(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.
Pegging Question
I receive a “GO” from the other player at 29 after I just played an ace. I have 2 aces remaining and I play each one sequentially, ultimately reaching 31. How many total points can I peg? Is it 8 points or 10 points?
10
10
Re: Pegging Question
You peg 6 points for the three aces, and another 2 for 31, so that’s 8 points in total.
Re: Pegging Question
I thought that would be 10 points.
if the board looks like this:
***A for 29
***AA for 30 — 2 points for the pair.
***AAA for 31 — 6 points for the royal pair and 2 for 31
Total of 10 unanswered points?
Re: Pegging Question
Nick,
You are absolutely right – my mistake. I thought the question was how many points would you peg for playing the final ace – but along the way you should have pegged two points for the pair, before playing the third ace for a further 8 points.
Pegging Question
Nick,
Would RJM also get another point for receiving a “go” before laying the last 2 aces? Total = 11 points?
No they received the point
No they received the point for the go when they hit 31 for two.
what about the go that was taken?
I am confused about the “go” and “31” rule. If “31” includes the “go” and the “go” was already taken at 29, then isn’t it “31 for 1”?
huh?
How can the ‘go’ be taken at 29 and then again at 31? it is either one or the other, not both. you HAVE to play all cards up to and including 31. if you hit 31 exactly you get two points. if it is less than 31, then only one point.
stinkhole
So when my peg ends up in the 120 position, do I need ago to finish and last card is not a go or I cannot finnish on a go? ( I need points such as a pair to cross over?)
Re: stinkhole
See the Stinkhole page for rules about scoring in the stink hole.
go or no go??
someone plays all of his cards before the other person…does the person get a GO after each card??
No, but you can get multiple points if you play it right
Lets say the count is 29 and you have 3,3,A in hand.
You play the Ace. (count 30)
He says go, you say go. You both get a point. (I think) You get 1 for the last card, he gets it for your go. (this is where i’m unclear)
New count, you played last, so you play your 3.
Opponent says go, you get a point.
you play your 2nd 3, you get 2 points for the pair, and 1 point for the last card.
Now, let’s say the count is 26 and you have A,A,A.
You play your 1st ace, (27) opponent says go. You get 1 point for the go, but now you play the rest of your hand.
You play the 2nd Ace (28), for 2 (pair), then the 3rd ace (29) for 6 (triple) and 1 point for the last card.
I think the whole go point system is stupid, and only slows the game down counting single points and confuses the rules with posts like these.
Holy crap dude thats all
Holy crap dude thats all wrong!!! say you play an ace for 29 and you have two aces remaining in your hand, your opponent says go, you would then lay down your next ace to make 30 for 2 points for the pair. then you would play your last ace to make 31 for 8 points… thats 6 points for the three of a kind and 2 points for hitting 31, the point for the go is included in the 2 points you got for 31. You DO NOT take a point for the go if you still have cards in your hand you can play without going over 31!!!
Scoring a “go” when the opponent is out of cards
I think I figured this out from other posts on the site, but I want to double check? I am dealer and have T,T,9,8 my opponent has K,Q,Q,A. The play goes K,T,Q. I say “go” and my opponent plays their A and pegs 2 points for 31. (They are left with one Q and I still have T,9,8.) The next play, which starts with me, goes T,Q,9. The total is at 29 and my opponent has no more cards and I still hold an 8. Do I get one point for my opponent’s “go” at 29 and then start the next play with the 8 and get one more point for “last card”?
yes
yes
pegging
How many points do you get for 4 of the same while pegging. One person puts a 4, the next person puts a 4 for 2, the first person puts another 4 for 6, and if another 4 is put down, is it 8?
the forth card of the same
the forth card of the same number scores 12 (six pairs)
the go
If I play a card for 29 and my opponent says go and I have an ace do I have to play it? Is there any reason I should play it if it doesnt give me extra points in some way? Can I save it for the 2nd half of that round? Thanks!
the go
yes – you must play if you can, but can choose what order if there are multiple cards in your hand to be played.
“Go” / “Last Card” scoring
This is a thing I cannot get straight in my head…
Pone plays forth and last card and is under 31. One of the following three things happens:
1) Dealer has two cards and plays both under 31
2) Dealer has two cards and plays both for 31
3) Dealer has two cards and plays one under 31 and one in next series of 0 to 31.
I call the scores:
1) One point for last play (a “go”)
2) One point for 31 and one point for last play (a “go”)
3) One point for last play (a “go”)
Where the discussion comes in is scoring #3. Other player calls it 2 points. One point for last play in series which pone played last of 4 cards, and one point for last play in next series.
