Cribbage Online Free Game: Learn the Complete Rules

Objective of Cribbage

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The primary goal in Cribbage is straightforward: be the first player to accumulate 121 points. This classic card game unfolds in three distinct phases: The Deal, The Play, and The Show. Each of these crucial stages is detailed below to ensure you understand how to play cribbage online free and master the game.

This guide focuses on the two-player version of Cribbage, the most common format for online free cribbage games. While many variations exist, these rules are specifically tailored to the version featured on gmonline.net, ensuring you’re ready to jump into a game. Cribbage has a rich set of rules, and while we’ve aimed for clarity, you can also consult resources like Pagat.com or Cribbage Corner for additional perspectives. These sites are excellent for deepening your understanding of how Cribbage works and exploring advanced strategies for your free online cribbage games.

The Deal: Setting Up Your Online Cribbage Game

To start a game of cribbage online free, the first step is determining the dealer. Initially, both players draw a single card from the deck. The player drawing the card with the lower rank becomes the dealer for the first round. If both players draw cards of equal rank, they repeat the draw until a dealer is established. This card draw only happens at the very beginning of the first game. In all subsequent rounds, the role of dealer alternates between the two players, ensuring fairness and rotation in your free cribbage online game.

Once the dealer is determined, they deal six cards to themselves and six cards to their opponent. Following the deal, each player strategically selects two cards from their hand to discard face down into what’s known as the crib. The crib is a special pile that belongs to the dealer. These discarded cards will provide the dealer with extra scoring opportunities later in the round, making the choice of which cards to put into the crib a crucial strategic decision in your Cribbage Online Free Gameplay. The cards you place in the crib can significantly impact your potential points in the latter parts of the game.

After each player has placed two cards into the crib, both players will have four cards remaining in their hands, and the crib will contain four cards. The remaining deck is then set aside temporarily. The non-dealer, also referred to as the pone, then cuts the deck. After the cut, the pone reveals the top card of the cut portion. This revealed card is called the starter or the cut card. If this starter card happens to be a Jack, the dealer immediately scores 2 points. This is a bonus called “Two for his heels”. With the starter card revealed and any initial points awarded, the players are now set to move on to the next exciting phase of a free cribbage online game: The Play.

The Play: Card Strategy in Free Cribbage Online

The Play phase of cribbage online free begins with the pone, the player who is not the dealer, leading the first card. The pone places a card face-up on the table and announces its numerical value. For example, if they play a 6, they announce “Six.” Then, it’s the dealer’s turn. The dealer plays a card, adding its value to the running total and announcing the new cumulative value. For instance, if the dealer plays a 5, they would announce “Eleven” (since 6 + 5 = 11). This process continues, with players alternating turns to play cards and announce the accumulating total.

Players must strategically play cards without causing the cumulative value to exceed 31. If a player cannot play a card without pushing the total over 31, they must announce “Go.” Once a player says “Go,” the other player gets the opportunity to continue playing any remaining cards they have, as long as they don’t exceed 31. If the second player also cannot play without going over 31, they also declare “Go.”

After both players have declared “Go” consecutively, or if the count reaches exactly 31, the round of play for that set of cards ends. The player who played the last card scores points: 1 point if the total value is less than 31, or a more valuable 2 points if they bring the total exactly to 31. The count is then reset to zero, and play resumes with the remaining cards. The player who did not play the last card in the previous sequence starts the next sequence of play.

In terms of card values, Aces are worth 1 point, face cards (Kings, Queens, and Jacks) are each valued at 10 points, and all other cards are worth their face value (2 through 10). It’s important to remember that the starter card, revealed after the deal, is not used during The Play phase. It will come into play later during The Show.

During The Play phase of your cribbage online free game, players can score points in several ways based on the cards they play and how they relate to the previously played cards. Points are awarded immediately as scoring combinations are made during the play. Let’s explore the scoring opportunities available during The Play.

