The deal

Each hand, both players are dealt 6 cards. Everyone discards 2 cards face-down to the crib — an extra hand that belongs to the dealer. The non-dealer then cuts the deck for a starter card. If it's a Jack, the dealer immediately pegs 2 points ("his heels").

The play (pegging)

• Starting with non-dealer, players alternate playing one card face-up, announcing the running total. The count may never exceed 31.
• 15 or 31 exactly scores 2. Pairs score 2, three-in-a-row 6, four-in-a-row 12. Runs of 3 or more consecutive ranks (in any order) score 1 point per card.
• If you can't play without passing 31, you say "go" — your opponent keeps playing if they can. Whoever plays the last card of the sequence scores 1 for the go (or the 2 for hitting 31 instead).
• The count then resets to 0 and play continues until both hands are empty.

The show

Each player's 4 kept cards are combined with the shared starter and counted for fifteens (any combination summing to 15, 2 points each), pairs, runs, a flush (4 points for all one suit, 5 if the starter matches too), and his nobs (1 point for holding the Jack matching the starter's suit).

Non-dealer counts first, then the dealer, then the dealer counts the crib (also against the starter — a crib flush needs all 5 cards to match).

Winning

Points accumulate hand after hand on a simple 121-point score bar. The instant either side reaches 121, the game ends. Your record — games won, best single hand and crib scores, and your win streak — is saved on this device.

Tips

• When discarding to your own crib, keep cards that work well together; when feeding the opponent's crib, starve it of pairs and fives instead.
• Avoid leading a 5 during the play — it's the easiest card for an opponent to turn into a fifteen.