Cribbage Discard Calculator: Find Your Best Discard Every Time
🃏 Cribbage Discard Calculator
Find the optimal discard to maximize your hand & crib value — powered by real cribbage scoring math
⚡ Quick Presets
⚙️ Settings
🃏 Enter Your 6 Cards
Select the rank and suit for each card dealt to you. The calculator will evaluate all 15 possible discard pairs.
✨ Discard Analysis Results
📊 Cribbage Scoring Quick Reference
29
Max Possible Points
8.3
Avg Hand Points
15
Discard Combos (6C2)
46
Remaining Deck Cards
4.6
Avg Crib Points
121
Winning Score
12
Max Run Points (5)
2
Points per 15 Combo
🏆 Cribbage Scoring Combinations
| Scoring Type | Points | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fifteen (15) | 2 pts each | Any combo summing to 15 | 7+8, 5+K, A+5+9 |
| Pair | 2 pts | Two cards same rank | 7+7 |
| Pair Royal | 6 pts | Three cards same rank | 7+7+7 |
| Double Pair Royal | 12 pts | Four cards same rank | 7+7+7+7 |
| Run of 3 | 3 pts | Three consecutive ranks | 4+5+6 |
| Run of 4 | 4 pts | Four consecutive ranks | 4+5+6+7 |
| Run of 5 | 5 pts | Five consecutive ranks | 3+4+5+6+7 |
| Double Run of 3 | 8 pts | Pair + run of 3 | 4+4+5+6 |
| Double Run of 4 | 10 pts | Pair + run of 4 | 4+4+5+6+7 |
| Flush (4, hand only) | 4 pts | 4 same suit in hand | All hearts in hand |
| Flush (5) | 5 pts | Hand + starter same suit | 5 hearts total |
| Nobs | 1 pt | Jack of starter's suit | J♥ when ♥ cut |
| Nibs (2 pts) | 2 pts | Starter is a Jack | Dealer bonus |
🎯 Discard Strategy by Role
| Card(s) to Discard | As Dealer | As Pone | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 + Face Card | Good (crib 15) | Avoid (gifts 2 pts) | Automatic 15 pair |
| A + 4 | Good | Risky | Potential 15 with cut |
| 2 + 3 | Fair | Safer | Low crib value combo |
| 7 + 8 | Excellent (15!) | Never | Instant 2 pts in crib |
| K + Q | OK | Safe | Low 15 potential |
| K + 9 | Neutral | Best safe option | Hard to combine to 15 |
| Pair | Great | Avoid | 2 pts + run potential |
| 5 + 5 | Excellent | Never discard | High-value crib pair |
📈 Expected Average Hand Values
| Hand Type Kept | Avg Points (no starter) | Avg with Starter | Strategy Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run of 3 + pair | 8 pts | ~10.5 pts | Strong — keep always |
| Three 15s | 6 pts | ~8.2 pts | Good base hand |
| Two pairs | 4 pts | ~7.1 pts | Decent with upside |
| Flush (4 cards) | 4 pts | ~5.5 pts | Risk for flush bonus |
| One 15 + run of 3 | 5 pts | ~7.4 pts | Balanced choice |
| No combos | 0 pts | ~2.0 pts | Discard best to crib |
| J + matching suit | 1 pt | +1 nobs possible | Keep for nobs chance |
| 5-5-5-J (near 29) | 12 pts | Up to 29 pts | Rarest strong hand |
💡 Tips & Strategy Notes
📌 Dealer Advantage: As dealer, feed your crib with high-value pairs and 15-combinations. Cards summing to 5 (A+4, 2+3) and 15 (5+10, 7+8) are best. A 5 discarded to your own crib is almost always a point waiting to happen.
🚫 Safe Pone Discards: As pone, discard cards that are hard to combine: K+9, K+8, Q+9 are considered "safe" discards. Avoid discarding a 5, any pair, or cards that form a 15 together. Your goal is to minimize the crib value.
🎯 The 5 Rule: The 5 is the most valuable card in cribbage. Every face card (10, J, Q, K) counts as 10, meaning any 5 combines with 4 different face cards to make 15. Never discard a 5 to your opponent's crib, and always consider keeping it in hand.
✨ Starter Card Impact: With 46 unknown cards remaining, each rank has ~3.5 cards left on average. Calculate outs: count how many starter cards improve your hand. If 12+ cards help you, the hand has good upside. Flush draws need the right suit (~12 cards left in a suit).
Cribbage is a famous game with cards, whose origins go back to the 17th century. One easily spots it thanks to the typical board for checking points. To beat players must reach 121 points.
Although it has some weird rules, this fun game always attracts folks to return.
How to Discard in Cribbage
Here is an explanation about the process of Discard. Every player receives a hand of six cards. From them, both players choose two cards, that they lay face down in the pile called the “crib”.
The crib forms a bonus hand, that the dealer can use to score after the main hand. Players swap the role of dealer each round, so that the bonus of the crib goes from one to the other.
Choosing Discard cards needs much attention. Everything depends on what stays in your hand for the play. For example, if you have 4-5-6-Q-Q-K, staying with 4-5-6 gives an averge of 10.15 points after the cut, although it only reaches 7 at first.
Staying with 5 and the face cards reach 8 before the cut, but average only 9.91 after it. Like this the run hand does value more during a long game. Thinking about what dumped cards will be useful to the opponent, really matters.
When you dump to the crib of your opponent, there are general tips about what to avoid giving to him. Cards that form 5 or 15 are the most dangerous to toss. Pairs like 6 and 7 also hurt.
Usually spaced cards, for example King and 9 or 3 and Jack, are more safe. Dump at least one ten-value with another that is 6 ore more, and limit the opponent to maximum 15, if he gets the right combos. Two tens can work, but 10 and King is best, because other options give the opponent a chance for a run.
Some guides about Discard point out that a pair of Kings in the crib of an opponent is a bit more safe than a pair of 2s. Notably, combos like King-5 or 2-5 could be even a bit better than those pairs alone.
Note also about the Jack. During play, the four-point bonus Jack affects the math, whether it stays in hand or goes to the crib. So if Jack does not help in the main game, dumping it to the crib does not help.
Also, almost a third of the whole deck is made up of ten-value cards, which matters for guessing what the cut card will be. Online there are programs andtools that help players find the best Discard for any hand. After Discard cards are in the crib, one can not take them back, unless they by chance landed on the wrong side of the board and did not mix with other cards.
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