Pegwood Cribbage

Support

Playing cribbage

How does a hand of cribbage work?

Two players, one standard deck, a pegboard, and the first to 121 points wins (or 61 in a short game).

1. The deal. The dealer gives each player six cards. In Pegwood the first dealer is decided by a fair coin toss drawn from the sealed deal and your cut; after that the deal alternates.
2. The crib. Each player puts two cards face down into the crib. The crib belongs to the dealer and is counted at the end of the hand.
3. The starter. The non-dealer cuts the deck and the dealer turns up the top card – the starter. If it is a jack, the dealer pegs 2 (“his heels”).
4. The play. Starting with the non-dealer, you take turns laying cards face up and saying the running total, never going past 31. Face cards count 10 and aces count 1. You score for:
   • bringing the total to 15: 2 points;
   • bringing it to exactly 31: 2 points;
   • a pair with the card just played: 2; three of a kind: 6; four of a kind: 12;
   • a run of three or more cards among the last cards played, in any order (3-5-4 is a run): 1 point per card;
   • “go”: when neither player can lay a card without passing 31, whoever played the last card scores 1. If that card made exactly 31, it scores the 2 for 31 instead – never both. The count then starts again from zero;
   • the last card of the whole play: 1 point (again, not on top of the 2 for 31).

   If you have a card that fits under 31, you must play it. When you have none, Pegwood says “go” for you automatically, so you never have to tap a button that does nothing.

5. The show. The non-dealer counts first, then the dealer’s hand, then the dealer’s crib. Every hand counts together with the starter:
   • each combination of cards adding to 15: 2 points;
   • each pair: 2 points;
   • each run of three or more: 1 point per card (a card can be part of more than one run – “double runs”);
   • a flush: four cards of one suit in your hand: 4 points, 5 if the starter matches too. The crib only counts a flush when all five cards are one suit;
   • “his nobs”: the jack of the same suit as the starter, in your hand or crib: 1 point.

The best possible hand is 29: three fives and the jack of the fourth suit, with the fourth five as the starter. A few totals, such as 19, can’t be made at all – which is why “nineteen” is cribbage slang for a hand worth nothing.

When does the game end?

The moment someone reaches 121 (or 61), even in the middle of the play or the count – which is why the non-dealer counts first. The final score stops at 121.

• Skunk: the loser finishes with 90 or fewer points.
• Double skunk: the loser finishes with 60 or fewer.
• In a game to 61, it’s a skunk if the loser has 30 or fewer.

Which rules does Pegwood use?

The standard rules for two-player six-card cribbage used in tournament play. Muggins is the one optional rule, and it’s off unless you turn it on.

Can Pegwood count for me?

Yes – by default Pegwood counts every hand and shows the breakdown (“fifteen two, fifteen four, and a pair is six”). If you’d rather count yourself, turn on manual counting in Settings → Game.

What is muggins?

An old optional rule for sharp-eyed players: if you count your hand and miss points, your opponent can call “muggins” and take the points you missed.

In Pegwood, muggins is only for games against the computer, and only when manual counting is on:

• If you claim more than your hand is worth, Pegwood asks you to count again – no penalty.
• If you claim less, you score what you claimed, and with muggins on, the computer takes the points you missed.
• If you claim exactly right, you score it.

Friend games always count automatically, so no one waits a day for a muggins call.

Can I play three or four players, or five-card cribbage?

Not yet. Pegwood 1.0 is classic two-player cribbage.

The computer opponent

Is the computer cheating?

No. The computer only knows what you would know in its seat: its own cards, the cards already shown and the score. It never sees your hand, the crib before the show, or the deck, and it has no way to change the deal. Every deal is sealed before you play, and you can check it yourself (see Checking a deal).

The three levels – Casual, Standard and Expert – differ only in how well they choose cards. Expert wins more because it thinks harder, not because it gets better cards.

Streaks happen in any card game. The Luck of the Deal screen (on the Statistics screen, with Pegwood Pro) compares the points both of you were dealt with what an average player can expect, over all your games, so you can see how luck really evens out.

Why did the computer discard those cards?

After the show, open “Why the AI threw these” to see the computer’s six cards and what it kept. With Pegwood Pro it also explains the reasoning and shows the points the computer expected from its best throws. During your own discard, the hint button – free for everyone – shows the best throws for your cards.

Can I take a move back?

Yes, in games against the computer: tap Undo. Friend games can’t be undone, because your friend may already have seen the move.

Checking a deal

What does “every deal is sealed” mean?

Before the first cut, Pegwood creates a secret random number (the seed) that decides every shuffle in the game, and shows you its seal – a short code that fixes the seed without revealing it. The seed can’t be changed later without the seal changing too.

Before every deal, you cut the deck with a swipe. Your cut is mixed into that shuffle, so no one – not the app, not the computer, not the server – could have picked a seed that favors one side.

How do I verify a game?

1. Look at the seal shown before the first cut (it stays visible in the game’s details).
2. After the game, tap Verify.
3. Pegwood reveals the seed, checks that it matches the seal, and replays every deal with your cuts. It then shows “All deals match”, or exactly which deal differs.

In a friend game, our server creates the seal before the game starts and reveals the seed when the game ends. Both players see the same seal and can both verify the whole game.

For the technically minded: the seed is 256 bits, the seal is its SHA-256 hash, and each deck is a Fisher–Yates shuffle driven by HMAC-SHA256 of the seed, the deal number and your cut.

Playing a friend

How do I invite someone?

1. Tap Play a Friend and choose a game to 121 or 61.
2. Pick the name your friend will see (a first name or a nickname is perfect).
3. Send the invite link with Messages, WhatsApp, email – whatever you both use.

That’s it: no accounts, no usernames, no passwords.

