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Cribbage Calculator — Hand & Crib Score Checker

Score any cribbage hand instantly. Enter 4 cards plus the starter and get every fifteen, pair, run, flush, and nobs point counted for you.

Updated
Total Score
29 points
Fifteens (8 found)16 pts
5♠ + 5♣ + 5♦ = 15
5♠ + J♥ = 15
5♣ + J♥ = 15
5♦ + J♥ = 15
5♠ + 5♣ + 5♥ = 15
5♠ + 5♦ + 5♥ = 15
5♣ + 5♦ + 5♥ = 15
J♥ + 5♥ = 15
Pairs (6 found)12 pts
Double Pair Royal of 5s — 12 pts
Runs0 pts
Flush0 pts
No flush — the 4 hand cards are not all the same suit.
His Nobs1 pts
Jack of ♥ in hand matches the starter's suit — His Nobs, +1 point.

Fifteens and runs are found by checking every valid combination of the 5 scored cards (4 hand cards + the starter), not just simple pattern matches — this is why duplicate ranks inside a run count as multiple overlapping runs, and why a hand can contain several separate fifteens at once. In the crib specifically, a 4-card flush does not count — all 5 cards (crib + starter) must share a suit. His Heels (starter is a Jack) is scored separately by the dealer at the cut and is not part of this hand total.
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Reference Values

Last verified:
Category Range What It Means Status
Fifteen 2 points per combination Any combination of 2 or more of the 5 scored cards (4 dealt + starter) whose values sum to exactly 15. Face cards (J/Q/K) count as 10, Ace counts as 1. Every valid subset scores independently — a hand can contain several separate fifteens at once. Good
Pair 2 points Two cards of the same rank (suit doesn't matter). A hand can have multiple separate pairs. Okay
Pair Royal (three of a kind) 6 points Three cards of the same rank score as three separate pairs — combinations of 2 from 3 cards = 3 pairs × 2 points. Good
Double Pair Royal (four of a kind) ★ 12 points Four cards of the same rank score as six separate pairs — combinations of 2 from 4 cards = 6 pairs × 2 points. The maximum possible pair score. ★ Best
Run of 3 3 points Three cards with consecutive ranks (any suit mix), e.g. 4-5-6. Okay
Run of 4 4 points Four cards with consecutive ranks, e.g. 4-5-6-7. Good
Run of 5 ★ 5 points All 5 scored cards form one consecutive run — the longest run possible. ★ Best
Duplicate-rank run ("double run") Run length × number of rank repeats If a rank inside a run is duplicated (e.g. 4-4-5-6), that counts as two separate overlapping runs, not one run counted twice — a double run of 3 is 3+3=6 points, not 3. Good
Flush (hand, 4 cards) 4 points All 4 dealt cards share the same suit, and the starter does not match. Only applies outside the crib — see the crib exception below. Okay
Flush (hand + starter, 5 cards) 5 points All 4 dealt cards AND the starter share the same suit — the maximum flush score. Good
Flush in the crib (exception) 0 or 5 points only The crib is stricter than a regular hand: a 4-card-only flush does NOT count in the crib. All 5 cards (4 crib cards + starter) must match suit, or the crib scores zero flush points. Poor
His Nobs 1 point The hand contains the Jack of the same suit as the starter (cut) card. Applies to both regular hands and the crib. Okay
His Heels 2 points If the starter (cut) card itself is a Jack, the dealer scores 2 points immediately at the moment of the cut — before any hand is even played. This is a separate scoring event from hand/crib scoring, not something added to a hand's total. Good
Maximum possible hand ★ 29 points The famous "29 hand": three 5s + the Jack matching the starter's suit, plus a 4th 5 as the starter. Scores 16 (fifteens) + 12 (double pair royal) + 1 (his nobs) = 29 — the highest score obtainable from any single hand. ★ Best

Source: Official cribbage scoring rules: Bicycle Cards "How to Play Cribbage" (bicyclecards.com/how-to-play/cribbage/) and CribbageKing scoring reference. Combinatorics (subset enumeration for fifteens, pair-count formulas for multiples, duplicate-rank run multiplication) independently verified against the official rules by enumerating all card combinations programmatically, including cross-checking the canonical 29-point maximum hand.

Worked Examples

The Perfect 29 Hand

Hand
5♠ 5♣ 5♦ J♥
Starter
5♥
Crib?
No
29 points (maximum possible)

Fifteens: 8 combinations (four ways to pick three of the four 5s = 15, plus four ways to pair a 5 with the J-as-10 = 15) = 16 pts. Pairs: four 5s = 6 pairs (double pair royal) = 12 pts. His Nobs: J♥ matches the starter's ♥ suit = 1 pt. No run (5s and a J aren't consecutive). Total: 16+12+0+0+1 = 29 — the highest score any single cribbage hand can reach.

Double Run With a Pair

Hand
4♠ 4♦ 5♥ 6♣
Starter
7♠
Crib?
No
16 points

Fifteens: 3 combinations (4+5+6 twice, once per duplicate 4, plus 4+4+7) = 6 pts. Pairs: one pair of 4s = 2 pts. Runs: the duplicated 4 turns the single run of 4-5-6-7 into two overlapping runs of length 4 (occurrences = count of 4s = 2), so 4×2 = 8 pts, not 4. Total: 6+2+8 = 16 — this is exactly why duplicate ranks inside a run must be counted as multiple separate runs.

