Canadian Doubles Cribbage Rules – How to Play Cribbage in Canada

29 is the rarest of all hands in Cribbage. Statistically, it occurs just once in every 216,580 hands. To put that into perspective, you would be:

• 866x more likely to have twins by natural pregnancy (1 in 250);
• 216x more likely to crack a double-yolk egg (1 in 1,000;
• 22x more likely to find a four leaf clover (1 in 10,000;
• 19x more likely to bowl a perfect game (as a casual bowler (1 in 11,500);
• and almost 4x more likely to die from a bee sting (1 in 59,507).

Unlike many card games, the Ace is always worth 1 point in Cribbage. Therefore, A-2-3 makes a run, but Q-K-A does not.

5-5-5-5 is one of the best hands in Cribbage, worth a total of 20 points. Having a four of a kind is worth 12 points alone. Counting to a total of 15 (5-5-5) is worth 2 points. Because there are four different ways to combine these cards into a 15 count, they add up to another 8 points.

• Nibs – When a Jack is the Starter Card; worth 2 points to the dealer.
• Nobs – When a Jack that is the same suit as the Starter Card is held in the Hand or Crib; worth 1 point.

The term Nibs (a.k.a. His Heels) refers to the Starter Card being a Jack, which is worth 2 points to the dealer. If a players needs just 2 points to finish the game, he/she may “take Nibs” to win.

The term Nobs (a.k.a. His Nobs) refers to a Jack of the same suit as the Starter Card that is held in the Hand or Crib. A Nobs is worth 1 point.

• 5s, if you don’t have 10s to score them with.
• Pairs that have higher crib value than hand impact.

5s can be the best cards to discard into the crib, but only if you don’t have any tens to score them with. Remember, tens and face cards collectively make up about 30% of the deck. If you have 5s that you can’t score with, surely your opponent will enjoy scoring them, so it’s best to crib them.

Like 5s, the best cards to crib will always be situational. If you have a pair of 7s that’s worth more in the crib than in your hand, let them go. Likewise, 6-7 in the hand can evolve into a lot of pegging, but if they’re unsupported, they’re worthless.

Muggins is an optional rule that is only active if agreed upon by players before a game begins. If a player neglects to record points on their score, either by forgetting to record a score entirely, or by scoring lower than the actual points accrued, the opponent may call Muggins. In doing so, the player scores their opponent’s overlooked points.

Shotgun is a Cribbage variant for 2 to 4 players. All players receive four cards. There is no crib. Play begins at the skunk line (31 holes to the finish). Each player uses their four cards + the cut card to build the best Cribbage hand. The first player to reach 31 wins.

A 4 is the best card to lead in Cribbage. Your opponent cannot make 15 with a 4 showing, and whatever your opponent plays, you will have a chance at making 15 yourself.

Having two or three cards that add up to 11 (3+9, 5+6, etc.) is called a Magic 11. It is usually a good idea to hold onto these cards. Their “magic” will come in handy if and when your opponent plays a 10. The Magic 11 helps you to peg, while minimizing the pegging ability of your opponent.

The rarest hand in Cribbage, said to be a “perfect hand“, is 29. This occurs when a player is holding a hand of 5-5-5-J, then the cut card turns out to be the other 5, and of same suit as the Jack.

Scoring is as follows:

• Four of a kind (5-5-5-5) = 12
• 8 ways to Count 15 = 16 (8×2)
• Nobs = 1

In traditional Cribbage games, “stinkhole” may refer to hole #120, simply because it stinks to be in the last hole when your opponent wins. In Wild Cribbage, the term “Stink Hole” takes on a whole new, diabolical meaning.

A player is said to be ‘in the stinkhole‘ when a player draws a ‘stink hole card’ before meeting certain gameplay conditions. Stink hole cards and conditions always vary from one set of house rules to the next, so it’s a good idea to discuss them before you begin playing with new people. The official rules actually encourage players to make up their own Stink Hole rules.

However you choose to play it, the result is always the same. Once a player is in the stinkhole, he or she may not score any more points until successfully scoring exactly one single point (i.,e. last card, his nobs, etc.)