some clubs. | None |
| Stink hole | The dirty hole | Hole 120, one short of the win. Superstition says you lose from there, which the arithmetic does not support. | None |
| Street | Corner | A stretch of the board between corners. Fourth street is the last 30 holes before home. | None |
| Double run | None | A run of three or four with one rank paired, so the run counts twice plus the pair. | 8 or 10 |
| Nineteen hand | None | A hand worth nothing. Nineteen is impossible to score, so it is the standing joke for zero. | 0 |
| Rubber | Match | A series of games, most often best of three or best of five. | None |

### Nibs and nobs are not the same thing

They are the two jack scores and they are confused constantly. Nibs belongs to the dealer and is worth 2. Nobs belongs to whoever holds the matching jack and is worth 1.
Nibs, or his heels, happens at the cut. If the card turned as the starter is a jack, the dealer pegs 2 straight away, before anyone has played a card. If the dealer forgets and the play begins, most rule sets say the points are gone.
Nobs, or his nob, happens at the show. If you are holding the jack whose suit matches the starter, that jack is worth 1 point on top of anything else it does in fifteens, pairs and runs. It counts in the crib too, which is one reason a jack is a decent throw to your own crib and a poor one to your opponent’s.
The words come from the same place. In older texts the jack was the knave, and "his nob" and "his heels" were parts of a figure drawn on the card. Some clubs still write them as knobs and knibs, which is the same score under a different spelling.
**What is nibs in cribbage?**
Nibs, also called his heels, is 2 points pegged by the dealer when the starter card cut at the beginning of the hand is a jack. It is scored immediately, before any card is played.
**What is nobs in cribbage?**
Nobs, also called his nob, is 1 point for holding the jack of the same suit as the starter card. It is counted during the show along with the rest of your hand, and it counts in the crib as well.
**What is the difference between nibs and nobs?**
Nibs is 2 points and only the dealer can score it, when the cut card is a jack. Nobs is 1 point and any player can score it, for holding the jack matching the starter’s suit.

### Muggins, skunks and the stink hole

These three come up most often in arguments. Muggins is optional and has to be agreed before the game starts, a skunk describes the margin you won by rather than anything you score, and the stink hole has no rule attached to it at all.
Muggins has to be switched on before you start. Under it, if you count your hand and claim fewer points than it is worth, your opponent may say "muggins" and peg the difference themselves. Tournament play generally uses it; kitchen-table play generally does not. Agree it before the first cut, because introducing it mid-game after someone undercounts causes arguments.
A skunk is a margin of victory. You win the game at 121; if your opponent has not reached 91 by then you have skunked them, and most match formats count that as two games rather than one. A double skunk, with the loser short of 61, is scored as four games at some clubs and simply as bragging at others.
The stink hole is hole 120. Sitting one point from home with an opponent still pegging is uncomfortable, and the name has stuck for a couple of centuries. There is no rule about it. You need one point, the same as from any other hole, and the odds do not change because the hole has a name.
**What is a skunk in cribbage?**
A skunk is winning while your opponent is still below 91 points, a margin of more than 30. In match play it usually counts as two games instead of one. A double skunk, with the loser below 61, counts as four at some clubs.
**What does muggins mean in cribbage?**
Muggins is an optional rule allowing an opponent to claim any points you missed when counting your own hand. It has to be agreed before the game starts, and it is standard in tournament play but not in casual games.
**What is cribbage?**
Cribbage is a card game for two to six players in which you score for fifteens, pairs, runs and flushes, first while laying cards alternately to a count of 31, then by counting your hand against a shared starter card. The first player to 121 points wins.

---

## Cribbage Flush Rules: Hand and Crib

Canonical: https://playcribbageonline.com/flush

A flush in cribbage scores 4 points when all four cards in your hand share a suit, or 5 when the starter card shares it too. The crib follows a different rule: a flush there scores only when all five cards, the four crib cards and the starter, are the same suit, for 5 points. Four crib cards of one suit score nothing at all. That single difference between hand and crib is the most commonly misplayed rule in the game.

