How Do Pairs Score in Cribbage?
A pair in cribbage is two cards of the same rank, worth 2 points, whether scored during the play or at the show. Three of a kind, called a pair royal, scores 6 points, and four of a kind, a double pair royal, scores 12, because every pair inside the set counts separately.
How many points are pairs worth?
Matched cards climb a fixed ladder, and the traditional names come with it:
| Cards of one rank | Traditional name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Two | Pair | 2 |
| Three | Pair royal | 6 |
| Four | Double pair royal | 12 |
Bicycle's rules call three of a kind a triplet, but the score is the same 6 either way. The ladder looks generous until you count what is actually there. Three 8s contain three distinct pairs (the first with the second, the first with the third, and the second with the third), so they score 3 × 2 = 6. Four of a kind contains six distinct pairs, which makes 12. Nothing new is being invented; every pairing inside the set simply gets its 2 points.
A pair also combines with other scores. A pair sitting inside a run of three, such as 4-4-5-6, creates a double run worth 8 points in total.
Can a king pair a queen?
No. Cards pair by rank, never by counting value. A king and a queen each count ten toward a fifteen and toward the running count, which is why new players keep trying to pair them. But "counts ten" is not a rank. Kings pair only kings, queens only queens, jacks only jacks, and tens only tens.
Suits are just as irrelevant. Pairs, fifteens, and runs are all rank-only combinations, and suit affects hand counting only through the flush and nobs. The 8♣ pairs the 8♦ exactly as well as it pairs the 8♠.
How do pairs score during the play?
Pairs peg during the play too: playing a card of the same rank as the card just played pegs 2 points. A third card of that rank right after pegs 6, and a fourth pegs 12, the same ladder as at the show.
One boundary matters: pairs cannot reach across a count reset. Once a go or an exact 31 ends a sequence, cards played before the reset never pair with cards played after it. And if your opponent says go or runs out of cards, your own consecutive cards still peg any pairs they form as you play them out.
The question form of all this, from the pair math behind the 12 to which ranks can peg all four cards, is covered at how many points is 4 of a kind.
By the Nobs Cribbage team Last reviewed 2026-08-01