Scoring Points During The Play in Cribbage Online Free

Fifteen: When you play a card that makes the running total exactly 15, you score 2 points. Announce “Fifteen for 2”.
Pair: If you play a card of the same rank as the immediately preceding card, you create a pair and score 2 points. Announce “Pair for 2”.
Pair Royal (Three of a Kind): By playing a third card of the same rank consecutively, following a pair, you form a Pair Royal (three of a kind) and score 6 points. Announce “Pair Royal for 6”.
Double Pair Royal (Four of a Kind): Completing four cards of the same rank in a sequence earns you a Double Pair Royal (four of a kind), awarding a significant 12 points. Announce “Double Pair Royal for 12”.
Run (Sequence) of Three or More Cards: If your played card creates a sequence of three or more cards in rank with the cards already on the table, you score 1 point for each card in the sequence. For example, if the table has 5, 6, and you play a 7, you’ve formed a run of three (5, 6, 7) and score 3 points. The cards in a run do not need to be played in numerical order, and suits are irrelevant for runs. For instance, cards played in the order of 8, 6, 7 form a run of three (6, 7, 8). Announce “Run of [number] for [points]”.
Last Card (Go): As mentioned earlier, playing the last card in a sequence when neither player can continue without exceeding 31 earns you points. If the final card played keeps the total at 30 or less, the player scores 1 point (often announced as “One for Go” or “One for last”). If the final card played makes the total exactly 31, the player scores 2 points (announced as “31 for 2”).

It’s important to note that for pairs and sets (pair royal, double pair royal), only cards with the same exact rank count. For example, a Queen and a King, while both valued at 10, do not form a pair. When forming runs, Aces are always low. You cannot have a sequence that wraps around from King to Ace.

A single card played can sometimes create multiple scoring opportunities. For example, if the cards on the table are Ace (1), 7, and you play another 7, you score both “Fifteen for 2” (1 + 7 + 7 = 15) and “Pair for 2” (7 + 7 is a pair of sevens). In this case, you would announce “Fifteen and a pair for 4”.

The Play phase continues in this manner until all cards from both players have been played. Points are tallied immediately as they are scored. If a player reaches the target score of 121 points at any point during The Play, the game ends instantly, making every card played potentially game-winning in free cribbage online.

The Show: Hand and Crib Scoring in Online Cribbage

Once The Play phase concludes and all cards have been used, players move to The Show, the final scoring phase in cribbage online free. Players retrieve their cards, and it’s time to calculate the points for their hands, and for the dealer, the crib. Scoring in The Show always follows a set order: first, the pone’s hand is scored, then the dealer’s hand, and finally, the dealer’s crib. Just like in The Play, points are immediately added to the scoreboard as they are counted. If a player reaches 121 points during The Show, the game ends immediately. Crucially, there’s no chance of a tie, or both players going over 121 in the same round because the game ends as soon as one player reaches the winning score.

The dealer has a potential advantage in scoring more points overall since they score both their hand and the crib. However, because the pone scores their hand first, they have a strategic edge if both players are close to 121 points. The pone could potentially win the game before the dealer even gets to count their points, adding an element of suspense and strategic depth to free online cribbage.

Scoring Points in The Show for Online Cribbage Games

Scoring during The Show shares similarities with scoring in The Play, but includes unique scoring combinations and uses the starter card. For The Show, the starter card is considered part of both players’ hands and the dealer’s crib, creating more scoring opportunities from the initial four-card hands. A single card, including the starter, can contribute to multiple scoring combinations within a hand or crib.

