Against the computer
A thoughtful opponent that weighs every possible starter before discarding and plays to stop your fifteens.
Nineteen Hand · the classic card game for two
Cribbage
Make fifteens, pairs and runs, race your peg round the board, and be first to 121. Free to play against the computer, with a friend on one device, or online.
No sign-up. Works on phones, tablets and computers. Large-print Easy view
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5♦Starter
What is cribbage?
Cribbage is a card game for two players, invented in England in the 1600s and still loved in pubs, kitchens and on long journeys. It is played with an ordinary 52-card deck, and the score is kept by moving pegs along a cribbage board: two tracks of holes, one for each player.
Each round you are dealt six cards, give two away to the crib, then score points twice: first in the play, laying cards down one at a time, and then in the show, counting the combinations in your hand. The first player to peg 121 points wins.
- 2players
- 121points to win
- ~20minutes a game
How a hand works
Every round follows the same five steps. The deal alternates between the two players.
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1
The deal
Each player gets six cards. The dealer will own the crib, a bonus hand made from the cards both players throw away.
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2
The crib
Both players choose two cards to put face down in the crib, keeping four. Feed your own crib good cards; give your opponent's crib awkward ones.
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3
The cut
The deck is cut and the top card turned up as the starter. It counts as part of every hand. If it is a jack, the dealer pegs 2 for his heels.
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4
The play
Players take turns laying cards face up, keeping a running total that can't pass 31. Score for hitting 15 or 31, pairs and runs as you go. If you can't play, say Go; the last player to lay a card pegs 1.
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5
The show
Each player counts their four cards plus the starter: first the non-dealer, then the dealer, then the dealer's crib. Then deal again, until someone reaches 121.
Scoring at a glance
In the play
| Count reaches 15 | 2 |
|---|---|
| Count reaches 31 | 2 |
| Pair (same rank as the last card) | 2 |
| Three of a kind in a row | 6 |
| Four of a kind in a row | 12 |
| Run of 3 or more, any order | 1 per card |
| Go, or the last card | 1 |
In the show
| Each combination adding to 15 | 2 |
|---|---|
| Each pair | 2 |
| Each run of 3 or more | 1 per card |
| Flush: four in hand of one suit | 4 |
| … and the starter too | 5 |
| Jack of the starter's suit (his nobs) | 1 |
Picture cards count 10 and aces 1. A flush in the crib only counts if all five cards match.
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Example, 16 points: four fifteens, 5+10 and 4+5+6 with each five (8), a pair of fives (2), and the run 4-5-6 twice, once with each five (6).
Play your way
With a friend
Pass and play on one device, or share a six-character code and play online from anywhere.
A coach at your side
Hints, a discard coach and a round-by-round review show where points were won and lost, with your progress over time.
Easy view
Large-print cards in four colours, big buttons and a calmer pace. Open Easy view and bookmark it on a relative's tablet.
Fair play
Every hidden card stays on the server: nobody, not even a determined cheat, can see the computer's hand or yours.
Matches and stats
Best of three or five, skunks and double skunks, count-your-own with muggins, and a record of your best hands.
Why “Nineteen Hand”?
No cribbage hand can score exactly 19 points: no mix of fifteens, pairs, runs, flushes and nobs adds up to it. So when the count comes to nothing, players have long said they hold a nineteen hand, a wry way of saying zero.
Every cribbage player has had one. We named the site after it.
Ready to peg?
A game takes about twenty minutes. The cards are dealt the moment you start.
Start playing