Components
- The pegging board represents each player's score.
- Standard 52-card deck.
- Suits are equal in status.
- A = 1.
- J,Q,K = 10.
The deal
- The players cut for first deal, lowest card deals first.
- If tied, the deck is re-shuffled and re-cut.
2playersβ¨6cards in hand
3playersβ¨5cards in hand + 1π to the crib
4playersβ¨5cards in hand & players sitting opposite each other are on a team.
The crib
- Each player chooses four cards to keep and discards the remainder face-down to form the "crib" to be used later by the dealer.
- Each player's hand and the crib are four cards.
Alice's deal | Bob's deal (dealer) | ||
6β¦Jβ₯4β₯7β£ | ππ | ππ | 5β 4β 2β 6β₯ |
Alice's hand | Bob's crib | Bob's hand |
The starter
- The non-dealer (Alice) cuts the deck and the dealer reveals the top card of the bottom section, called "the starter" or "the cut".
- A Jack scores the dealer two points for "his heels".
- The starter is used later during "the show".
The play
- "The play" (or "pegging") starts with the non-dealer (Alice).
- Each player plays one card face up, stating the cumulative value, or "count", of the cards played so far.
- e.g. Alice plays 4β£ and says "four", Bob plays 7β₯ and says "eleven" etc.
- The count must not exceed 31.
- Each player must keep playing until they are unable to play.
- A player who cannot play passes by saying "Go".
- The player that plays the last card scores 1 point for the "Go" or 2 points if the count is exactly 31.
- The count is then reset to zero and play resumes, starting with the player who passed by saying "Go".
- This is repeated until all cards in hands have been played.
Players can score additional points during "the play" according to the following rules:
- Fifteen
- count is exactly 15 β¨ 2 points
- Run of 3
- in any order e.g. 6β 4β¦5β β¨ 3 points
- Run of 4
- β¨ 4 points
- Each extra card in a run β¨ +1 point
- Pair
- (same rank as the previous card) β¨ 2 points
- Three of a kind
- (same rank as the previous cards) β¨ 6 points (3 distinct pairs Γ 2 points)
- Four of a kind
- (same rank as the previous cards) β¨ 12 points (6 distinct pairs Γ 2 points)
If a card completes more than one scoring combination, then all combinations are scored.
Alice's hand | 6β¦Jβ₯4β₯7β£ |
Bob's hand (dealer) | 5β 4β 2β 6β₯ |
Player | Card | Count | Scoring action | Points |
Alice | Jβ₯ | 10 | ||
Bob | 5β | 15 | Fifteen | 2 |
Alice | 7β£ | 22 | ||
Bob | 6β₯ | 28 | Run of 3 | 3 |
Alice | "Go" | |||
Bob | 2β | 30 | "Go" < 31 | 1 |
Alice | 6β¦ | 6 | ||
Bob | 4β | 10 | ||
Alice | 4β₯ | 14 | Pair + last card | 3 |
The show
- After "the play", each player starting with the non-dealer scores points.
- The dealer's hand is scored.
- The crib is revealed and scored by the dealer as an additional hand.
- Scoring the crib is the same as scoring a hand with the exception of a flush; a four-card flush in the crib is scored only if it is the same suit as the starter card (5 points).
The starter card is a fifth card shared with all hands. Scoring:
- Fifteen
- each separate combination = 15 β¨ 2 points
- Run of three
- consecutive (regardless of suit) β¨ 3 points
- Run of four
- consecutive (regardless of suit) β¨ 4 points
- Run of five
- consecutive (regardless of suit) β¨ 5 points
- Pair
- β¨ 2 points
- Three of a kind
- β¨ 6 points
- Four of a kind
- β¨ 12 points
- Flush
- all four cards in the hand are of the same suit β¨ 4 points.
- Note: this is the only rule that does not apply to the crib.
- Flush
- the starter card is of the same suit β¨ 5 points
- Jack
- of the same suit ("His nob") as the starter card β¨ 1 point
Common combinations are often scored as a group.
- "double run" e.g. 2β 2β£3β¦4β :
- two runs of three 2β 3β¦4β , 2β£3β¦4β + pair 2β 2β£ β¨ 2 Γ 3 + 2 = 8 points.
- "triple run" e.g. 2β 2β£2β₯3β¦4β :
- three runs of three 2β 3β¦4β , 2β£3β¦4β , 2β₯3β¦4β + three of a kind 2β 2β£2β₯ β¨ 3 Γ 3 + 6 = 15 points.
- "double-double run" e.g. 2β 3β¦3β₯4β 4β£ :
- four runs of three 2β 3β¦4β , 2β 3β¦4β£, 2β 3β₯4β , 2β 3β₯4β£ and two pairs 3β¦3β₯, 4β 4β£ β¨ 4 Γ 3 + 2 Γ 2 = 16 points.
Combined runs may also include fifteen-twos. A 24 hand, a large commonly seen, can comprise a double-double run and four fifteen-twos.
- e.g. 4β 4β¦5β₯5β 6β£, 6β 7β¦7β₯8β 8β£.
Starter | 5β₯ |
Alice's hand | 6β¦Jβ₯4β₯7β£ |
Bob's hand (dealer) | 5β 4β 2β 6β₯ |
Bob's crib | 10β 8β¦Kβ£8β£ |
Hand | Cards | Scoring action | Points |
Alice's hand | Jβ₯5β₯ | Fifteen | 2 |
6β¦5β₯4β₯ | Fifteen | 2 | |
4β₯5β₯6β¦7β£ | Run of 4 | 4 | |
Jβ₯ | Jack = starter suit | 1 | |
Total | 9 | ||
Bob's hand | 6β₯5β 4β | Fifteen | 2 |
6β₯5β₯4β | Fifteen | 2 | |
4β 5β 5β₯6β₯ | 2 Γ run of 3 + pair | 8 | |
Total | 12 | ||
Bob's crib | 10β 5β₯ | Fifteen | 2 |
Kβ£5β₯ | Fifteen | 2 | |
8β¦8β£ | Pair | 2 | |
Total | 6 |
After the dealer's crib is scored, the next player becomes dealer. As in the first round, the next round starts with the deal.
Game end
- A player wins the game immediately with a score 121 or more.
- This can occur during the cut, the play or the show.
- e.g. during "the show", the non-dealer (Alice) scores 122 and the dealer does not count their hand nor their crib.
- e.g. the dealer wins the game on "the cut" of a Jack ("his heels").