Cribbage score keeper
Peg, show, and count the crib. Two or three players, first to 121.
Free · nothing to install · 2 to 3 players
What it works out for you
Each hand you enter pegging, hands and the crib; it does the arithmetic and keeps the running totals. It runs to 121 — first there wins. You enter what happened; the arithmetic, the running totals and the standings are the app's problem, not yours.
- The deck — A standard 52. Six cards each at two players, five at three — and two of them go to the crib.
- The goal — First to 121, counting fifteens, pairs, runs and flushes.
- The order — Pegging, then the non-dealer's hand, then the dealer's, then the crib. The game stops the moment somebody gets there.
- The best hand — 29 — three fives and the jack, with the fourth five cut.
The bit that goes wrong on paper
A cribbage board is a fine thing and it cannot do the one piece of arithmetic that actually decides games: the order of counting.
Cribbage ends the instant somebody reaches 121, in the middle of a deal — so when the non-dealer counts out, the dealer never counts their hand and never counts their crib, however good either was. That is not a rare edge case; it is how a large share of games finish, and it is why the deal rotating matters so much. Casetta Cards applies a deal in the real sequence — pegging, the non-dealer's hand, the dealer's, then the crib — and stops exactly where a board would.
What you enter each hand
- Pegging — What each player pegged during the play — fifteens, pairs, runs, the go and thirty-one. Not the hands yet.
- Hands — What each hand scored in the show, counting the starter. Non-dealer counts first.
- The crib — The crib, which belongs to the dealer. Everybody else scores nothing here.
In any order, from whichever phone is nearest. Nobody has to wait for anybody.
The ways your table plays it
Nobody plays a card game exactly as the book has it, so the settings are on the setup screen rather than assumed:
- Play to — 121 — twice round the board, 61 — once round
One phone, or a phone each
Score Keeper — one person keeps score for everybody, the way a pad of paper works. Nobody else needs a phone, or an account, or to do anything at all.
Group Scoring — everyone joins from their own phone with a four-character code, and each person enters their own. Every screen stays in step, so nobody is asking what the score is.
You can mix the two at one table: some people on their own phones, the rest entered by whoever is keeping score.
What it remembers
Every hand of every game, so you can look back at what happened rather than taking somebody's word for it. For Cribbage that includes deals, average hand, best hand and pegged, alongside the scores themselves — and a leaderboard across everybody you have played with.
Questions people ask
Is this Cribbage score keeper free?
Yes. It is free to use, there are no adverts, and there is nothing to pay for later. You do not need an account either — you can start a game of Cribbage and keep score straight away.
Do I need to install an app?
No. It runs in the browser you already have, on a phone, a tablet or a laptop. Add it to your home screen if you like and it behaves like an app, but there is nothing to download and nothing to update.
Does everyone need a phone to play Cribbage?
No. One person can keep score for the whole table, the way a pad of paper works — everybody else just plays. If you would rather each keep your own, everyone joins with a four-character code and every screen stays in step. You can mix the two at one table.
How many people can play Cribbage?
2 to 3 players. The app deals the right number of cards for the count and rotates the deal for you.
Does it know how Cribbage is scored?
Yes — that is the whole point of it. Each hand you enter pegging, hands and the crib; it does the arithmetic and keeps the running totals. It runs to 121 — first there wins. It also handles the ways tables differ: play to.
Does it keep our scores after the game?
Yes. Every hand of every game is kept, so you can look back at what actually happened, and there is a leaderboard across everybody you have played with. Playing as a guest keeps the history on that device; making an account keeps it anywhere you sign in.
Does it work without a connection?
Not at the moment — it needs a connection to keep the scoreboard in step across devices and to save the game. Worth knowing if you are playing somewhere with no signal.
Not sure of the rules? How Cribbage is scored, explained plainly · score keepers for every game