Gambling terms, explained straight

Card Games

Cribbage terms and phrases

The standard vocabulary for the card game cribbage, covering its scoring combinations, stages of play, card values, and related actions.

Also called
Cribbage vocabulary, cribbage jargon
Applies to
The card game cribbage, including two-player and adapted three- or four-player forms 1
Key numbers
Target score 61 or 121; 2 points for a 15, 2 for 31, 2 for a pair; runs of 3+ cards; Ace = 1, 2–10 = face value, J/Q/K = 10 12

Key points

  • Terms name scoring events like pairs, runs, fifteens, and thirty-ones, plus the crib and pegging scores 2.
  • Card pip values assign Ace as 1, number cards their face value, and face cards as 10 1.
  • The vocabulary covers the play sequence where players accumulate points toward the target score 12.

Where this term is used

Not the same as

  • Cribbage rules — the rules are the procedures and scoring mechanics, while the terms and phrases are the language used to describe them 2
Card games Bridge terms and phrases Glossary of vocabulary used in the card game bridge. Card games Funny cribbage terms Humorous or slang terms that have emerged among cribbage players. Card games Cribbage flush Explanation of the flush scoring combination in cribbage. Card games Cribbage points How points are awarded for various scoring combinations in cribbage. Card games Cribbage scoring rules Detailed rules for scoring in cribbage, including pegging and hand counting. Card games Cribbage board rules Rules and conventions for using a cribbage board to track scores.

Sources

  1. Cribbage en.wikipedia.org Provides the general definition and key numerical values for cribbage terms.
  2. Five card cribbage - card game rules pagat.com Supports the description of scoring events and the distinction from rules.

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.