How to Use a Cribbage Board
Quick answer
A cribbage board keeps score with two pegs per player. Each time you score, move your back peg that many holes past your front peg, so the gap always shows your last score. Go twice around the board, and the first peg in the game hole at 121 wins.
Each hole is one point. Holes are grouped in fives so you can count quickly.
A cribbage board has a track for each player
- Tracks: one row of holes per player (some boards have three tracks for three players). Each hole is one point.
- Start holes: where both pegs sit at the beginning, below hole 1.
- Groups of five: a small gap after every five holes, so “15” is three groups.
- Game hole: one hole at the end, marked 121. Reach it and you win.
- Pegs: two per player, in your own color.
The pegs go up the outside and back down the inside
On the usual board each player has 60 holes. Start at the end with the start holes. Go up the outer row (30 holes), then back down the inner row (30 more). That is one lap of 60. Go around a second time, and the next point after 120 puts you in the game hole.
Leapfrog: the back peg always jumps the front peg
You never move the peg that is in front. Pick up the back peg and count forward from the front peg. Say you score 2 for a fifteen at the start: one peg goes into hole 2. Then you count a hand of 7: the peg still in the start hole jumps to hole 9, counted from hole 2.
Now your pegs sit on 2 and 9. The gap is 7, your last score. Your front peg always shows your total.
Try the board: peg a few scores
Pick a player, then tap a score. Every button is a real cribbage score, worked out by our game engine. Watch the hollow back peg: it marks where the front peg was before.
Try it: peg some points
Player 1: 0 points. Player 2: 0 points. 121 to win.
Example: Player 1 pegs 2 for a fifteen. One peg moves from the start to hole 2. Then Player 1 counts a hand of 7: the peg still on 0 jumps over the peg on 2 to hole 9. The gap from 2 to 9 shows the 7.
Round pegs: Player 1. Square pegs: Player 2. A hollow peg is the back peg, where that player was before the last score. The dashed line after hole 90 is the skunk line.
Streets and the skunk line tell you where you stand
Players call each run of 30 holes a street. First street is 1–30, second street 31–60, third street 61–90 and fourth street 91–120.
- Skunk line, after hole 90: if you are still at 90 or below when your opponent reaches 121, you are skunked. Most boards mark it.
- Double skunk, 60 or below: a common house rule, not part of tournament play. Some boards mark it too.
See how many points you need to win for the full skunk rules, with a calculator.
The two-peg board catches counting mistakes
- Moving the front peg: you lose track of your last score. Always move the back peg.
- Pegging in the wrong lane: on a three-track board, check your color before you move.
- Knocking a peg out: agree on the score before you put it back. The back peg makes this easy: it shows the score before the last move.
No board at home? Print a free cribbage board, or play online and let the computer move the pegs.
If you like Cribbage, try
Euchre
2–4 players · 20 min · Learn in a game or two
Partners, trump and the two bowers. Take three tricks of five.
Spite & Malice
2–4 players · 25 min · Easy to learn
Play off your pile before your opponent does. The game Skip-Bo grew from.
Canasta
2–6 players · 60 min · Learn in a game or two
Meld sevens of a kind with your partner. Red threes are a bonus.
Questions people ask
How many holes are on a cribbage board?
Most boards have 60 holes per player, which you go around twice for 120, plus the game hole at 121 and a few start holes. Some long boards have all 120 holes in one track, so you go around once.
Why do you use two pegs in cribbage?
The back peg shows where you were before your last score. You always move the back peg ahead of the front one, so the gap between them is the last score. If someone miscounts, it is easy to check.
What is the skunk line on a cribbage board?
A line after hole 90. If you haven’t passed it when your opponent reaches 121, you have been skunked, which usually counts as two losses.
What does the 121 hole mean?
It is the game hole. The first player to put a peg in it, by reaching 121 points, wins at once.
Can I play cribbage without a board?
Yes. Any paper score sheet works, and you can print our free cribbage board on a home printer. Our online game moves the pegs for you.