CribbageStreet

The deal and the cut

Who deals first, how the pack is cut, and how many cards each player gets.

1 min readChecked 12 Oct 2026Every count on this page is engine-checked
On this page 3 sections
  1. Cutting for the first deal
  2. Shuffle, cut, deal
  3. The starter

Cutting for the first deal

Each player cuts the pack and shows the bottom card of the cut. The lower card deals first, and the ace is the lowest card ACC r.3.2.a. A king and a queen are different ranks, so the queen deals. Equal ranks cut again ACC r.3.2.b.

The first deal matters: the dealer owns the first crib, and the deal passes back and forth after every hand. In a match, the loser of a game deals first in the next.

Shuffle, cut, deal

The dealer shuffles, and the other player, the pone, cuts the pack before every deal, leaving at least 4 cards in each part ACC r.3.3. The dealer then deals 6 cards to each player, one at a time and face down, starting with the pone ACC r.4.2.a.

The starter

When both players have thrown 2 cards into the crib, the pone cuts the rest of the pack and the dealer turns the top card of the bottom part face up ACC r.6.1. That card is the starter. It counts as a fifth card in both hands and in the crib, and nobody plays it. If it is a jack, the dealer pegs 2 at once for his heels.

In the app the shuffle and the deal happen for you, and you slide to choose where to cut for the starter.

Learn it by playing a hand.

The app’s first hand takes about 6 minutes, with a coach beside you, and the table counts every point.

Coming soon to Google Play and the App Store.