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The best cribbage boards
Cribbage is scored on a board, and the board is the one thing you need besides a deck of cards. You can keep score on paper, but a board is easier: your two pegs show your last score, so a miscount can be checked. If you already own a board you like, you do not need a new one.
Boards differ in a few plain ways: how many tracks they have, whether the pegs are metal or plastic, whether the board folds or closes like a box, and whether a deck of cards comes in the box. The five below start with the board that suits the most readers and end with the one that suits the fewest. The first two are the easiest to start with.
New to the game? Start with how to play Cribbage, and try the free counting practice.
How we chose these boards
We have not handled these boards ourselves. The picks come from the makers' own product pages and from buying guides and reviews on other sites. Where a point is something reviewers report and not something a maker states, we say so. Where a listing does not say something, such as whether a track is continuous (explained below), we write "not stated" and do not guess.
We show no prices. They change, and the Amazon page has the current one.
The five boards
Regal Games Cribbage Board Game Set with Storage
Best first board for a family: it folds shut with metal pegs and a deck of cards inside
Everything is in the box: a wooden board, nine metal pegs and a deck of cards, with storage inside the folding board. You can play the day it arrives, and the listing says it suits travel as well as home. We put it first because it is the only thing you need to buy to start playing, and two buying guides on other sites recommend it for beginners and families.
Gives up: a basic build. Buying guides on other sites mention a lower-quality hinge, a latch that can sit out of line, pegs that can be tight on one side, and a scoring track that is a heat-applied sticker and can scrape off over time.
Bicycle 3-Track Color Coded Wooden Cribbage Board
Best low-cost board for trying the game
A wooden board with three color-coded tracks, nine pegs (three red, three blue and three white), and a compartment underneath to keep them in. A short rule book comes with it. Bicycle also makes the Rider Back deck in our other guides, and this is one of the two lowest-cost boards of the five, so it is a sensible way to find out whether you will play often.
Gives up: plastic pegs that buying guides say can wear or snap, no folding, and no playing cards in the box. The listing does not say whether the tracks are continuous.
WE Games Wooden Cribbage Board Game Set, Continuous 3 Track
Best solid board for a home table: hardwood, metal pegs, and storage for the pegs and a deck
The maker describes a solid hardwood box with a satin finish, a piano hinge and a magnetic latch, and nine metal pegs and a deck of cards stored inside. It has three continuous tracks of 120 holes, so each player goes around once, and a line at 90 for the skunk rule. When we looked in October 2026, the maker's own store showed every finish as sold out, so check that the Amazon listing has it in stock.
Gives up: buying guides on other sites say the magnetic latch can be weak and the box can be a bit tight to open at first.
House of Cribbage Continuous Cribbage Board/Box, Rosewood and Maple
Best board to keep for years or to give as a gift
A rosewood board with white maple inlay and three continuous tracks of 120 holes, with room for up to three players. Sliding lids close over storage for two decks of cards, and a small drawer holds nine metal pegs (three gold, three silver and three copper plated). One buying guide calls it bulkier than a travel board, so it is one to keep at home.
Gives up: the cost, which is the highest of the five, and no playing cards in the box.
Mainstreet Classics Wooden 29 Cribbage Board Game Set
Best gift for someone who loves the 29 hand: the board is built around a 29 design
The 29 is the most points one hand can score, and the maker says the track wraps around a 29 pattern. The product details describe a solid pine board with three tracks for two to four players (two teams of two for four), marks on the track for a skunk and a double skunk, nine colored pegs, and a channel under the board to store them. A plain board does the same job, so this is a gift for a player who will enjoy the design.
Gives up: no playing cards in the box. One guide reports no rule book and plastic pegs in tight holes, and another says the shape limits portability.