The Crib Flush Exception

Hand
2♠ 6♠ 9♠ K♠
Starter
4♥
Crib?
Yes
4 points (flush does not count)

Fifteens: 2 combinations (6+9=15, 2+9+4=15) = 4 pts. No pairs, no run, no nobs. Flush: all 4 crib cards are spades, but the starter is a heart — in a regular hand this would still score 4 points, but the crib requires all 5 cards to match suit, so it scores 0. Total: 4. The same cards outside the crib would total 8 points.

Run of 5

Hand
5♠ 6♦ 7♥ 8♣
Starter
4♠
Crib?
No
9 points

Fifteens: 2 combinations (7+8=15, 5+6+4=15) = 4 pts. Runs: all 5 cards are consecutive (4-5-6-7-8), a single run of 5 = 5 pts. No pairs, no flush, no nobs. Total: 4+5 = 9.

Run of 3 With His Nobs

Hand
9♠ J♦ Q♥ K♣
Starter
5♦
Crib?
No
10 points

Fifteens: 3 combinations (J+5=15, Q+5=15, K+5=15) = 6 pts. Runs: J-Q-K is a run of 3 = 3 pts. His Nobs: J♦ matches the starter's ♦ suit = 1 pt. No pairs, no flush (mixed suits). Total: 6+3+1 = 10.

How to Use This Calculator

  1. 1

    Enter your 4 hand cards

    Pick a rank and suit for each of the 4 cards you're scoring — your dealt hand, or the 4 cards placed in the crib.

  2. 2

    Enter the starter (cut) card

    This is the single shared card turned up after the deal — it's scored together with all 4 hand cards.

  3. 3

    Check "this is the crib" if scoring a crib

    Applies the stricter crib-only flush rule automatically (a 4-card flush doesn't count in the crib; only a full 5-card flush does).

  4. 4

    Read the full point breakdown

    See exactly which fifteens, pairs, runs, flush points, and His Nobs point were found, plus a His Heels alert if the starter is a Jack.

  5. 5

    Adjust cards to check other hands

    Change any card instantly to compare hands — useful for practicing which cards to keep versus throw to the crib.

What Each Value Means

Fifteens (points)
2 points for every combination of 2 or more of the 5 scored cards (4 hand + starter) whose values sum to exactly 15, using face cards = 10 and Aces = 1.
Pairs (points)
2 points for every pair of same-rank cards among the 5 scored cards. Three of a kind scores as 3 pairs (6 points); four of a kind scores as 6 pairs (12 points).
Runs (points)
1 point per card in any run of 3 or more consecutive ranks. A duplicated rank inside the run creates a separate overlapping run rather than doubling one run's value.
Flush (points)
4 points if all 4 hand cards share a suit (5 if the starter matches too). In the crib, only a full 5-card match counts, worth 5 points — a 4-card-only flush scores 0 in the crib.
His Nobs (points)
1 point for holding the Jack of the same suit as the starter card, counted during hand or crib scoring — distinct from His Heels, which the dealer scores at the cut.

Related Calculators

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I score fifteens in cribbage?
Add up the value of every possible combination of 2 or more of your 5 scored cards (your 4 hand cards plus the shared starter card). Any combination that sums to exactly 15 is worth 2 points, and every valid combination counts separately — a hand can score several fifteens at once. Face cards (Jack, Queen, King) always count as 10, and Aces always count as 1, regardless of the game's normal card ranking.
Why does the flush rule work differently in the crib?
In a regular hand, 4 cards of the same suit score 4 points even if the starter card doesn't match (and 5 points if it does). The crib is stricter: a 4-card-only flush scores zero in the crib. All 5 cards — the 4 crib cards plus the starter — must share the same suit for the crib to score any flush points at all, and if they do, it's worth 5. This calculator's "this is the crib" checkbox applies that exception automatically.
What's the difference between His Nobs and His Heels?
They sound alike but happen at different times and score differently. His Heels happens at the cut, before anyone plays a card: if the starter card itself turns out to be a Jack, the dealer immediately scores 2 points. His Nobs happens during hand scoring: if one of your 4 hand cards is a Jack of the same suit as the starter card, you score 1 point as part of your hand total. Heels is a one-time bonus for the dealer at the cut; Nobs is a per-hand point that can apply to either player's hand or the crib.
Why do duplicate ranks create more than one run?
A run needs 3 or more cards of consecutive rank, but if one of those ranks is duplicated, the duplicate creates a second complete run using the same consecutive sequence with a different card standing in for the repeated rank. For example, 4-4-5-6 contains two separate runs of 4-5-6 — one using each 4 — worth 3 points each, for 6 points total, not a single run of 3 counted once. A duplicated rank inside a 4-card run works the same way, doubling that run's value instead.
What is the highest possible score for one cribbage hand?
29 points, from the famous "29 hand": three 5s plus a Jack in your 4 cards, with the starter card being the 4th 5 and matching the Jack's suit. That works out to 16 points from fifteens (three 5s combine with the Jack eight different ways), 12 points from a double pair royal (four 5s), and 1 point from His Nobs — 16 + 12 + 1 = 29. It's considered one of the rarest hands in cribbage, statistically appearing roughly once in every 216,580 hands dealt.

References & Sources

  1. [1]
    American Cribbage Congress - Rules of Cribbage (opens in new tab)

    Supports: Official tournament scoring, pegging, counting, and game rules.

    Verified

  2. [2]
    Bicycle Cards - How to Play Cribbage (opens in new tab)

    Supports: Standard hand, crib, fifteens, pairs, runs, flushes, and nobs scoring.

    Verified

  3. [3]
    American Cribbage Congress - 29 Hand (opens in new tab)

    Supports: Recognized maximum-hand and cribbage-history context.

    Verified