I have received emails requesting help in counting several cribbage hands, I thought that a page of odd hands and their scores would help people looking for quick answers. In counting the hands below I have set the total score in bold and a larger font for clarity, scores are announced by saying the scoring method then the total score, i.e. 15-2, 15-4, etc. The Starter Card is the full sized card on the right and the hand is on the left. Remember that counting a crib might be different from a hand in terms of the flush rule.
SCORE: 15-2(3 of ª +3 of ¨ +9), 15-4(3 of ª +3 of § +9), 15-6(3 of ¨ +3 of § +9), 15-8(6+9), 15-10 (6+3+3+3), and 6 for the pairs royal of 3's is 16.
If you can remember to follow the sequence I outlined above you should be able to pick up most of the points in a typical hand. You will however occasionally find a hand with points that are harder to notice, or so numerous you lose track of the total. The rest of this page is a collection of hands that might cause problems for the beginner or novice player.
In this instance the 5 of Spades is the starter card. 15-2(all five cards)and a run of five is 7.
Many people just learning the game don't really understand how a double-double run works. The idea is that you can count each completely different set of cards that be combined for a run. This hand you see here has several 15's to confuse you with extra points.
SCORE: 15-2(7 of ª + 8 of §), 15-4(7 of ª + 8 of ¨), 15-6(7 of § + 8 of §), 15-8(7 of § + 8 of ¨), the pair of sevens is 10, the pair of eights is 12, a run of 3 is 15(6, 7 of ª + 8 of §), a second run of 3 is 18(6, 7 of ª + 8 of ¨), a third run of 3 is 21(6, 7 of § + 8 of §), and a fourth run of 3 is 24(6, 7 of § + 8 of ¨)
The best strategy is to recognize that a double-double run is worth 16 points when you total the pairs and runs and that you should just count it as a unit and concentrate on any other points in the hand.
Hands that total odd numbers such as 17, 18, 21, 22, and 23 can cause confusion for people. The trick is to take it slow when you have a big hand and try not to get too excited, besides you should wait till you win the game to gloat. I have seen many 24 hands arrive just in time to save a skunk.
SCORE: 15-2(3+ the 4's), a run of 3 is 5(2, 3, 4 of ª), a second run of 3 is 8(2, 3, 4 of ©), a third run of 3 is 11(2, 3, 4 of §), and 6 for the pairs royal of 4's is 17.
SCORE: 15-2(all 5 cards), a run of 3 is 5(2, 3 of ª, 4), a second run of 3 is 8(2, 3 of¨, 4), a third run of 3 is 11(2, 3 of §, 4), and 6 for the pairs royal of 3's is 17
The major componant of these hands is the triple run of 3 which you should learn to recognize and count as a unit of 15 points.
SCORE: 15-2(6 of § + the 3's), 15-4(6 of ¨ + the 3's), 15-6(the 6's + 3 of ¨), 15-8(the 6's + 3 of §), 15-10(the 6's and the 3 of ª), 2 for the pair of 6's is 12, and 6 for the pairs royal of 3's is 18
SCORE:15-2(4 of ª, + 5, + 6), 15-4(4 of ¨, + 5, + 6), 15-6(4 of §, + 5, + 6), 6 for the pairs royal of 4's is 12, a run of 3 is 15(4 of ª, 5 , 6), a second run of 3 is 18(4 of ¨, 5 , 6), a third run of 3 is 21(4 of §, 5, 6).
SCORE: 15-2(5 of § + Jack of ª), 15-4(5 of § + Jack of ¨), 15-6(5 of © + Jack of ª), 15-8(5 of © + Jack of ¨), 15-10(5 of¨ + Jack of ª), 15-12(5 of ¨ + Jack of ¨), 15-14(all three 5's), 6 for the pairs royal of 5's is 20, and a pair of Jacks is 22.
SCORE:15-2(5 of ª, + 4, + 6), 15-4(5 of ¨, +4, +6), 15-6(5 of §, +4, +6), 15-8(all three 5's), 6 for the pairs royal of is 14, a run of 3 is 17(4, 5 of ª, 6), a second run of 3 is 20(4, 5 of ¨, 6), a third run of 3 is 23(4, 5 of §, 6).
Please feel free to email me with any questions you might have. I do enjoy corresponding with all cribbage enthusiasts.