### The rule, in both places it applies

| Where | Cards sharing a suit | Points |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hand | All four hand cards | 4 |
| Hand | All four hand cards and the starter | 5 |
| Crib | All four crib cards but not the starter | 0 |
| Crib | All four crib cards and the starter | 5 |
| During the play | Any number | 0 |

### The flush in your hand

Four hearts in your hand is 4 points, and it counts whatever the starter turns out to be. If the starter is also a heart, the flush becomes five cards and scores 5. There is no larger flush in cribbage, because a hand plus the starter is five cards.
Three cards of a suit plus a matching starter scores nothing. The flush has to be complete in the four cards you are holding before the starter is considered, which is why a hand of three hearts and a spade never becomes a flush no matter what is cut.

### The flush in the crib, and why it is different

The crib will not pay a four-card flush. All five cards have to match, the four discarded cards and the starter, and that pays 5. Four crib cards of one suit with a starter of another suit is worth zero.
The reason is balance. The crib belongs to the dealer and is already an advantage, since both players feed it. Two players each throwing two cards of the same suit would produce four-card crib flushes far more often than a single player produces them in hand, and paying them would widen the dealer’s edge further. Requiring the starter to match makes a crib flush roughly a once-a-session event.
It follows that discarding two cards of your own suit to the crib is close to worthless as a flush attempt. As the dealer it needs your opponent to have thrown the same suit and the cut to match it as well. As the non-dealer it is worse than worthless, because the points would be your opponent’s.

### Flushes do not score during the play

Suits are ignored entirely during the pegging phase. Laying four cards of one suit in a row scores nothing for the suit, though the cards may of course score for fifteens, thirty-one, pairs or runs as normal. Flushes exist only in the show, when hands and the crib are counted.

### Flush questions

**Does a 4 card flush count in the crib?**
No. A flush in the crib scores only when all five cards share a suit, meaning the four crib cards and the starter, and that is worth 5 points. Four crib cards of one suit with a different starter score nothing. In a player hand, by contrast, four cards of one suit score 4.
**How many points is a flush in cribbage?**
Four points for four hand cards of the same suit, or five if the starter matches as well. In the crib the only flush that scores is a five-card one, also worth 5.
**Does the starter card count towards a flush?**
It can extend a flush but it cannot create one. Four hand cards of a suit score 4, and a matching starter takes that to 5. Three hand cards of a suit plus a matching starter is not a flush and scores nothing.
**Can you score a flush during pegging?**
No. Suits are ignored during the play. Only fifteens, thirty-ones, pairs, runs, goes and last card score there. Flushes are counted in the show.
**What is the highest flush in cribbage?**
Five points, from five cards of one suit. That is the ceiling in both the hand and the crib, because a hand and the starter come to five cards in total.
**Should you discard two cards of the same suit to the crib?**
Not for the flush alone. Even as the dealer it needs your opponent to discard the same suit and the starter to match it, which is rare enough that it should never drive the discard. Choose your discard on fifteens, pairs and runs instead, and treat any crib flush that appears as a bonus.

---

## About Play Cribbage Online

Canonical: https://playcribbageonline.com/about

Play Cribbage Online is a free browser version of cribbage, built and maintained by John Weeks, a web developer. There is no sign-up, no download and no paywall. The game loads and you play, and the rules and strategy pages are written by hand rather than generated.

### Who runs Play Cribbage Online

This site is built and run by John Weeks, a web developer who designs, codes and maintains every site in the network himself.
I am a web developer. I build for the web full time, mostly TypeScript and PHP on the server, React and Tailwind CSS on the front end, and I build and run my own sites rather than only shipping other people's.
This network came out of a simple frustration: the free version of whatever you were looking for was slow, buried under adverts, gated behind an account, or built once and abandoned. I wanted the version I would actually want to use, instant and readable on a phone with no sign-up, and then to write the explanation properly so anyone can get the answer in one page.
Every site here is a single game on its own domain. I write the code, the rules, the strategy and the reference tables myself, and I keep them current. There is no content farm behind this and no AI-generated filler: if a page states an odds figure or a scoring rule, it came from a solver I wrote or a primary source I can point you at.
Cribbage punishes a sloppy build harder than anything else in this network. The scoring has enough corners to it that plenty of free versions quietly get a case wrong, so I wrote the scoring engine first and then built the game, the hand calculator and the discard table on top of that same code. If the table and the game could disagree, one of them would be lying to you.

