Your Cribbage Deal Trivia Quiz

Answer: 12

Of course, the ways to get points when counting your cribbage are:

2 points for every combination of cards that totals 15;
2 points for every pair;
1 point for every card in a run (minimum 3, maximum 5);
1 point for every card in a flush (must be the four cards IN your hand), plus one extra if the cut card also matches (minimum 4, maximum 5); and
1 point if the Jack in your hand matches the cut card's suit (nobs).


The total of the hand in the photo is 12 points:

5 points for the Ace to five run;
5 points for the five-Heart flush; and
2 points for one '15' (A(1)+2+3+4+5=15).

Answer: 11

There are eleven total points in this hand:

8 points for '15's: QD-4H-AD (2), QD-4D-AD (2), JD-4H-AD (2), JD-4D-AD (2);
2 points for a pair of fours; and
1 point for 'nobs' (the Jack of Diamonds matching the suit of the cut Queen).

The term 'nob' is believed to refer to the British slang term which means a very important person.

Answer: left

Despite the fact that the hand on the left cannot actually use the cut card to add to its point total, its eight points still beats the hand on the right, which has only seven points WITH the cut card.

Left hand:
4 points for '15's: 6H-6D-3S (2), 6H-6D-3C (2); and
4 points for two pairs - sixes and threes.

Right hand:
6 points for '15's: JS-5S (2), 8H-7H (2), 8H-5S-2S (2); and
1 point for 'nobs'.

Answer: 7 points

The hand on the right has a total of 21 points, while the lefthand hand has only 14 points, making for a difference of seven points.

Left hand - 14 points:
6 points for '15's: 4C-5S-6S (2), 4C-5H-6S (2), 6S-9S (2);
6 points for two runs of three: 4C-5S-6S (3), 4C-5H-6S (3); and
2 points for a pair of fives.

Right hand - 21 points:
6 points for '15's: 7S-8S (2), 7S-8D (2), 7S-8H (2);
9 points for three runs of three: 7S-8S-9S (3), 7S-8D-9S (3), 7S-8H-9S (3); and
6 points for three pairs of eights: 8S-8D (2), 8S-8H (2), 8D-8H (2).

Answer: Yes

Congratulations! Your hand beats out your opponents by two and three points respectively. If you counted eleven points for the bottom hand (yours), then you were correct!

Bottom hand - 11 points:
6 points for '15's: JS-5S (2), 8S-7S (2), 8S-5S-2S (2); and
5 points for a five-card flush.

Left hand - 8 points:
6 points for two runs of three: 9D-10C-JS (3), 9S-10C-JS (3); and
2 points for a pair of nines.

Right hand - 9 points:
6 points for '15's: JS-5H (2), QH-5H (2), KC-5H (2); and
3 points for a run of three: JS-QH-KC (3).

Answer: No

Your top/bottom hand pairing combined for a total of 18 points, while your left/right opponents racked up 19 points. Here's the breakdown:

Bottom (your) hand - 8 points:
6 points for '15's: QH-5D (2), 7C-3S-5D (2), 7C-3D-5D (2); and
2 points for a pair of threes.

Top (your partner's) hand - 10 points:
8 points for '15's: 10C-5D (2), 10C-5H (2), JC-5D (2), JC-5H (2); and
2 points for a pair of fives.

Left hand - 8 points:
6 points for '15's: 9S-6S (2), 9S-AS-5D (2), 9S-AS-5H (2); and
2 points for a pair of fives.

Right hand - 11 points:
6 points for '15's: 10D-5D (2), 10S-5D (2), 4D-5D-6H (2);
3 points for a run of three: 4D-5D-6H (3); and
2 points for a pair of tens.

Answer: 8

In this situation, it doesn't matter which two of the 7D-7S-8S cards you throw into the crib, it doesn't change your best point total of eight.

The cards that will give you eight points are JD-JC-KH and the QS cut card (the remaining card (7D, 7S, or 8S) will not factor into the scoring.
6 points for two sets of three: JD-QS-KH (3), JC-QS-KH (3); and
2 points for a pair of Jacks.

Of course, if you were really playing against a real person, it might depend on who was getting the crib. If it was YOUR crib, then it's an easy discard to give yourself two points. If it was your OPPONENT'S crib, then it might make for a better strategy to take the six-point hand (7D-7S-8S-J(D/C)), and NOT give points to your opponent's crib.

Answer: Bottom

There are actually two possibilities for the top hand, both of which will yield a seven-point hand:

Top hand (option 1 - discard 8D and 9S):
4 points from '15's: KC-5D (2), KC-4S-AC (2); and
3 points from a run of three: 3C-4S-5D (3).

Top hand (option 2 - discard AC and 9S):
4 points from '15's: KC-5D (2), 8D-4S-3C (2); and
3 points from the run of three.

Only one option exists for an eight-point total for the bottom hand (discard 8S and 10S):
6 points from '15's: 9D-6D (2), 9D-6C (2), 9D-4S-2D (2); and
2 points for a pair of sixes.

Answer: Left and right hands

If you made the right discard choices, then the best possible point totals you came up with were ten points each for the right hand and the left hand, and eight points for the bottom hand. Here's the breakdown:

Right hand - 10 points (discard either Queen):
2 points from '15's: Q(D/S)-3S-2H;
6 points for two runs of three: 2H-3S-4D (3), 2H-3S-4C (3); and
2 points for a pair of fours.

Left hand - 10 points (discard six of Spades):
4 points from '15's: JH-3H-2H (2), 9H-6H;
5 points from a five-Heart flush, and
1 point for 'nobs'.

Bottom hand - 8 points (discard King of Diamonds):
2 points for '15's: 7C-8S (2); and
6 points for three pairs of twos: 2C-2D (2), 2C-2H (2), 2D-2H (2).

Answer: 19 points

If you counted correctly, then you found that the left/right partnership won the hand with a total of 19 points (12 for the left hand, seven for the right), while their top/bottom opponents only scored 16 points (12 for the top hand, four for the bottom). Here's the breakdown:

Left hand - 12 points (discard the six of Clubs):
8 points from '15's: 9H-4S-2S (2), 9H-4S-2C (2), 9H-4D-2S (2), 9H-4D-2C (2); and
4 points from two pairs: 2S-2C (2), 4S-4D (2).

Right hand - 7 points (discard either the ten of Hearts or the King of Clubs):
4 points from '15's: 10H/KC-5D (2), 9H-6D (2); and
3 points from a run of three: 5D-6D-7D.

Top hand - 12 points (discard the King of Diamonds):
6 points from two runs of three: 9S-10S-JS (3), 9H-10S-JS (3);
2 points from a pair of nines; and
4 points from a four-Spade flush.

Bottom hand - 4 points (discard ANY card from the hand will give the same point total):
4 points from two pairs (Queens and eights); OR
2 points from one pair (either Queens OR eights); and
2 points from one '15': 9H-6S.