How to play Cribbage well once you know the rules: the decisions that matter, and the habits that win.
The crib belongs to the dealer, so what you throw into it depends on whose deal it is. On your own deal, give it cards that score together: a pair, two cards that make fifteen, or cards close in rank that could form a run with others.
On your opponent's deal, give them as little as possible. Avoid fives, which make fifteen with any ten-value card, and avoid pairs and close-together cards. A wide split like a king and a two is about the safest throw.
Before you throw, count what each four-card hand already scores and how many starter cards would improve it. Five, five, jack and queen scores ten before the starter — four fifteens and a pair — and more with many starters; runs with a pair in them often score well too.
Fives are the best card in cribbage because sixteen of the fifty-two cards are worth ten. Keep them on your deal, and hold on to them on your opponent's deal too when it does not wreck the rest of your hand.
When you lead, the card that is hardest to score against is a four or lower. No single card can make it fifteen, and your opponent has to give you a chance to score with their reply. Tens and court cards are riskier leads, because a five makes fifteen.
Leading from a pair is also good. If your opponent pairs your card, you can play the third for six.
Avoid making the count 5 or 21, where any ten-value card makes 15 or 31. Be careful playing a card one rank from the previous one, which lets your opponent make a run, and remember that pairing a card invites a third.
When you are the second to play and can reach exactly fifteen or thirty-one, take it. Two points every hand is what separates the players who finish around the board first.
Near the end of a game, the score changes the right play. When you are close to 121, the non-dealer counts first, so a few points in the play and a solid hand may be all you need; keep cards that score for certain rather than chasing a big hand.
When you are behind, take more risks: keep hands that could score big with the right starter, and play the count aggressively. When you are ahead, defend: give nothing to the crib and keep the play tight.