What Is 4-Player Partner Cribbage?
Four-Player Partner Cribbage plays exactly like two-player Cribbage with one addition: players are organized into two teams of two, and partners combine their scores to race to 121 on the cribbage board. Partners share a single peg and their points accumulate together. Everything else — the play phase, the show phase, the crib — works exactly the same. The partnership dynamic adds a cooperative element to an already deep game.
What You Need
- One standard deck of 52 playing cards
- Four players in two partnerships — partners sit across from each other
- A cribbage board — either one board that all four players share, or two boards (one per team)
- Two pegs per team for leapfrog scoring
Setting Up the Game
- Partners sit across the table — North and South are one team, East and West are the other.
- The dealer deals FIVE cards to each player (not six as in two-player Cribbage).
- Each player looks at their five cards and contributes ONE card to the Crib — four players each giving one card makes a standard four-card Crib.
- The Crib belongs to the dealer’s team.
- Cut the remaining deck. The dealer flips the top card of the bottom half as the Starter card. If the Starter is a Jack, the dealer’s team immediately scores 2 points.
Phase 1 — The Play
Players alternate playing one card at a time in clockwise order, announcing the running total. The rules are identical to two-player Cribbage:
- Score 2 points for hitting exactly 15
- Score 2 points for hitting exactly 31
- Score 1 point for a Go (opponent cannot play without exceeding 31)
- Score 2 points for a Pair (same rank as the card just played)
- Score 6 points for a Pair Royal (three in a row of same rank)
- Score 1 point per card for a Run of three or more consecutive ranks played in any order
Points scored during the play go to the TEAM of whoever scored them — partners share all points.
Phase 2 — The Show
After all cards are played, players count their four-card hands combined with the Starter card. Order of counting:
- The player to the dealer’s left counts their hand first
- Their partner counts next
- The dealer’s partner counts
- The dealer counts their hand last
- The dealer’s team counts the Crib
Points scored during the Show also go to the team of the player who scored them.
Winning
The first TEAM to reach 121 points wins — immediately, even mid-hand. If a team’s peg reaches 121 during the play phase, the game ends right there.
Tips for New Players
- Communicate through your card plays — leading a 5 invites your partner to play a 10-value card for a 15. Leading a low card in a suit you have several of may signal to your partner what to discard to the Crib.
- When your team is the dealer, try to feed the Crib useful cards (5s, 10-value cards) from your hand — both you and your partner are contributing to the Crib.
- Peg aggressively — in the play phase, missing a chance to score a pair or hit 15 can cost your team 2 points that add up quickly over the game.