Answers to the questions we get asked the most.
New to cribbage? Start in the Cribbage Library. It has the full rules, a scoring guide and cheat sheet, tips on what to throw away, tips on how to peg, a list of cribbage words, and more.
The game also walks you through it the first time you play. You can see that walkthrough again any time — look for "Game Tutorial" in the help menu.
2, 3, or 4 players. In a 2- or 3-player game, everyone plays for themselves. In a 4-player game, you play in two teams of two.
You can also play alone against the computer. And if you make a game for other people but not enough of them show up, you can start anyway — the game asks first, then puts a computer player in each empty seat. If you would be the only real person left, the game becomes a practice game against the computer.
Not yet. Everyone who joins a game sits down and plays, so there is no way to just watch. We would like to add this later.
You need a free account to play with other people and to have your stats saved. You can sign up with an email address or use Google Sign-In.
You do not need an account to play against the computer. Those games are just for fun, and we do not save them.
We keep two separate records for you:
Only your Online games count toward your rank and the leaderboard. Practice games stay on your profile so you can see how you are doing, but they never change your rank.
Here is what we track:
Our server keeps score, not your phone or computer. That means nobody can change their own record. Games that end very fast do not count at all — a game has to reach the second deal before we save it.
Someone counts as a real opponent once you have played two full hands together. They have to be there when the cards are first dealt, and still be there when the second hand is counted. After that, the game is an Online game for everyone, no matter what happens next.
Not in your stats. These are two different things.
On the board, the game counter follows the match. A skunk is worth 2, a double skunk is worth 4, and a triple skunk is worth 7. In a 3- or 4-player game you get those points for each side you beat. So one big win can move your counter up a lot and win the match sooner.
Your stats count games, not those steps. Every game you finish adds one game played — and one win if you won it — no matter how much it was worth on the board.
They count, but they are kept apart. If every other player was a computer, the game goes in your Practice record. Practice games never change your rank or your spot on the leaderboard.
If even one other player was a real person, the game counts as Online — even if computers filled some of the other seats.
Games you play without signing in are not saved at all.
Your rank comes from how many Online games you have won. Count the ranked players who have more wins than you, then add one. That is your rank. Players with the same number of wins share the same rank.
Online stats, your rank and the leaderboard are part of Cribbage Club membership. Games against the computer are tracked for everyone.
You need to finish 20 Online games before you get a rank and show up on the leaderboard. Until then, your profile tells you how many more you need.
One rule keeps things fair: beating the same person over and over has a limit. Only 10 wins against any one player count toward your rank each week. If you just play your normal games, you will never hit that limit.
It depends on when they leave.
After two full hands: the game still counts as an Online game for everyone who stays, and the result stands. Someone quitting cannot turn your finished game into a practice game.
Before two full hands: that person never counted as a real opponent. If they were your only opponent, you keep playing against computer players and the game goes in your Practice record instead. The game tells you when this happens. This stops a very short game from counting as an Online win.
If you leave a game that is still going, it counts as a game played and a loss. If you drop out and come back, nothing happens — you only get the loss if you never come back. We also forgive a couple of dropped connections each month, so a bad internet day will not hurt your record.
Yes. Chat is optional in every game. On the web you can use video chat. In the iOS app you can use voice chat. Your video and sound go straight between players' devices whenever possible, and we never record or save them. See the Privacy Policy for more.
Cribbage Den works in any modern web browser on a computer. There is also an iOS app for iPhone and iPad. Players on different devices can all sit at the same table.
We would love to hear from you. Email the developer at support@cribbageden.com.
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