What Is a Double Skunk in Cribbage?
A double skunk is a cribbage game in which the loser finishes with 60 points or fewer, never reaching Third Street, while the winner made 121. The American Cribbage Congress glossary defines the single skunk at 61–90; the double skunk is the tier below it, commonly worth three or four games.
Where is the double skunk line?
The American Cribbage Congress glossary defines the double skunk by the board. A standard board runs 120 holes as four streets of 30, and Third Street covers holes 61 through 90. A skunked loser at least stalled somewhere on Third Street; a double-skunked loser never even got there, finishing on Second Street or earlier while the winner pegged all the way to 121. The boundary that matters sits between holes 60 and 61, one full street below the skunk line.
How much is a double skunk worth?
A double skunk changes nothing about how the game is played, only what the game was worth, and here the conventions genuinely diverge. Pagat's cribbage rules describe the stakes tripling or quadrupling for a double skunk, while Bicycle's rules put it at four games flat. Pagat also frames the whole ladder as an optional convention: some tables play it, and some don't.
| Result | Loser's score | Typical value |
|---|---|---|
| Win | 91–120 | 1 game |
| Skunk | 61–90 | 2 games |
| Double skunk | 60 or fewer | 3–4 games, by table |
Whatever ladder your table uses, agree on it before the first deal. Like the skunk itself, a double skunk only causes arguments when it is settled after the fact.
How does tournament scoring treat skunks?
In American Cribbage Congress match scoring, a normal win is worth two game points and a skunk win three. The triple and quadruple values in the table above belong to casual and money games, where the table sets its own stakes. That is exactly why they need agreeing on before the first deal.
What is a lurch?
The lurch is a stake term from the same territory. Bicycle's rules use it for a loser who fails to reach 61 points, counting the result as a double game for the winner. Pagat lists lurching alongside skunking among the stake-raising variants. The American Cribbage Congress does not use the term at all.
By the Nobs Cribbage team Last reviewed 2026-08-01