Cribbage Hand Calculator: Count Any Hand or Crib, With the Math Shown
Pick your 4 cards and the starter, say whether it's a hand or the crib, and the calculator returns the total with every scoring combination listed. It counts fifteens, pairs, runs, flushes and his nobs under American Cribbage Congress rules. Nothing is sent anywhere, since the math runs entirely in your browser and works the same way on a phone at the card table as on a laptop.
The examples and formulas below work without the calculator, and you can use them to check any count by hand when a disputed total needs settling at the table.
How do you use the calculator?
- Choose 4 cards for your hand or the crib. Rank and suit both matter.
- Choose the starter, the card cut after the discard.
- Set hand or crib. The crib has a stricter flush rule.
- Read the breakdown. Each fifteen, pair and run is listed as the cards that make it.
The calculator won't let you choose the same card twice, so a 5-card hand with two 5♥ simply can't be entered. It counts the show only. Pegging points from the play, and his heels (a jack turned as the starter, 2 for the dealer), are scored separately.
What does the calculator count?
| Combination | Points | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Fifteen | 2 each | Every different group of cards adding to 15. Face cards count 10, aces 1 |
| Pair | 2 each | Every pair of same-rank cards. 3 of a kind = 3 pairs = 6; 4 of a kind = 6 pairs = 12 |
| Run | 1 per card | 3 or more consecutive ranks. Each separate run counts, so duplicates multiply runs |
| Flush, hand | 4 or 5 | All 4 hand cards one suit = 4; starter matches too = 5 |
| Flush, crib | 5 only | All 4 crib cards and the starter must share a suit |
| His nobs | 1 | Jack in hand or crib of the same suit as the starter |
Aces are low. Q-K-A is not a run.
Worked examples
Worked example 1: 4-5-5-5-6. Hand 4♥ 5♣ 5♦ 5♠, starter 6♥.
| Combination | Count | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Fifteens: 4+5+6 (x3, one per 5), 5+5+5 | 4 | 8 |
| Pairs among the three 5s | 3 | 6 |
| Runs 4-5-6 (x3, one per 5) | 3 runs of 3 | 9 |
| Total | 23 |
The same 5 cards score 23 whichever card is the starter, because there's no flush or jack to change.
Worked example 2: the 29 hand. Hand 5♥ 5♣ 5♦ J♠, starter 5♠. Sixteen points come from 8 fifteens: the jack with each of the four 5s makes 4 of them, and the 4 different groups of three 5s make the other 4. The four 5s give 6 pairs for 12, and the J♠ matches the starter's suit for 1. 16 + 12 + 1 = 29, the highest possible.
Worked example 3: hand flush vs crib flush. 2♥ 4♥ 6♥ 8♥ with starter K♣.
| Where | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Your hand | 4 | 4-card flush counts in a hand |
| The crib | 0 | A crib flush needs all 5 cards |
| The crib, starter K♥ instead | 5 | Now all 5 share a suit |
Worked example 4: zero. 2♣ 4♦ 10♠ Q♥, starter K♣. No two or more cards add to 15, no pairs, no runs, no flush. Score: 0. Players call it a "19 hand" as a joke, because 19 is one of the totals no hand can make.
Which totals are impossible?
Only 4 numbers from 0 to 29 can never be scored: 19, 25, 26 and 27. Our verification script confirms this by scoring every combination of ranks with every choice of starter, then adding each possible flush and his nobs wherever the suits allow it. Anything from 0 to 29 apart from those 4 is reachable.
Common Rules Questions
How many points is a 4-5-5-5-6 hand worth?
Twenty-three. The 4 fifteens are 4-5-6 three times, once with each 5, plus 5-5-5, for 8 points. The three 5s make 3 pairs for 6, and there are 3 separate runs of 4-5-6 for 9 more. 8 + 6 + 9 = 23. It doesn't matter whether the 4, a 5 or the 6 is the starter, because no flush or jack is involved.
Does the calculator count the crib differently from a hand?
Only the flush. In your hand, 4 cards of one suit score 4, or 5 if the starter matches. In the crib, a flush counts only when all 4 crib cards and the starter share a suit, for 5. Fifteens, pairs, runs and his nobs score exactly the same in both. Set the crib toggle before reading the total.
Why doesn't my count match the calculator?
The usual misses are fifteens made from 3 or 4 cards, and runs counted only once when a pair doubles them. Check each fifteen group on the breakdown list. Also check the flush rule if it's the crib, and whether the jack matches the starter's suit. His heels, 2 for a jack starter, belongs to the dealer and isn't part of the show.
What to read next
Sources: American Cribbage Congress, Official Rules (2025): fifteens, pairs, runs, flushes in hand and crib, his nobs and his heels. Every example on this page is scored by the same script the calculator is tested against; see our methodology. Last updated 2026-10-10.
Sources
- American Cribbage Congress, Official Rules (2025), scoring rules and quick reference guide (evidence/acc_rulebook_2025.pdf)