Most cribbage boards have 2 or 3 tracks. It doesn’t matter which track you choose as long as both of your pegs are in the same one. The cribbage board is just a way to visually keep track of the score. If you don’t have a board at home, you can track your score with pen and paper.

Kings are the highest-value cards and aces have the lowest value. If you both cut the same card value, shuffle the deck and cut them again.

You can look at your own cards, but keep them hidden from the other player so they don’t know what’s in your hand.

You score points at the end of the round for pairs, runs, and sets of cards that total 15 in your hand. Try to keep cards that will score points in your hand.

Both players can use the start card to make combos and score points with their hands at the end of the round. If the start card is a jack, the dealer immediately scores 2 points, known as “his heels. ” Move the peg furthest back on your track that many spaces ahead of the front peg.

Face cards have a value of 10 and aces have a value of 1.

Example: If your opponent starts with a 3 and you play a 4 on your turn, you would say “7” as the new total. Only the values of the cards matter during this part of the game, so you don’t have to worry about the suits.

If any player still has cards, flip the cards that have been played face-down and start the count over at 0. Continue taking turns starting with the player who said “go. ”

When a played card brings the count exactly to 15, score 2 points. If the last card played makes the total count 31, score 2 points. If you make a pair by matching the last card your opponent played, get 2 points. If your opponent has another matching card, they’ll earn 6 points. If you are able to play the 4th card of the same value, you move forward 12 points! If the card you play completes a sequential run of cards, earn 1 point for each card in the run, no matter what order the cards were played in. For example, if you played a 4 on your turn and your opponent played a 2 on their turn, you could play a 3 to earn 3 points. If you play the last card for the round, gain 1 point.

If you’re the dealer, keep your crib face-down for now.

Cards totaling 15: 2 points Pair: 2 points 3-of-a-kind: 6 points (since it counts as 3 separate pairs) 4-of-a-kind: 12 points (since it counts as 6 separate pairs) Run: 1 point for each card Flush: 4 points Flush plus start card in the same suit: 5 points Jack that’s the same suit as the start card (nobs): 1 point

You cannot earn a flush from your crib unless the cards also match the suit of the start card.

If you want to play a shorter game, only play until someone earns 61 points instead. If you won and the other player earned between 61–90 points, they’re considered “skunked. ” If the other player has 60 points or fewer, they’re considered “double skunked. ”

Take a little extra time looking over your hand when you play this variation so you don’t lose any points to your opponent.

The person to the left of the dealer is the pone player, so they will cut the cards and take the first turn of each round.

It’s not allowed to communicate what cards you have to your teammate.

Putting a 7 & 8 or a 2 & 3 in your crib are both great options since you have a chance at a run and making a total of 15.

Save aces and 2s for later in the round so you have a better chance at hitting 31 and earning points.