Don't count only your hand. Give up a few points if it enhances the chance to improve both hand and crib. Both players: 8 Usually hold a run, even at the expense of 15s. Runs have the best chance of improving. 9 With poor scoring hands, save low cards that may count for you in play. Note: Aggressive play will try to maximize your points regardless of how many points your apponent may score. Conservitive play will try to minimize your opponent's scoring - even if it means you will also score less. The game drops the traditional board and cards altogether and just focuses on Cribbage-style scoring. It combines Scrabble and Cribbage into a tile laying game where you use playing card tile to lay the best Cribbage hand possible. The biggest negative criticism I've read about this game is that it has heavy Analysis Paralysis potential.
Enter the card ID's and click Calculate. The first card is the starter card. Pegging will show the score of the last card played.
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[{{ starterCard }}] {{ handCards.join(',') }}
Total Points: {{ totalPoints }}
Points | Reason | Cards |
---|---|---|
{{ pointLog.points }} | {{ pointLog.reason }} |
Share link
Use this link to share this scoring page with the current showing cards.
Examples
- 29 Points - 5D,5C,5S,JH,5H Hand
- 12 Points - 5D,5C,6S,7H,8H Hand
- 20 Points - 7D,7C,8S,7H,8H Hand
- 10/6 Points - 5C,5D,5D,JD,5D HandCrib *Note Hand and Crib are different
- 5 Points - 6D,4C,5S,7H,8H Pegging
Scoring
The starter
The player on the dealer's left cuts the undealt portion of the deck (leaving at least 4 cards), and the dealer reveals the top card, called the 'starter' or the 'cut', placing it on top of the deck face up. (It is illegal to peek at any other cards in the deck during this process.) If this card is a Jack, the dealer scores two points for 'his heels', also known as 'his nibs', or simply 'nibs'. The game can end on a cut of a Jack for the dealer.
The play (Pegging)
In addition to scoring one or two points for the last card, players score points according to the following rules:
- fifteen-twos
- two points for a cumulative total of exactly fifteen ('fifteen two')
- runs
- three points for completing a run of three cards, regardless of the order in which they are laid (a 6, then a 4, then a 5 is a run of three even though they were not laid in order)
- four points for completing a run of four
- five points for completing a run of five
- six points for completing a run of six
- seven points for completing the run of seven; e.g. playing 2, 4, 6, A, 3, 5 and 7
- pairs
- two points for laying a card of the same rank as the previous card, thus completing a pair
- six points for laying a third card of the same rank (a 'pair royal' or 'trips')
- twelve points for laying a fourth card of the same rank (a 'double pair royal' or 'quad')
The show
Once the play is complete, each player in turn receives points based on the content of their hand. Starting with the player on the dealer's left, players spread out their cards on the playing surface and calculate their score based on these four cards and the starter card:
{{scoreMethod}}
[{{ starterCard }}] {{ handCards.join(',') }}
Total Points: {{ totalPoints }}
Points | Reason | Cards |
---|---|---|
{{ pointLog.points }} | {{ pointLog.reason }} |
Share link
Use this link to share this scoring page with the current showing cards.
Examples
- 29 Points - 5D,5C,5S,JH,5H Hand
- 12 Points - 5D,5C,6S,7H,8H Hand
- 20 Points - 7D,7C,8S,7H,8H Hand
- 10/6 Points - 5C,5D,5D,JD,5D HandCrib *Note Hand and Crib are different
- 5 Points - 6D,4C,5S,7H,8H Pegging
Scoring
The starter
The player on the dealer's left cuts the undealt portion of the deck (leaving at least 4 cards), and the dealer reveals the top card, called the 'starter' or the 'cut', placing it on top of the deck face up. (It is illegal to peek at any other cards in the deck during this process.) If this card is a Jack, the dealer scores two points for 'his heels', also known as 'his nibs', or simply 'nibs'. The game can end on a cut of a Jack for the dealer.
The play (Pegging)
In addition to scoring one or two points for the last card, players score points according to the following rules:
- fifteen-twos
- two points for a cumulative total of exactly fifteen ('fifteen two')
- runs
- three points for completing a run of three cards, regardless of the order in which they are laid (a 6, then a 4, then a 5 is a run of three even though they were not laid in order)
- four points for completing a run of four
- five points for completing a run of five
- six points for completing a run of six
- seven points for completing the run of seven; e.g. playing 2, 4, 6, A, 3, 5 and 7
- pairs
- two points for laying a card of the same rank as the previous card, thus completing a pair
- six points for laying a third card of the same rank (a 'pair royal' or 'trips')
- twelve points for laying a fourth card of the same rank (a 'double pair royal' or 'quad')
The show
Once the play is complete, each player in turn receives points based on the content of their hand. Starting with the player on the dealer's left, players spread out their cards on the playing surface and calculate their score based on these four cards and the starter card:
- fifteen-twos
- two points for each separate combination of two or more cards totalling exactly fifteen
- runs
- three points for a run of three consecutive cards (regardless of suit)
- four points for completing a run of four
- five points for completing a run of five
- pairs
- two points for a pair of cards of a kind
- six points for three cards of a kind (known as a 'pair royal', comprising three distinct pairs)
- twelve points for four cards of a kind (a 'double pair royal', comprising six distinct pairs)
- flush
- four points for a flush, where all four cards in the hand are of the same suit, with an additional point if the starter card is also of that suit.
