Playing a card that matches the rank of the card just played scores 2. A third in a row scores 6 (pair royal) and a fourth scores 12 (double pair royal).
During play, pairs only count when the matching cards are laid one right after another on the same count.
- Pair — 2 points: 7 then 7.
- Pair royal (three of a kind) — 6 points: 7, 7, 7. The player who lays the third 7 scores 6.
- Double pair royal (four of a kind) — 12 points: 7, 7, 7, 7 — only possible with low cards, since four of anything above 7 would pass 31.
Face cards pair only with the same rank: a jack and a queen both count 10 but are not a pair.
A different card in between breaks it: 7, 3, 7 scores nothing for pairs.
Stacking with other pegging points
A pair scores on top of whatever else the card makes. Three 5s played in a row from an empty count reach 15, so the third 5 scores 2 for the fifteen and 6 for the pair royal: 8 points in one card.
Each new count (after a 31 or a go) starts fresh, so cards laid before the reset never pair with cards laid after it.
Playing around pairs
If you hold two cards of one rank, leading one is a low-risk bait: if your opponent pairs it for 2, your second card makes a pair royal for 6. If you hold only one card of that rank, leading it simply invites your opponent to pair it.
When hands are counted, every pair scores wherever the cards sit, so pairs in the count work differently from these consecutive-play pairs; see the cribbage scoring and strategy guide. The 31 bonus that often ends a count is covered in go and 31.