Thanks for the help…
Mike
A bit confused
Mike, a bit confused as to what the question really is. Here are the official rules from http://www.cribbage.org scoring: a. Points are earned during the play of the cards for the following single card or combination of consecutive cards played. The player playing the last card that forms a combination earns the points (see scoring chart in Rule 1.7):
pair
three of a kind
four of a kind
straights of three or more cards in any sequence
a cumulative count of 15
the last card before player calls “go” (i.e., cannot play a card that would not make the count exceed 31)
a cumulative count of 31
the final card played, not making a cumulative count of 31
b. A player may peg any points earned during the play of the cards and is permitted a reasonable time to do so (i.e., a polite pause). Then, either player may play another card, call “go,” call muggins, or announce the total of his or her hand. When a player’s opponent has no more cards or calls “go,” the other player may play all playable cards in succession and announce the points scored before pegging the total at one time.
Scoring 31 on last card
Debate to be settled: 1 pt “go” goes to the player playing their last card under 31. If a player playing the very last card happens to land on 31, are they to peg 2 for 31 and an additional 1 for playing the last card for a total of 3 pts pegged on that last card? Or simply “31 for 2?”
Landing on 31
Incorrect. At any time when a player lands on 31 they get two points and only two points. Those two points are 1 point for the go and one bonus point. If a player plays the very very last card and ends on a 31, they are already getting their one point for the go as part of the two they get for landing on there. You see having last card is really just a go, because no other player can play, so the person who plays the last card gets a go for it. http://www.cribbage.org
Scoring 31 on Last Card
It is simply 2 for making 31 (the last card is already figured into that score). One point for 31, One point for last card. What confuses people on this is that they equate the “31” score with the “15” score, which is worth 2. If you happen to lay for 15 and it happens to be the last card, then you would get 2 points for “15” plus the one point for last card… total of 3. People don’t do this, but it would be clearer stated like: “31 for one, and last card for two”. They summarize like: “31 for two”.
What I’m not clear on is if
What I’m not clear on is if the opponent runs out of cards and you are left with 2-3 cards “played in succession”, is it a “Go” after each card you play that he cannot lay a card??? Do the “Gos” only apply when either player still has cards, but simply cannot play because they would exceed 31???
Go’s
Your second statement is closer to being correct. You cannot take more than one go if you can still play cards that would be less than or equal to 31. If your pone has no cards left and you have 3, you get one go and only one.
Yay!!!! That answers my
Yay!!!! That answers my question exactly.
go’s and last card
From your above answer…if other player runs out of cards and I have 2 or 3 left…I get a go after laying first card down as my opponent has nothing to lay down…then I lay down my other two cards and I also get a point for last card? so that would be a go and a last card for 2 points? is that right?
thank you
Nope
You only get a go when you lay your last possible card down that is less than 31. If you have any remaining after that, then you would get one more go point.
GO
Lets say I get 29 and its a go, and niether of us are able to play after, when we are to play again at 0 whos turn is it?
Go
The next person to play a card after a go (when the count is reset to zero) is the player to the left of the last player that played a card.
Pegging question.
The count is 25 and my opponent says “GO”. I have a 4 and a 5 in my hand. Am I allowed to play either one? Someone told me once I have to play the higher of the 2 cards but I don’t see that listed in any rules I have read.
Play either one
You may play either card for whatever strategy you want. There is no requirement to play either card, but one of them has to be played
pegging question
You are allowed to play either card; which ever one benefits you the most. If you laid the last card and it was a 5; build on that and score 3 points (10-10-5-5). If you wish to keep the 5 for the start of the next pegging session; lay the 4 and score 1 point (10-5-10-4). By your friend’s logic, you always have to play your high cards first. This would negate getting a 15 when starting out the pegging, and both players have high cards. Better example would be in 3-handed play where you are in the second chair and have a 10-5-2-2 hand. Score is 25 and player in first chair says GO. Forced to lay the 5 the pegging would end quickly. Imagine instead laying a 2, followed by the third chair playing a 2, quickly followed by your second 2 for a score of eight. (10-10-5-2-2-2) Hope this helps.
Ah you can play either. In
Ah you can play either. In the example you gave only one of the two would be played but in other instances if you played one or another a certaint card may score points.
Maybe you should try rummy!
Scoring a run while pegging
Last night I was playing with my boyfriend when we came across a scoring question I had never seen before. We had almost the same hand and laid down the cards in the following order.