- one point for holding the Jack of the same suit as the starter card ('one for his nob' or '... his nobs' )
- unlike the dealer's own hand, the crib cannot score a four-card flush, but it can score a five-card flush with the starter.
Questions
What is the highest possible scoring hand?
29 points. Four Fives and a Jack Card. The four Fives create a 'double pair royal' giving 12 points. The Fives and the Jack create eight different ways to form fifteen giving 16 points. The Jack's suit matches the starter card awarding 'his nobs' for 1 point. This creates a total of 29 points and the best hand possbile in Cribbage. The odd of getting this hand is 1:216,580!
Can you score 27, 26, or 25 points with a hand in Cribbage?
No. There are no combinations that can score 27, 26, or 25 points.
When was Cribbage invented?
Over 500 years ago in the 17th centry. According to John Aubrey, the English poet Sir John Sucking created Cribbage.
What is the average Crib score?
The Crib scores 4.5 points on average.
What is the average Hand score?
The Hand scores 8 points on average.
Source
Play Cribbage JD
Play Cribbage JD on your desktop or mobile device. Play online againts real people or againts a friend.
What is the best Cribbage hand, and just how rare is it?
Everyone knows the best poker hand is the Royal Flush, the best blackjack hand a natural two-card 21 (A+10), and the best thing ever to come from SquareSoft labs was Final Fantasy X. [Okay, that last part might be a matter of (highly popular) opinion, but let's not dwell on such inconsequential details.] What few people outside of hard-core Crib fans know is this:
What's the absolute best hand to be dealt in Cribbage?
Just being familiar with the rules of the game isn't going lead to a direct answer. You need to have a perfect memory and quick recall of the scoring system. Or you could just continue reading, where you'll soon discover how and why…
The Best Cribbage Hand is 29
The illusive 29… It's often whispered about in veteran Cribbage circles. Some boast that they've been dealt this miraculous hand, but not all are to be believed. It is the rarest of all hands, awarding the highest possible amount of points.
How do you achieve a hand value of 29?
To do this—by traditional Cribbage scoring rules—you'll need to be dealt a very specific arrangement of cards. The up-turn card must be a 5 of any suit, while your hand must contain the other three 5s, and the Jack of the same suit as the up-turn card. It should look similar to this…
How to Score J-5-5-5 +5 to 29
Applicable Cribbage scoring to make the all-but-mythical hand of 29 includes points for pairs, a combined total of 15, and Nobs (Jack of the up-turn card's suit). Let's examine:
There are 6 ways to create a Pair of 5s, worth 2 points each = 12 Points
There are 4 ways to combine three 5s for a total of 15, also worth 2 points each = 8 Points
There are 4 ways to combine the Jack with a 5, also for a combined total of 15, and again worth 2 points each = 8 Points
Holding the Nobs is worth = 1 Point
12 + 8 + 8 + 1 = 29
How To Play The Best Cribbage Hand
How Rare is a Hand of 29 in Cribbage
The short answer to that question is 1 in 216,580. If you prefer the long answer…
There total number of 6-card hands that can possible be dealt are:
(52*51*50*49*48*47/720) = 20,358,520
Now, you'd have to be dealt three 5s and the Jack of the other suit, plus any other two cards. The total number of qualifying 6-card hands is:
4*(47*46/2) = 4,324
Finally, we need the up-turn card to be the other 5. There are 46 cards left, the odds of which are:
Second Best Cribbage Hand
1/46
Now, if we divide the total of qualifying hands by the total of 6-card hands, and the probability of that last 5, we get:
4,324 / 20,358,520 / 46 = 1 / 216,580
The '30 is Better than 29' Debate
Some players have debated that the dealer can actually score 30 points, 1 higher than 29, by being dealt all 5s, with the Jack as the up-turn card.
The argument is that, since the dealer receives 2 points if the up-turn card is a Jack, then his hand total would come to 28, plus 2 points for the up-turned Jack; a total of 30 points. And as we can all agree, 30 is higher than 29.
The problem with this argument – and the reason those who advocate for 30 always lose – is that this hand is still worth only 28 points. Yes, the player has pegged 30, but the 'hand total' remains 28. And the legendary score of 29 constitutes the ‘best possible hand in Cribbage‘, not the best possible score for a single round of play.
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