Why use a cribbage hand calculator?
Cribbage scoring is elegant, but it can be tricky under pressure. Between fifteens, pairs, runs, flushes, and nobs, even experienced players occasionally miss points. This calculator helps you quickly score a five-card cribbage hand (your four cards plus the starter) with a clean breakdown of where every point came from.
Use it while learning the game, checking close matches, or validating game logic in your own cribbage app. It follows classic hand-scoring rules, including the special flush rule for the crib.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your four hand cards and the starter card.
- Use short card notation like 5H, 10D, QS, or AC.
- Check Score as crib if you are scoring the dealer's crib instead of a normal hand.
- Click Calculate Score to see the total and point-by-point breakdown.
Scoring rules included
1) Fifteens
Any combination of cards totaling 15 scores 2 points. Face cards count as 10, aces count as 1. This includes all valid subsets of the five cards.
2) Pairs
Each pair scores 2 points. Three of a kind counts as 3 distinct pairs (6 points), and four of a kind counts as 6 pairs (12 points).
3) Runs
Runs are sequences of 3 or more consecutive ranks. Duplicate ranks create multiple runs (for example, a double run). The calculator correctly scores these multiplicative run patterns.
4) Flush
- Normal hand: 4-card flush in hand scores 4; if starter matches suit, score 5.
- Crib: flush scores only if all five cards are the same suit (5 points).
5) Nobs
You score 1 point for “nobs” if one of your four hand cards is a jack with the same suit as the starter card.
Example: the famous 29 hand
One legendary maximum hand is: 5♥, 5♦, 5♠, J♣ with starter 5♣.
- Fifteens: 8 combinations = 16 points
- Pairs: four 5s create 6 pairs = 12 points
- Nobs: J♣ matches starter suit ♣ = 1 point
- Total = 29 points
Common scoring mistakes to avoid
- Forgetting one or more fifteen combinations.
- Undercounting pairs when there are triples or quads.
- Mis-scoring double or triple runs with duplicate ranks.
- Applying normal hand flush rules to the crib (the crib is stricter).
- Missing nobs when the jack is in-hand and suit-matched with the starter.
Final thoughts
A reliable cribbage hand calculator is great for both beginners and advanced players. It lets you focus on strategy—discard decisions, pegging pressure, and board position—while keeping point counting accurate. If you play regularly, a quick score check can sharpen instincts and eliminate avoidable errors.