(Previous section: Cribbage rules – the play)

The cribbage rules for scoring ‘go’ sometimes cause confusion. You earn a point for go when your opponent cannot go. This may be (a) because he has no cards (sometimes called ‘One for last’), or (b) because he cannot play without going over 31 (‘One for the go’). In either case if you make the total 31 you score only 2 points on the cribbage board, not 3 (because the go is included, as described above). However, you may well make 15 with the last card (in which case you do score 3).

An example sequence of play showing the rules for pegging points by both players:

Alice (pone) plays a 4, for a total of 4, and says ‘Four.’
Bob plays a 7, for a total of 11, and says ‘Eleven’.
Alice plays another 4, for a total of 15, and says ‘Fifteen for two.’ [and pegs 2 points]
Bob plays a Jack, for a total of 25, and says ‘Twenty-five’.
Alice cannot go, as any of her remaining cards would take the total over 31. She says ‘go’.
Bob plays a 5, for a total of 30, and says ‘Thirty, and one for the go’ [and pegs 1 point]

The count now goes back to zero, and the play continues. Since Bob played the last card, Alice goes first now.

Alice plays a 7, for a total of 7, and says ‘Seven’.
Bob plays an 8, for a total of 15, and says ‘Fifteen for two.’ [and pegs 2 points]
Alice plays a 9, for a total of 24, and says ‘Twenty-four for three’. [and pegs 3 points for her run of 7-8-9]
Bob cannot go, as he has run out of cards. He therefore says ‘Go’, and Alice pegs a point for the go. She also has run out of cards and so the game proceeds to the next phase.

Another example:

Bob (pone) plays a 4, for a total of 4, and says ‘Four.’
Alice plays another 4, for a total of 8, and says ‘Eight for two.’ [and pegs 2 points for the pair]
Bob plays a third 4, for a total of 12, and says ‘Twelve for six.’ [and pegs 6 points for the pair royal ]
Alice plays a 3, for a total of 15, and says ‘Fifteen for two.’ [and pegs 2 points]
Bob plays a 2, for a total of 17, and says ‘Seventeen for three.’ [and pegs 3 points for the run 4-3-2]
Alice plays a 5, for a total of 22, and says ‘Twenty-two for four.’ [and pegs 4 points for the run 5-4-3-2]]
Bob cannot go without going over 31, and so says ‘Go’.
Alice plays a 9, for a total of 31, and says ‘Thirty-one for two.’ [and pegs 2 points. ‘One for the go’ is only scored when the scoring player does not make 31. ]

The count is now reset, and Bob plays first, as Alice played last.

Bob plays a Queen, for a total of 10, and says ‘Ten.’
Alice cannot go, as she has run out of cards, and so says ‘Go’. [ Bob pegs 1 point for the go. ]

For tips on how to make the most of the go, see the cribbage strategy section.

If you say ‘Go’ when you had a card you could legally play, this is a breach of the rules called a renege.

An optional rule that is sometimes played forbids a player from scoring a go when she is in the stinkhole (on 120 points). This is not part of the standard rules, however.

Continue to Cribbage rules – the scoring