Can you win cribbage during pegging?
Yes. The game ends the instant a player reaches 121, even in the middle of pegging. Nobody finishes the play or counts hands once someone pegs out.
Points are scored the moment they’re earned, so the game can end on any card: a fifteen, a pair, a go, even the dealer’s his heels before play starts.
This is why pegging strategy changes near the end. If you need 3 points and your opponent needs 20, winning a few pegging points matters far more than keeping a good hand to count later.
If nobody pegs out during play, hands are counted in order — non-dealer first — and the first to 121 wins there.
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More Cribbage rules questions
- How do runs score in cribbage?
- Can you peg a run out of order in cribbage?
- What is his nobs in cribbage?
- What is his heels (his nibs) in cribbage?
- Does a flush count in the crib?
- Can the starter card help make a four-card flush?
- How does “go” work in cribbage?
- Do you score a go and 31 together in cribbage?
- Who counts first in cribbage?
- What is a 19 hand in cribbage?
- What is the highest possible cribbage hand?
- How do double runs score in cribbage?
- Is ace high or low in cribbage?
- How do you count fifteens in cribbage?
- How do pairs score during pegging?
- What is a skunk in cribbage?
- What is muggins in cribbage?
- What should you discard to the crib?
- How many cards do you deal in 2-player cribbage?