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Cribbage
Two players, one board, first to 121: play the computer or a friend
ComputerDealer0
Count 0
YouDealer0
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The game starts when they open it. No sign-up, and only the two of you can play in it. If either of you closes the page, open it again to carry on.
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How to play, in one minute
You and the other player race your pegs around the board to 121 points. Each hand you get six cards, throw two into the crib, play the rest one at a time while keeping a running count, and then count what your four cards are worth with the starter card.
- Throw two to the crib. Tap two cards, then the button under your hand. The crib is a bonus hand for the dealer, so throw good cards when you deal and dull ones when you don't.
- The play. Tap a card to play it. The count goes up by its value (face cards are 10) and can't pass 31. You score for hitting 15 or 31, pairs and runs. If you can't play, the game says "Go" for you.
- The show. Both hands and the crib are counted with the starter: 2 for every combination adding to 15, 2 for every pair, 1 per card in a run, plus flushes and his nobs. The table shows every line.
- Win by reaching 121 first. It can happen in the middle of the play or the count, and the non-dealer counts first.
The full rules are on our how to play cribbage page, and every scoring combination is on the cribbage scoring chart.
Questions
Is it free?
Yes. No account, no download and no limit on games. If ads ever appear to keep the site running, they'll stay off the table.
Can I play cribbage with a friend online?
Yes. Tap Play a friend and send the link it gives you by text, email or chat. The game starts when your friend opens it, on a phone or a computer. There's no sign-up and no chat. If either of you closes the page, opening it again picks up the same game, and neither browser is ever sent the other player's hand, the crib before the count, or the deck. A friend game with no moves for 14 days is deleted.
Do I have to count my own hand?
No. Every hand and crib is counted for you, and the table lists each fifteen, pair and run so you can check it, with the count written the way players say it out loud ("fifteen two, fifteen four, and a pair is six"). There's no muggins: you never lose points you missed.
How good is the computer?
Pick Strong or Easy in Settings. The strong player throws the two cards that give it the best average over every possible starter, counting what they add to the crib, and avoids leaving you easy fifteens and pairs in the play. In our test it won 1,331 of 2,000 games against the easy player. Neither one ever looks at your hand, the crib or the deck order.
Who deals first?
Each player cuts a card and the lower card deals, aces low. After that the deal swaps every hand, and the loser of a game deals first in the next one.
What's a skunk?
Winning while the other player is still below 91. Below 61 it's a double skunk. Many players count a skunk as two games. We tell you when it happens.
Is there a hint button?
Yes. When you're throwing to the crib, it marks the two cards the strong computer would throw and tells you what the kept four average over every possible starter. During the play it marks the card it would play. You get 6 hints per game, and asking again about the same move doesn't use another one.
Keep playing
- How to playThe deal, the crib, the play and the show, step by step.
- Scoring chartEvery way to score, with the tricky hands worked out.
- Hand calculatorCount any hand or crib, and see which two cards to throw.
- StrategyWhat to throw, how to peg, and the numbers behind it.
- Spite and MaliceAnother two-player card race, against the computer or a friend.