Cribbage hand calculator
Pick a hand and the starter to see exactly what it's worth, and why.
Count a hand
Practice: count this hand
The quickest way to get fast at counting. Streak: 0
How to count a cribbage hand
- Fifteens first. Find every different group of cards that adds to 15 (face cards count 10, aces 1). Each group is 2. A 5 with four tens is eight different fifteens: 16 points.
- Pairs. Every pair is 2. Three of a kind is three pairs (6); four of a kind is six pairs (12).
- Runs. Three or more ranks in sequence score 1 per card. If a rank is doubled, each version of the run counts: 3‑4‑4‑5 is two runs of three (6) plus the pair (2).
- Flush. Four hand cards of one suit score 4, or 5 if the starter matches. In the crib you need all five.
- Nobs. A jack in your hand of the same suit as the starter is 1.
The highest possible hand is 29: three fives and a jack in hand, with the fourth five turned up as the starter in the jack's suit. No hand can score 19, 25, 26 or 27, which is why "19" is slang for a zero hand.
More cribbage tools
Scorekeeper
A peg board on your phone: 2, 3 or 4 players, to 121 or 61.
Hand calculator
Pick five cards and see every fifteen, pair and run.
Discard calculator
Which four to keep from the six you were dealt.
How to play
The deal, the play to 31, the show, step by step.
Scoring chart
Every way to score, on one printable page.
Printable score sheet
No board? Keep score on paper.
Questions people ask
What is the best possible cribbage hand?
29: three fives and a jack, with the fourth five turned as the starter in the jack's suit. It scores 16 for fifteens, 12 for the four fives, and 1 for nobs.
Why is a zero hand called 19?
Because 19 is impossible to score with five cards, it became a joking way to say a hand is worth nothing. 25, 26 and 27 are also impossible.
Does the starter count for a flush?
In your hand, a four-card flush scores 4, and 5 if the starter matches. In the crib, only a five-card flush (all four crib cards and the starter) counts.