About the Cribbage Hand Calculator
Cribbage is a card game with a scoring system all its own. After the play, each player counts their four-card hand together with the starter card turned up from the deck, and the dealer also counts the crib. Points come from combinations that add to fifteen, pairs, runs, flushes and the jack known as his nobs. Counting quickly and correctly is part of the game, and new players often miss points, especially in hands with double runs.
This cribbage hand calculator does the counting. Enter your four cards and the starter, choose hand or crib, and it scores the hand with a full breakdown of fifteens, pairs, runs, flush and nobs.
How to Use the Cribbage Hand Calculator
Enter your four cards using rank then suit, such as 5H for the five of hearts or 10S for the ten of spades.
Enter the starter card.
Choose whether you are counting a hand or the crib.
The Scoring Rules
fifteens every combination of cards adding to 15 2 each
pairs every pair of matching ranks 2 each
runs three or more consecutive ranks 1 per card
flush four hand cards of one suit 4 (5 with starter)
crib: all five cards of one suit 5
his nobs jack in hand matching the starter's suit 1Aces count 1, face cards count 10, and others their face value.
Step-by-Step Example
The perfect hand: 5♥ 5♦ 5♠ J♣ with 5♣ turned up.
fifteens each J with one 5 (4 ways) + each three-5 group (4 ways) = 8 × 2 = 16
pairs four 5s make 6 pairs = 12
nobs J♣ matches the starter's suit = 1
total 29A double run: 4♥ 5♥ 6♥ 6♦ with K♠.
fifteens 4-5-6 twice, 5-K once = 3 × 2 = 6
pair 6-6 = 2
runs 4-5-6 twice = 2 × 3 = 6
total 14Counting Fifteens
Fifteens are the most often missed points. Check every combination of two, three, four and five cards. Tens and face cards pair with fives; combinations such as 7-8, 6-9, 4-5-6 and 2-3-K all make fifteen. The calculator checks all 31 possible combinations of the five cards, so none are missed.
Runs and Multiple Runs
A run is three or more cards in consecutive rank, regardless of suit. When a card in the run is paired, each version of the run counts separately: 3-4-4-5 is a double run of three, worth 6 points for runs plus 2 for the pair. Two pairs within a run, such as 3-3-4-4-5, make a quadruple run. Runs of four or five score a point per card.
Flushes and Nobs
In your hand, four cards of the same suit score 4, and 5 if the starter matches. In the crib, all five cards must match to score, because the crib was not chosen as a set. His nobs is the jack of the starter's suit in your hand or crib, worth 1. If the starter is itself a jack, the dealer pegs 2 for his heels during the cut, which is not part of hand counting.
Impossible Scores
Some scores can never occur: 19, 25, 26 and 27. Because 19 is impossible, players jokingly say "nineteen" to mean a hand worth nothing. The highest hand is 29, and the next highest is 28.
Scoring Order and Counting Aloud
Experienced players count a hand in a fixed order so nothing is missed: fifteens first, then pairs, then runs, then the flush, and finally his nobs. Saying "fifteen two, fifteen four, a pair is six" aloud keeps the count honest and lets the opponent follow. The calculator follows the same order in its steps, so you can compare its tally with the way you counted at the table.
Fifteens are the most often missed. Every distinct combination of cards adding to fifteen scores two, and a single card can belong to several combinations. Face cards count ten and aces count one. A hand holding a five and three tens has three separate fifteens before you look at anything else.
Muggins and Common Counting Errors
Many clubs play the muggins rule, where an opponent can claim points you overlooked. Double runs are the classic place to lose points: a hand such as 4, 5, 5, 6 contains two runs of three and a pair, worth eight before fifteens. Players also forget that the starter card counts in every combination for the hand, and that a four card flush in hand counts but a four card flush in the crib does not.
His nobs is easy to forget because it is worth only one point. It applies when you hold the jack of the same suit as the starter. It is separate from his heels, the two points the dealer pegs when the starter itself is a jack.
Using the Score When Discarding
The hand total you see here is after the starter is cut, so it is a result rather than a decision. To use it for discarding, try each possible starter in turn and note how often the hand improves. Keeping fives and connected cards tends to raise the average, which is why many players hold a 5 with a ten card when they can. When you are dealing, consider what you throw into your own crib, since those points also come to you.
The highest possible hand is 29, which needs three fives plus the jack in hand and the matching five as the starter. Scores of 19, 25, 26 and 27 cannot be made, which is why players jokingly say "nineteen" for a zero hand.
Understanding Your Result
The headline gives the total points.
The breakdown line lists each scoring combination.
The cards line confirms the cards counted.
When Should You Use This Calculator?
Use it to check a hand count during or after a game.
Use it to learn cribbage scoring.
Use it to settle disputes about a count.
Common Mistakes
Missing fifteens. Check every combination.
Counting a four-card flush in the crib. The crib needs all five.
Forgetting double runs. Each paired run counts.
Forgetting his nobs. Check the jack's suit.