### What this site is trying to be

The goal is simple: the best free version of cribbage on the web, and the clearest explanation of how it works.
- A full game against an opponent that prices its discards rather than throwing whatever looks least useful.
- Scoring you can check yourself: a calculator that counts any hand and shows where each point came from.
- Muggins available when you want to learn the scoring, and off when you just want to play.
- Deals committed with SHA-256 before a card is shown, so a run of terrible hands can be checked rather than suspected.
- The discard maths written out on the page, with a printable version for a game at the table.

### How the site is paid for, and what it knows about you

Adverts pay the hosting and the time. Being straight about that, and about the data side, matters more than pretending the site runs on goodwill.
The site is free and always will be. Display advertising is what will pay for it, and the slots go around the play area rather than over it. An advert will never cover the game or interrupt you mid-turn.
Your game statistics (streaks, best scores, preferences) are stored in your own browser using localStorage. They are not sent to me, there is no account, and clearing your browser data clears them permanently.
Analytics tell me which pages are useful. Advertising has not started yet, and when it does the advertising partners will set their own cookies. The privacy page lists what is collected either way, and how to opt out of it.

### Where the discard table came from

The two cards you throw to the crib matter more than most players expect, and the advice usually given for them is inherited rather than measured.
So this site measured it. For each of the 91 rank-pairs you can throw, the engine plays that throw against all 1,225 two-card combinations the opponent could add, against every starter that could still be cut. That is 58,800 crib deals for every pair, scored by the same code that counts your hand while you play.
The result is published as a table under a Creative Commons licence, so a teacher or another writer can reuse it as long as they say where it came from. It is not copied out of a book and it is not an approximation of one. If you think a number is wrong, the method is written down and you can run it again.

### Corrections and contact

The fastest way to reach me is email: john.weeks.dev@gmail.com. I read everything sent there.
**Who created Play Cribbage Online?**
John Weeks, a web developer, built and maintains it. The code, the game logic and the written rules and strategy are all his own work.
**Is Play Cribbage Online free?**
Yes, completely. There is no account, no download, no trial and no paid tier. Display advertising covers the costs.
**Do I need to create an account or install anything?**
No. The game runs in your browser. Your scores and preferences are saved on your own device, so nothing needs to be signed into.
**Can I use the rules, tables or score sheets on my own site?**
Yes, with attribution and a link back. The reference data is published for reuse. That is the point of writing it out properly.
**I found a mistake in the rules. What should I do?**
Email john.weeks.dev@gmail.com and say what is wrong. Rule variations differ by region and household, so specifics help, and genuine corrections get made.

---

## Privacy Policy

Canonical: https://playcribbageonline.com/privacy

Play Cribbage Online has no accounts and no server-side database, so it collects no personal information directly. Your game progress is stored in your own browser and never sent anywhere. This page sets out the analytics and advertising technologies the site does use, what they collect, and how to opt out.

### The short version

If you read nothing else on this page, this is the substance of it.
- There is no account, no login and no sign-up form. Nothing is submitted to us.
- Your scores, streaks and settings are saved in your own browser and stay on your device.
- The site is free because it shows adverts. Advertising and analytics partners set cookies.
- Advertising has not started on this site yet. When it does, visitors in the UK, EEA and Switzerland will be asked for consent before any advertising cookie is set, and will be able to change that answer at any time.
- We do not sell personal information, and we have nothing to sell. We hold no database of visitors.

