Muggins in Cribbage: How the Rule Works

How the muggins rule works

In Cribbage you score only what you claim. Each player counts their own hand aloud, "fifteen two, fifteen four, and a pair is six", and moves their own peg. Under the basic rules a missed combination is just bad luck. With muggins in force, it becomes your opponent's points:

1. Your opponent counts their hand or crib and pegs the total.
2. Once the peg has moved, the count is final. They can no longer add to it.
3. You say "Muggins", show the combination they missed, and peg those points for yourself.
4. The game carries on. Their score stays where they pegged it.

The same applies during the play. If your opponent makes a fifteen, a pair, a run or a 31 and plays on without pegging it, or pegs less than it was worth, you can claim the difference. The word itself is old English slang for a fool, which is roughly how it feels to be on the receiving end.

Three worked examples

1. A missed fifteen in the hand

Your opponent holds 7♣ 8♦ 8♠ K♥ and the starter is 7♥. They count "fifteen two, four, six, and two pairs is ten" and peg 10. The hand is really worth 12: each 7 makes fifteen with each 8, so there are four fifteens (7♣+8♦, 7♣+8♠, 7♥+8♦, 7♥+8♠) for 8 points, plus the pair of 7s and the pair of 8s for 4. 8 + 4 = 12. They pegged 10, so you call muggins and peg the missing 2.

2. Forgotten nobs

The hand is 5♥ J♠ Q♦ K♣ with the 2♠ as starter. The count they announce is "fifteen six and a run of three is nine". Correct so far: the 5 makes fifteen with the Jack, the Queen and the King (6 points) and J-Q-K is a run (3 points). But the Jack of spades matches the spade starter, which is one for nobs. 6 + 3 + 1 = 10. Nobs is the most commonly forgotten point in the game; you take 1.

3. A run missed in the play

During pegging you lead a 4, your opponent plays a 5 (count 9) and you play a 6 for a count of 15. That card scores twice: 2 for the fifteen and 3 for the run 4-5-6, so 5 in all. If you peg only the 2 and your opponent is awake, they call muggins and peg the other 3.

What muggins does not cover

• Overcounting. If a player claims too many points, the peg goes back to the right hole. Tournament rules usually add a penalty for that, but it is a separate rule, not muggins.
• Poor play. You can only claim points that were actually made and not pegged. A card your opponent could have played for a fifteen, but did not, is nothing to you.
• A count still in progress. Until the peg moves, your opponent may recount and correct themselves. Jumping in early just helps them.

Groups differ on the details, such as whether a dealer who forgets to take two for his heels can be mugginsed. Settle those before the first deal, not in the middle of an argument.

Cut-throat Cribbage: two meanings

"Cut-throat Cribbage" most often means Cribbage played with the muggins rule, because every slip costs you twice: you lose the points and your opponent gains them. The same name is also used for three-player Cribbage, where each player pegs for themselves and there are no partners. If someone suggests a cut-throat game, ask which one they mean.

Should you play with muggins?

Muggins rewards careful counting and keeps both players watching every hand, which is why many clubs and tournaments play it, always announced in advance. It is a poor fit for teaching. A beginner who loses points for every missed fifteen learns mostly to dislike the game. Play without it until both of you count reliably, then add it if you like the edge.

The best defense is a fixed counting order: fifteens first, then pairs, then runs, then a flush, and nobs last. The scoring guide explains each combination, and the printable scoring chart puts them all on one page to keep beside the board.

Muggins on CardCouch

CardCouch does not use muggins, because nobody can miss points here. The game is two-player Cribbage against the computer to 121. Points made in the play are pegged the moment a card lands, and in the show every hand and the crib are counted automatically, with a breakdown that lists the fifteens, pairs, runs, flush and nobs separately. That goes for the computer's hands as well as yours.

That makes it a good place to train for a muggins game. Before you press Count, work out your hand in your head, then compare your total with the breakdown. When the two agree every time, you are ready to play cut-throat at a real table.