Cribbage Hand Calculator
Pick four cards and the starter below and the score appears at once, with every fifteen, pair, run, flush and nobs listed and the count spoken the way it is said at the table. It runs on the same scoring code as the CardCouch cribbage game, so what it says is what the rules give. Tick the crib box to score a crib, where only a five-card flush counts.
Play Cribbage NowScore a hand
Tap four cards for the hand, then one for the starter (the cut card). Tap a chosen card again to remove it. Next tap sets hand card 1 of 4.
Pick 4 more hand cards to see the score.
What the calculator counts
A cribbage hand is the four cards you kept plus the starter, five cards in all, scored in these categories. The calculator goes through them in the standard order so nothing is missed:
- Fifteens: 2 points for every combination of cards that adds to exactly 15. Aces count 1, face cards 10, the rest their pip value. Two, three, four or all five cards can make one fifteen.
- Pairs: 2 for each pair. Three of a kind is three pairs (6), four of a kind is six pairs (12).
- Runs: 1 per card for three or more in sequence, suits ignored. Every distinct run counts, so 4-5-6 with two Fives is two runs (6), and the double-double run in the worked example is four runs (12).
- Flush: 4 when the four hand cards share a suit, 5 when the starter matches too. In the crib only the five-card flush counts.
- Nobs: 1 for the Jack in hand of the same suit as the starter.
The full rules with examples are on the cribbage scoring page, and the step-by-step method on how to count a cribbage hand.
Try these hands
- The 29: 5♥ 5♦ 5♣ J♠ with the 5♠ as starter. Eight fifteens, four of a kind and nobs.
- A double-double run: 5♥ 5♠ 6♦ 4♣ with the 6♣ as starter. Four fifteens, two pairs, four runs of 4-5-6: 24.
- The flush trap: 2♥ 4♥ 9♥ K♠ with the 3♥ as starter. Three suited hand cards and a matching starter score no flush at all.
- A nineteen hand: 2♣ 4♦ 6♥ 8♠ with the 10♦ as starter. No fifteen, no pair, no run: 0.
Using it at the table
Count your hand aloud first, then check it here. Muggins tables let your opponent take any points you miss, so the habit worth building is the fixed order: fifteens, pairs, runs, flush, nobs. The common mistakes the calculator will catch for you are a fifteen made of three or four cards, a run counted once when two Fives make it twice, and a flush claimed with only three suited hand cards. For the play itself, pegging is scored differently; see pegging tactics. The CardCouch game counts every hand for you with the same breakdown, so it is a good place to practise reading a count.
Frequently asked questions
How does the cribbage hand calculator count?
It uses the same scoring code as the CardCouch cribbage game: every combination of cards adding to fifteen scores 2, each pair 2 (three of a kind 6, four of a kind 12), each run 1 per card with every distinct run counted, a flush 4 for four suited hand cards or 5 when the starter matches, and nobs 1 for the Jack of the starter's suit. It lists every scoring combination so you can check each one.
Why is the crib scored differently?
Only the flush rule differs. In the crib a flush counts only when all five cards, starter included, are one suit, for 5 points. A four-card crib flush scores nothing. Tick "Score as the crib" and the calculator applies that rule; everything else is identical.
Does it count his heels, the Jack turned as the starter?
No. His heels is 2 points to the dealer at the moment the starter is cut, not part of any hand's score, so a hand calculator leaves it out. Nobs, the Jack in your hand matching the starter's suit, is included.
What is the highest cribbage hand?
29: three Fives and the Jack in hand, with the Five of the Jack's suit as the starter. Set it up in the calculator to see the breakdown: eight fifteens, four of a kind and nobs. The best hand without a Jack is 28.
Can a hand score 19?
No. 19, 25, 26 and 27 are impossible totals for a hand, which is why a scoreless hand is traditionally called a nineteen hand. The calculator shows that label when a hand scores nothing.