Cribbage scoring chart and hand calculator
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 highest possible hand is 29 and the totals 19, 25, 26 and 27 are impossible. Pick any four cards and a cut below and the calculator counts the hand, highlights which cards make each combination, and says the count out loud the way a player would call it.
The crib only scores a flush when all five cards match — in a hand, four is enough.
Choose 5 more cards — four for the hand, then the cut.
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 |
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 |
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.
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.
How do you count a cribbage hand without missing points?
- Always in the same order, out loud: fifteens first ("fifteen two, fifteen four…"), then pairs, then runs, then flush, then his nobs. The fixed order is what tournament players use, and it is why they do not leave points on the table.
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) — Free to print and share — attribution appreciated, not required.