He played a 4
I played a 4 (total of 8)
He played a 3 (total of 11)
I played a 3 (total of 14) – counted the pair for 2 points
He played a 2 (total of 16) – at this point does he get to count a double double run?
I played a 2 (total of 18)- now do I get 2 points for the pair and any points for the runs?
Thanks for your help!
Scoring runs
Remember that runs are only scored on uninterrupted sequences, like A, 2, 3, 4. If another 4 is played that discontinues to run and it is reset from there. You have a total of 3 sets of pairs in what you described. Each one should have been worth 2 points. There were no runs and there are NEVER double runs when pegging You have to wait to count your hand for that one!
scoring a run while pegging
The way your boyfriend and yourself played your cards doesn’t allow for any runs to be scored. Granted you were able to score 3 pairs for 6 points total. To have scored the runs, the cards would have to played in the following or similar manner (4-{3-[2)-(4}-3]-2) I tried to use different style brackets to emphasize the potential for 4 runs of 3 points each (4-3-2 / 3-2-4 / 2-4-3 / 4-3-2)
no points from runs, cards
no points from runs, cards need to be laid in succession, however you would get 2 pts each for matching his 4,3,2
Scoring for go
How would it be scored if both players can not play without going over
31?
Example : player 1 plays a 4, bringing total to 29.
Player 2 can not play, says “go”, player 1 pegs one for the go.
But then player 1 only has a 3, and can’t play anything either.
Does he say “go”, and player 2 peg one for that go?
Simple Way
The simple way to remember this is that the person who LASTS plays a card under 31 is entitled to take one point for the Go. After the Go, the count is reset and again the LAST person who plays a card to under 31 gets the Go. Hope that helps.
Correct
Yes, both players would say Go, but only the last player to lay a card down gets the Go point.
scoring for Go
When player 2 says GO, he is allowing player 1 to play a card(s) with-out going over 31. In your example the total is 29 and player 2 cannot play. Player 1 has multiple options based on his remaining cards. A 3 or higher, allows him to score 1 point for the GO since he played last. If he has a 2 in his hand, he brings the total to 31 and scores 2 points. If he has an ace, he brings the total to 30 for 1 point. If he has 2 aces, he would lay them in succession and score 4 points. Remember, a person saying GO doesn’t score you any points until you have finished the count toward 31 with your remaining cards. GO is only an indication that your opponent cannot play without going over 31.
Go vs Last Card
If I play all my cards before my opponent, does he score 1 point for a “go” AND 1 point for “last card” ?
Example
I only have a Ten left in my hand.. I play the Ten and my opponent has 2 cards left.. He plays a 4 and then a 2.. Does he get 1pt or 2pts?
Thanks
A go is worth 1 pt
Last card and a “go” are the same thing. they are only worth one point. A ‘go’ is getting closest to 31 is all.
Go
A go is the last card played closest to 31 without going over and without hitting 31 exactly. In this last example, you get one point. It doesn’t matter how many cards he has left. If he plays the last one, he gets one point.
GO vs last card
Your opponent would score 1 point after playing both his cards.
How many point do you get for
How many point do you get for pairing someone making it 31 and the last card?
Last card and 31
Landing on 31 exactly is only worth 2 points no matter what. (last card or the Go is included). If you also did a pair and landed on 31, that would be equal to 4 points. The most you can score when landing on 31 exactly is 14 by the way. That would be 4 of a kind and also landing on the 31. Keep pegging!
stink hole rules
My opponent and I are both in the stink hole and both are down to our last cards….
She plays a jack for 10.
I play my last card also a jack.
I can’t go out by pairing her jack since I’m in the stink hole.
Since the jack is also my last card, can I claim the go and win the game even though I can’t claim the two for a pair?
Stink Hold Smink Hole
Your rules are kitchen cribbage rules. There is nothing in any rule book that says you cannot go out if you are in the stink hole. You should have scored and won the game.
Scoring 15
I play a 10, opponent plays a 5 for 15+2. I play another 10. Can I score 2 points for 15?
Go
(Dealer) Me: K,K,Q,J
Pone: 10, 10, 9, 1
Played
10 – K – 10
Then I said go and pone plays ace for 31
Then I play
K – 9 – Q
Then I get the go
Do I also get a point for last card J?
Last card vs go
You played the last card that equals a Go. Take a point for the final Go.
Scoring
If a player plays his card and reaches 31 and it’s the last card played by both players (no cards left to play) does that player scoring 31 get a last card played point for a total of 3 points?
No
This has been asked and answered a dozen times on this board. The answer is NO. You get two points for landing on 31 REGARDLESS of what card was played.