Yes. During pegging, the last three or more cards played score as a run in any order — 5, 3, 4 scores 3 — as long as no repeated rank breaks it.
A pegging run doesn’t have to be laid in sequence. What matters is whether the most recent cards on the count, taken together, form consecutive ranks. If the play goes 5, 3, 4, the last player scores a run of three for 3 points.
Runs can keep growing. If the next card is a 6 (count 18), the last four cards — 5, 3, 4, 6 — make a run of four, worth 4 more points to whoever played the 6. A 2 after that would extend it to a run of five.
What breaks a pegging run
- A repeated rank. After 5, 3, 4, a second 4 doesn’t extend anything — it scores a pair instead, and the run can’t continue through it.
- A gap. Only the most recent cards count. A 9 laid after 5, 3, 4 ends the run; the 5, 3, 4 underneath can’t be reused.
- The count resetting. After a go or 31, the count starts over at zero and so do runs — cards from the previous count never join a new run.
For runs in the hand as well as in play, see how runs score in cribbage.