Side by side
| Board | Tracks | Pegs | Closes up? | Cards in the box | Cost, compared with the others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regal Games set | Not stated | Metal | Folds shut | Yes, a deck | Low |
| Bicycle 3-Track | 3 tracks; continuous not stated | Plastic* | No; pegs stored underneath | No | Low |
| WE Games | 3 continuous tracks, 120 holes, skunk line at 90 | Metal | Box with a hinged lid and magnetic latch | Yes, a deck | In the middle |
| House of Cribbage | 3 continuous tracks, 120 holes | Metal | Box with sliding lids and a drawer | No; room for two decks | Highest |
| Mainstreet 29 | 3 tracks; skunk and double skunk marked | Plastic* | No; pegs stored underneath | No | In the middle |
* Buying guides report plastic pegs on these two boards; the makers' pages do not name the material. "Not stated" means the listing and the maker's page do not say.
How cribbage boards differ
Two tracks or three?
A track is the row of holes a player's pegs move along. The classic board has two tracks of 60 holes, one for each player. You go around your track twice, and one last hole, the game hole, is 121. That is how our rules page describes it. Newer boards, such as the WE Games and House of Cribbage boards here, have three continuous tracks. Each track is one long row of 120 holes, so you go around once, and the third track lets a third person play. Both layouts count the same points, so neither changes the game. If you want a continuous board, look for "continuous" or "120" in the listing. For the Regal, Bicycle and Mainstreet boards, the listings do not say.
Metal or plastic pegs?
Three of the boards here come with metal pegs: Regal, WE Games and House of Cribbage. Buying guides say the Bicycle and Mainstreet boards have plastic pegs, which can wear or snap, and that the holes on the Mainstreet board are tight. Metal pegs are not free of complaints either: one guide says the Regal pegs can be tight on one side.
Does it close up?
A folding board, like the Regal, closes with the pegs and cards inside, so it is easy to carry. The WE Games and House of Cribbage boards are boxes that close: the WE Games board has a hinged lid over its pegs and cards, and the House of Cribbage board has sliding lids over the cards and a drawer for the pegs. The Bicycle and Mainstreet boards do not close up; their pegs are kept in a compartment or channel underneath. A board that does not close has no hinge or latch to fail. We have not looked at pocket-size boards.
Cards in the box, or not?
The Regal and WE Games sets include a deck of cards. The other three do not. If you already own a deck, you do not need one. If you want bigger corner numbers on your cards, see our guide to large-print playing cards.
The skunk line
Some groups keep score over several games, and a win counts extra when the loser finishes with 90 points or fewer. That is a skunk. A double skunk is a win when the loser has 60 points or fewer. A line on the board makes these easy to see. The WE Games board has a skunk line at 90, and the Mainstreet board marks its track with S and SS for a skunk and a double skunk. The other listings do not mention one. You can play skunks without a line; you just have to remember the score.
Which board should you buy?
- Everything in one box, to play this week: the Regal Games set.
- Low cost, and you already own a deck: the Bicycle board.
- A solid wooden board for the kitchen table: the WE Games board, once you have checked it is available.
- A board to keep for years, or to give: the House of Cribbage board.
- A gift for someone who loves the 29 hand: the Mainstreet board.
After the board: a book
Play Winning Cribbage, 5th Edition, by DeLynn Colvert
Best book for a player who knows the rules and wants to win more
A strategy book, not a rules book. The book's description says it teaches the author's own method for winning, for readers from a local group up to tournament play. Learn the rules first, with our Cribbage rules page and the counting practice.
Gives up: it assumes you already know the rules and want to improve, so it is the wrong first book for a beginner. We also could not confirm that Amazon has new copies of this edition, so check the listing first.
Common questions
Do I need a board to play Cribbage?
No. Pencil and paper work, just less pleasantly, as our rules page says.
Can three or four people play on these boards?
The WE Games and House of Cribbage boards have three tracks and list room for three players. The Mainstreet details say two to four players, with two teams of two for four, and the Regal listing says two to four. Our rules page explains the three-player and four-player games under "Common variations".
Does it matter which deck I use?
No. Any standard 52-card deck works, because the board only keeps score.