One for his Nob (or Nib): If you hold the Jack of the same suit as the starter card in your hand, you score 1 point. For example, if the starter is the 4 of Hearts, and you have the Jack of Hearts in your hand, you score “One for his Nob”.
Fifteen: Count 2 points for every combination of cards that totals exactly 15. Cards can be reused within different combinations. For instance, with a hand of Jack of Hearts, Jack of Spades, and 5 of Clubs, and a starter card, you could score 2 points for Jack of Hearts + 5 of Clubs = 15, and another 2 points for Jack of Spades + 5 of Clubs = 15, totaling 4 points from fifteens.
Pair: Any pair of cards of the same rank scores 2 points. For example, two Queens in your hand (or hand combined with the starter) form a pair and score 2 points.
Pair Royal (Three of a Kind): Three cards of the same rank score 6 points. Example: three 8s in your hand and starter combined.
Double Pair Royal (Four of a Kind): Four cards of the same rank score a significant 12 points. Example: four Aces in your hand and starter combined.
Run (Sequence) of Three or More Cards: A sequence of three or more cards in rank scores 1 point per card in the sequence. Suits are irrelevant, and order doesn’t matter. For example, with cards Ace, 2, 3, 4 of mixed suits, you score 4 points for the run.
Flush (4 cards): If all four cards in your hand are of the same suit, you score 4 points for a flush. Note that for a 4-card flush, only the hand cards must be of the same suit; the starter card’s suit is not considered. A 4-card flush only counts when all four cards in your hand are of the same suit, not including the starter. This flush score does not apply to the crib.
Flush (5 cards): If all four cards in your hand and the starter card are of the same suit, you score 5 points for a 5-card flush. A 5-card flush can also be scored for the crib if all crib cards and the starter card are of the same suit.

Skunks and Double Skunks in Cribbage

In traditional Cribbage, special wins known as “skunks” and “double skunks” add extra stakes to the game. A skunk occurs when a player wins the game by a margin of more than 30 points, with the losing opponent scoring less than 91 points. A double skunk is an even more decisive victory, happening when a player wins by over 60 points, leaving the opponent with less than 61 points.

Traditionally, a skunk win might count as two games won, and a double skunk as three games in a match play scenario. However, on gmonline.net’s free cribbage online platform, each game is tracked individually. While multiple games aren’t tallied together in a match format, the site does recognize and celebrate these decisive wins. If you achieve a skunk or double skunk, you’ll be visually recognized with a fun image, and skunk statistics are tracked on the statistics page, adding a layer of achievement to your online play.

Variations in Cribbage Rules

Like many classic games, Cribbage has evolved with regional and house rule variations. While this guide covers standard Cribbage rules for online free game play, it’s worth noting some common variations. One such variation is the “stinkhole,” where the second-to-last hole on a traditional Cribbage board has special scoring restrictions. However, this variation is not used on gmonline.net; here, every point counts regardless of where you are on the board.

If there’s significant player interest in incorporating other rule variations into the online free cribbage game on this site, they might be considered in the future. However, the current focus is on providing a consistent and enjoyable experience with the standard rules of Cribbage.

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About Online Cribbage on gmonline.net

This online version of the engaging card game Cribbage is crafted by me, Einar Egilsson. That’s my Facebook profile picture over there! Cribbage has consistently been the most requested game on this site for years. I initially hesitated to develop it because I was not personally familiar with the game and it seemed quite complex. However, I finally took on the challenge, and now it’s available for you to enjoy! I hope you find it entertaining, but please keep in mind that the computer opponent, Bill, is designed to be challenging but is not intended to replicate the nuanced strategy of a human player in free cribbage online.

I extend significant gratitude to Norm Fred, who diligently beta-tested the game and identified numerous errors, and to the supportive community on the cardgames.io Facebook page, who generously answered my many questions about the intricacies of Cribbage!

The game is built using html+JavaScript+css, with jQuery enhancing the animations. Most of the graphical assets for the game are sourced from OpenClipArt. Notably, I created the Cribbage board graphic myself – my first venture into graphic design, which I found surprisingly enjoyable! The excellent playing card images are by Nicu Buculei, and the player avatars are designed by Gerald G.

Contact and Community

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