### What is stored in your browser

Game data is kept locally with the browser’s localStorage. It is not personal information and we cannot read it.
Your best scores, games played, streaks and preferences are saved in your own browser using localStorage. This is a storage area belonging to your device, not to us: the data is never transmitted, we have no way to request it, and it is not linked to any identifier.
Clearing your browser data, or using private browsing, removes it permanently. There is no backup and no recovery, which is the trade for not asking you to create an account.

### Analytics

Aggregate measurement only: how many people came, and which pages were useful.
The site uses Google Analytics to understand overall traffic: how many visits there were, which pages were read, roughly where in the world visitors were, and whether the pages loaded quickly. It reports in aggregate and is not used to identify you.
Our hosting provider also records standard request information at the network edge: the page requested, the response status, the browser type and the country. This is the equivalent of a web server log, it is what tells us which search and AI crawlers are reading the site, and it contains no name, email or account.

### Advertising

Adverts pay for the hosting and the time. This is exactly what they do and do not do.
No adverts run on this site today. The plan is to fund it with display advertising through Google AdSense, and the honest version of this section describes what that will mean rather than pretending it is already happening. Google and its advertising partners may then use cookies or similar technologies to serve adverts, to measure whether an advert was seen and, where you have consented, to choose adverts based on your previous visits to this and other sites.
Adverts are placed around the game, never over it, and never interrupt a turn. That is a design rule, not a promise we can quietly drop: an advert covering the play area would make the site worse at the one thing it exists to do.
You can opt out of personalised Google advertising at any time through Google’s Ads Settings. Blocking or deleting cookies in your browser settings works too, and the game will keep running normally if you do.

### Consent, and how to change your mind

What is set today, and what changes on the day advertising starts.
Right now the only non-essential cookies here belong to analytics, and there is no advertising and no consent notice. On the day adverts are switched on, visitors in the United Kingdom, the European Economic Area and Switzerland will get a consent notice before any advertising cookie is set. It records your choices and can be reopened whenever you want to change them, so you are never locked into a single decision.
Essential storage, the localStorage your game progress lives in, is not covered by that notice, because the site cannot function as a game without it and it never leaves your device.

### Your rights over your data

Under the UK GDPR, the EU GDPR and similar laws you have rights over personal data held about you, and the honest answer here is that we hold almost none.
We hold no account records, no email list and no profile of you. There is nothing on our side to export, correct or delete, because there is no database of visitors to hold it in.
Where personal data is processed, it is processed by the third parties named above (Google Analytics and the advertising partners) under their own privacy policies. Requests about that data are best made to them directly, and their policies set out how. Google’s covers both its analytics and its advertising products.
If you have a privacy question, or you believe something on this site is handling data incorrectly, email john.weeks.dev@gmail.com and it will be looked at properly.

### Children

This is a general-audience site, not a service directed at children.
The games here are traditional family games and people of all ages play them, but the site is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. Since there are no accounts and no forms, there is no route by which a child could submit personal information to us in the first place.
If you believe a child has somehow provided personal information through this site, contact us and we will act on it.

### External links and changes to this policy

Pages here sometimes link to other sites: source material, references, and the other sites in this network. Those sites have their own privacy policies and this one does not cover them.
If this policy changes materially, the date below changes with it. Substantive changes are made to the page itself rather than announced and forgotten.
**Do you sell my personal information?**
No. We hold no database of visitors, so there is nothing to sell. Advertising partners operate under their own policies, and you can withdraw consent for them at any time.
**Do I have to accept cookies to play?**
No. Declining non-essential cookies does not affect the game. Your progress is saved in your own browser either way, and that storage never leaves your device.
**How do I delete the data this site has about me?**
Clear your browser data and it is gone. That is genuinely all of it on our side. There is no account to close and no record held on a server.

---

## Terms of Use

Canonical: https://playcribbageonline.com/terms

Play Cribbage Online is free to use, with no account and no subscription. These terms cover what you can do with the site and what it does and does not promise. They are meant to be read, so they are written in plain English.

