Gambling terms, explained straight

Card Games

Cribbage scoring rules

Cribbage scoring rules assign points for card combinations such as fifteens, pairs, and runs, both during the play phase and when counting hands.

Fifteen
2 points for reaching exactly 15.1
Pair
2 points; three of a kind = 6 points; four of a kind = 12 points.1
Run
1 point per card in a run (e.g., run of 3 = 3 points).1

Key points

  • Points are awarded immediately during play for making 15, 31, pairs, runs, or playing the last card.1
  • In hand counting, the same cards can score multiple times if they form several qualifying combinations.3
  • Additional bonuses like nobs, heels, and flush are scored in some rule sets but are not universal.2

Where this term is used

Not the same as

  • Cribbage rules — the broader game rules covering dealing, pegging, hand counting, crib, and win conditions, while scoring rules are only the point-allocation part
Card games Cribbage rules Full rules for dealing, pegging, hand counting, and winning the game. Card games Cribbage board rules How to use the cribbage board to track scores and the game end condition. Card games Bridge rules and scoring Scoring system for contract bridge, including tricks, contracts, and bonuses. Card games Rummy rules Rules for the card game rummy, including melds and scoring. Card games Euchre rules Rules for the trick-taking card game euchre, including bidding and scoring. Card games 500 rummy rules Rules for the rummy variant 500 rummy, including melds and scoring.

Sources

  1. Rules of cribbage en.wikipedia.org Provides the standard scoring values for fifteens, pairs, runs, and play-phase scoring.
  2. Cribbage en.wikipedia.org Covers additional scoring elements like nobs, heels, and flush, and distinguishes scoring rules from broader game rules.
  3. Table Top Cribbage: card game rules pagat.com Confirms scoring values for pairs, runs, and the principle of scoring multiple combinations from the same cards.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.