I had been playing cribbage for 20 years before I heard of the term “Royal Pair.”
I was almost embarrassed to realize I had no idea what it was.
But when I looked into the question, What is a pair royal in cribbage?, I realized I knew what it was all along.
A pair royal or royal pair in cribbage is when you have three of a kind. In cribbage, we count pairs as two points, and three of a kind forms three distinct pairs. Therefore, a royal pair is worth six points. Count a royal pair in the pegging phase and the counting phases equally.
If you want to learn a little more about this powerful card combination, read on.
Check out our comprehensive guide on the rules of cribbage and how to play with examples, scoring breakdowns, and vocabulary guide.
Table of Contents
What Is A Pair Royal In Cribbage? How Do You Count It?
A royal pair is a three of kind, when you have three cards of the same value.
It’s value total is six points because it’s made up of three pairs.
Let’s take a look at this example.
Say you have three 2’s, the 2 of spades, 2 of clubs, and 2 of hearts.
Moving them around, we get these individual pairs:
- 2 spades + 2 clubs
- 2 spades + 2 hearts
- 2 clubs + 2 hearts
Each pair is two, therefore you end up with six points total from a royal pair.
Typically, when counting them, you don’t need to show each individual pairing; enough to say “a Royal Pair for 6” or “three of a kind is 6.”
Experienced players won’t need it counted, but I always find it helpful to count it all out when teaching new players, especially kids.
Speaking of counting, check out our guide to cribbage scoring rules in the article at the link.
When To Count The Royal Pair
The Royal Pair is counted anytime it shows up in the pegging phase (traditionally called “the play”) and when counting your hands (traditionally called “the show”).
A Royal Pair doesn’t count after the play is broken during pegging. When you hit 31 and start over, pairs won’t count with same-value cards in the last count.
During pegging, a strong tactic is to lead with a card you have the pair for. If your opponent makes the pair, then you can jump on it with your pair, making it a three of a kind for six points.
This is where you’ll most often see royal pairs in cribbage.
Royal pairs are also counted in the hand and crib during the show or counting phase.
Pair Royal Vs. Royal Pair?
You’ll notice I use the terms “pair royal” and “royal pair” interchangeably.
This is because they are the same term in cribbage.
Traditionally, three of a kind is a pair royal, but they’ve been flipped so often, you’ll find them in almost equal amounts in cribbage literature.
It’s partly cultural too.
In America, it tends to be referred to as royal pair, whereas other parts of the world seem to keep the traditional pair royal.
Regardless of what you call it, it works the same.
Learn about nibs and nobs in cribbage in our article.
How Are Pairs Counted?
Pairs (when you have two cards of the same value) are worth two points.
They only count once, so it doesn’t matter which order they’re in.
New players will sometimes lose track and try to count two cards (let’s say the 4 of spade and 4 of diamonds) like this:
- 4 spades + 4 diamonds
- 4 diamonds + 4 spades
This doesn’t work. The pairing is the same.
In cribbage, when you count a pair, it’s traditionally spoken like this:
“And a pair for 2.”
Three Of A Kind?
Three of a kind are royal pairs (you’ve got this by now, right?), and these are worth six points.
Check out the earlier section for a deep dive into how to count it.
Four Of A Kind?
Four of a kind is when you have four cards with the same value (not suit).
It’s sometimes called a double royal pair or double pair royal, though this is less common.
In total, it’s worth twelve points as it’s made up of six individual pairs.
Let’s take a look at 3’s as an example. We have the 3 of spades, 3 of clubs, 3 of hearts, and 3 of diamonds.
Here is how the pairing shakes out:
- 3 spades + 3 clubs
- 3 spades + 3 hearts
- 3 spades + 3 diamonds
- 3 clubs + 3 hearts
- 3 clubs + 3 diamonds
- 3 hearts + 3 diamonds
When counted, you don’t need to count out every pair, though it’s good practice to see why you get twelve points.
When spoken, you just say “4 of a kind for 12” or “A double royal for 12.”
Should I Always Keep A Royal Pair In My Hand?
Discard strategy is one of the keys to improving cribbage play, and while there’s never a hard and fast rule for different points, there are some general strategies where you’ll be making the better play most of the time.
It’s always a good idea to keep a royal pair in your hand.
The only times you don’t want to is if you can make a better hand by breaking them up, but this is almost impossible.
For beginner and intermediate players, just always keep the royal pair in your hand.
Odds Of Drawing A Royal Pair In Cribbage
Looking at the 6 cards you are dealt in the initial phase of the round for each cribbage hand, here’s what to expect as far as odds go for each type of pairing in cribbage:
| Worth? | Percentage% | |
|---|---|---|
| Pair (2 of a kind) | 2 points | 47.8% |
| Royal Pair (3 of a kind) | 6 points | 3.6% |
| Double Royal (4 of a kind) | 12 points | 0.07% |