### Using the site

Play as much as you like. There is no account to breach and no quota to exceed.
You may use this site for personal, non-commercial enjoyment, and you may link to any page on it freely. No permission is needed to link, embed a link, or recommend the site.
What you may not do is the obvious short list: interfere with the site or its security, attempt to disrupt it for other people, scrape it at a volume that degrades it for others, or represent it as your own.

### Reusing the rules, tables and score sheets

The reference material is published so it can be reused. Attribution is the only condition.
The reference data on this site (scoring charts, odds tables, printable score sheets and the computed figures behind them) is published under a Creative Commons Attribution licence. You may copy it, reprint it, teach from it and build on it, including commercially, provided you credit Play Cribbage Online and link back to the page you took it from.
That is a deliberate choice, not an oversight. This material was produced so people could use it; a table nobody is allowed to quote is a table that helps nobody.
The site’s own software, layout, graphics and branding are not covered by that licence and remain the property of the site owner.

### Independence and trademarks

cribbage is a traditional game. This site is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to any commercial publisher.
cribbage is played in many households and regions with local variations, and this site documents it as the traditional game it is. Where a name is also used commercially by a company, it is used here descriptively, to say which game the page is about. No affiliation, sponsorship or endorsement is claimed or implied.
All trademarks referenced remain the property of their respective owners.

### What this site does not promise

It is a free game, offered as it is.
The site is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind. It may occasionally be unavailable, a browser update may break something, and rule variations differ between regions and households, so the rules described here may not match the version played at your kitchen table.
Nothing here is legal, financial or professional advice, and the site is not liable for any loss arising from its use to the extent the law allows. If you find a mistake, the useful response is to tell us so it can be corrected, and corrections are made.

### Changes and contact

These terms may be updated; the date below changes when they are. Questions go to john.weeks.dev@gmail.com.
**Can I print the score sheets for my games night?**
Yes, that is exactly what they are for. Print as many as you like, for home, school or a club.
**Can I use the odds tables in a book, video or article?**
Yes, including commercially, as long as you credit Play Cribbage Online and link to the page you took the figures from.
**Can I copy the site itself?**
No. The reference data is openly licensed; the software, design and branding are not.

---

## Contact

Canonical: https://playcribbageonline.com/contact

Email is the way to reach a real person here: **john.weeks.dev@gmail.com**. John Weeks builds and maintains the site and reads everything sent to that address. There is no contact form, no ticket queue and no support bot.

### What to write about

A one-line subject that names the page or the topic gets a faster and more useful answer.
- **Rule corrections.** The most valuable reason to write. cribbage varies by region and household, so say which rule, which page, and how you play it. Specifics get acted on.
- **A bug in the game.** Tell us the browser and what happened. A game that breaks in a browser update gets fixed.
- **Reusing the data.** The score sheets, tables and odds are licensed for reuse with attribution. Write if you want to check how to credit it, or need a cut of the data we have not published.
- **Privacy questions or requests.** See the privacy policy first. The short answer is that there is no account and no database. Write if anything is unclear.
- **Press and research.** Happy to help with quotes, figures or background on the game and how the numbers were produced.

### Who you are emailing

This site is built and run by John Weeks, a web developer who designs, codes and maintains every site in the network himself.
John Weeks is a web developer who writes the code, the rules and the strategy content on every site in this network. There is no editorial team behind the address and no agency. Messages go to the person who can actually change the page.
Replies usually come within a few days. Corrections are prioritised over everything else, because a wrong rule on a reference page is the one problem that makes the whole site less useful.
**Is there a contact form?**
No. These are static pages with no server behind them, so a form would have nowhere to submit to without adding a third-party service that collects more data than the rest of the site does. Email is simpler and more private.
**How quickly will I get a reply?**
Usually within a few days. Rule corrections and bug reports get looked at first.
**I think a rule on this site is wrong. What should I include?**
The page, the specific rule, and how you play it, including where you play it, since regional variants are usually the explanation. If it checks out, the page is updated and credited.