What does my friend need to do?

Tap the link. If Pegwood is on their iPhone, the game opens. If it isn’t, the link opens a page with an App Store button and the invite code; after installing, they can tap the link again, or open Pegwood, tap Play a Friend → Join with a Code and enter the code.

Games with friends are free for both of you. Your friend doesn’t need Pegwood Pro.

How do turns work? Is there a timer?

There is no turn timer. Take your turn when it suits you – in the morning, at lunch, before bed. Pegwood sends a “your turn” notification when your friend has played, so allow notifications when Pegwood asks. When you are both in the game at the same time, moves appear right away.

To save you taps, Pegwood plays forced moves for you (like “go”), counts hands automatically, and lets you choose your next discard while it’s your friend’s turn.

If nobody moves in a game for a long time, it may be closed.

Can I have more than one game going?

Yes. The games list shows whose turn it is in each one.

The link opened a website instead of the game.

Make sure Pegwood is installed, then press and hold the link and choose “Open in Pegwood”. If you pasted the link into a browser, tap it from Messages or Mail instead. The invite page also has an Open in Pegwood button, and you can always type the code in Pegwood: Play a Friend → Join with a Code.

Someone else joined my game.

An invite link works for the first person who taps it. Start a new game and send the new link only to the person you want to play. You can leave a game at any time from its menu.

Can I play strangers online?

Not in this version: Pegwood is for games with people you know. There are no public lobbies.

Can I play someone who has an Android phone?

Not yet. Pegwood is on iPhone first; Android is planned.

I got a new iPhone. Are my games still there?

Pegwood Pro comes back with Restore Purchases. Games against the computer and your statistics are kept in the app on your iPhone, and Pegwood doesn’t sync them to a new one by itself. If your friend games don’t appear on the new iPhone, write to support@fairhearth.com and we’ll help.

Pegwood Pro and purchases

What does Pegwood Pro include?

A one-time purchase – not a subscription – that adds the Nordic and Lodge tables, the reasoning behind the computer’s discards (“Why the AI threw these”), the Luck of the Deal and detailed statistics: your record by level, skunks, averages, best hand and longest game. Hints, games with friends and your games, wins and streaks stay free. Family Sharing is on.

How do I restore Pegwood Pro?

1. Make sure you are signed in with the same Apple Account you bought it with (iOS Settings → your name → Media & Purchases).
2. In Pegwood, open Settings → Pegwood Pro and tap Restore Purchases.

For Family Sharing, the person who bought Pro needs Purchase Sharing turned on in Family Sharing settings; family members then tap Restore Purchases too.

Still not working? Write to support@fairhearth.com – we can’t see your Apple Account, but we can help you check.

Can I get a refund?

Refunds are handled by Apple. Ask at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Are there ads?

Not today: Pegwood shows no ads. If a later version adds them to the free game, an ad will appear only after a finished game – never during a game, never in your first session, never right after you lose, and a few times a day at most. Pegwood will never ask to track you, and Pegwood Pro will keep ads away.

Your data

What does Pegwood know about me?

Very little, on purpose. There is no account and no email. Games against the computer stay on your iPhone. For friend games, our server keeps a random ID, the name you chose, a notification token and your games together. Usage statistics and crash reports use random IDs, never your name. The full story is in the Privacy Policy.

How do I delete my data?

• Friend games: open Settings → Privacy → Delete my data and confirm. Our server deletes your random ID, your name and your notification token. Invites nobody has accepted are cancelled, a game in progress ends as a resignation (your friend is told you left), and finished games stay in your friend’s history with your name replaced by “Former player”. It can’t be undone. No longer have the app? Write to support@fairhearth.com with the name you used in friend games and, if you have one, an invite code from one of your games.
• Usage statistics and crash reports are tied only to random IDs, so we can’t tell which records are yours. Turning off Settings → Privacy → Share anonymous usage data stops them at once.
• On your iPhone: deleting the app removes games against the computer and your statistics.

Can I stop usage statistics or crash reports?

Yes: turn off Settings → Privacy → Share anonymous usage data. That one switch stops both usage statistics and crash reports.

Accessibility

The cards are too small.

Turn on Large cards in Settings → Cards. The corners and suits grow, and the table makes room for them.

I mix up the suits.

Turn on the four-color deck in Settings → Cards, so every suit has its own color. Suits also always differ by shape, so color is never the only clue.

Can I make the text bigger?

Yes. Pegwood follows your iPhone’s text size, up to the largest accessibility sizes: iOS Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size → Larger Text.

Can I play with VoiceOver?

Yes, the whole game – against the computer and with friends.

• Swipe right and left to move between cards; each card is read out, for example “Five of hearts”.
• Double-tap a card to select it, then double-tap Confirm. No dragging is ever needed.
• After your opponent plays, Pegwood announces the card, the running total and any points.
• During the show, the count is read out step by step (“fifteen two, fifteen four, a pair is six”).
• Pegwood also tells you whose turn it is and the score after each hand.

To turn VoiceOver on: iOS Settings → Accessibility → VoiceOver, or ask Siri.

The animations make me dizzy.

Turn on Reduce Motion in iOS Settings → Accessibility → Motion, or in Pegwood’s Settings. Pegwood then skips the dealing and card-flight animations.

Can I turn off sounds and vibration?

Yes, separately, in Settings → Sound & haptics.

Other tips

• Dark mode: Pegwood follows your iPhone’s appearance.
• Hints: tap the hint button during your discard or the play to see the best options.
• Take your time: games against the computer have no timer either, and you can leave mid-game and come back later.

Still stuck?

Write to support@fairhearth.com. Tell us what happened and, if you can, add a screenshot. We read every message.

Arman Malkhasyan, Armenia · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use