How to Play

Muggins is a pub-style adding card game for 2 to 4 players in the Cribbage family. Build a shared running total under 31; score when it hits a multiple of five, but forget to claim and an alert opponent can shout 'Muggins!' to steal the points.

Muggins is a light pub-style adding card game in the tradition of Cribbage's pegging phase, adapted from the better-known domino game All Fives (Muggins). Two to four players share a running total built up by the cards they play to a central pile; any card that brings the total to a multiple of five earns its player points equal to that multiple. The game's namesake 'muggins rule' lets alert opponents snatch the points whenever a player plays a scoring card but fails to claim it. Short, numerate, and ideal for a pub table, Muggins runs to 61 or 100 points across a handful of quick rounds.

Players

2 to 4 players, each playing individually. Two players makes it a tight duel with constant attention to the running total; three or four plays faster and more chaotic. The first dealer is chosen by high-card draw, and the deal rotates clockwise.

Card Deck

One standard 52-card French deck, no Jokers. Card point values when played to the central pile, which are what feed into the running total: Ace = 1, 2 = 2, 3 = 3, 4 = 4, 5 = 5, 6 = 6, 7 = 7, 8 = 8, 9 = 9, 10 / Jack / Queen / King = 10 each. Suits do not matter for scoring.

Objective

Be the first player to reach the agreed target score (commonly 61 for a short game or 100 for a full session) by playing cards that bring the shared running total to an exact multiple of five.

Setup and Deal

1. Shuffle the deck thoroughly. The player to the dealer's right cuts.
2. Deal 5 cards to each player, face-down, clockwise, one at a time.
3. Place the remainder face-down in the centre as the stock.
4. The running total starts at 0; no card is turned up yet.
5. The player to the dealer's left plays the first card; turns proceed clockwise.

Gameplay

1. On your turn, play one card from your hand face-up onto the central pile; announce the new running total aloud.
2. If your played card brings the running total to a multiple of 5, claim your score immediately equal to that total (for example, reaching 15 scores 15 points; reaching 30 scores 30 points).
3. The running total must never exceed 31. If you have no legal card whose value keeps the total at 31 or below, say 'go' and draw one replacement card from the stock, then pass the turn to the next player.
4. If the next player also cannot play without breaking 31, they too draw and pass; when all active players have passed in sequence, the current pile is closed, the last player to have played scores 1 point for 'last' (or 2 if the total is exactly 31), and a new pile starts from 0 with the next player.
5. After each play, if the stock is not empty the player who just played draws one card from stock back to a hand of 5.
6. The round continues with alternating 31-capped piles until every player's hand is empty and the stock is exhausted.

The Muggins Rule

If a player plays a card that hits a multiple of five or reaches 31 but fails to claim the points before the next player plays, any alert opponent may shout 'Muggins!' and take those points for themselves. This rule is the game's signature and heavily rewards mental arithmetic; some groups also allow Muggins on missed 'last' points when a pile closes.

Scoring

• Multiple of 5: Score points equal to the running total (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 are each live targets; reaching 30 scores 30 points).
• 31 exactly: Scores 2 points for the player who hits it (sometimes called 'thirty-one for two', borrowing from Cribbage).
• Last card before a 'go': 1 point for closing a pile below 31.
• Muggins: An opponent who spots a missed score takes it in place of the player.
• Target: First to 61 points (short game) or 100 points (full game) wins.

Winning

As soon as any player's running total reaches the agreed target (61 or 100), they announce it and win immediately, even mid-round. If two players would cross the target on the same play, the player who actually played the scoring card wins. If the stock and all hands are exhausted before anyone hits the target, play a new round with the same running totals carrying across.

Common Variations

• Muggins Proper (Domino Muggins): The parent game is played with double-six dominoes using identical five-multiple scoring; many pub players enjoy both versions interchangeably.
• All Fives: A Cribbage-family card game that scores similarly on 5s and 15s; closely related to Muggins and often confused with it.
• Deal-Seven: Deal 7 cards each and skip the 'draw-after-play' rule; the round ends when hands are empty.
• No-Muggins: Drop the Muggins steal rule for a gentler family game.
• Strict 21: Cap the running total at 21 instead of 31, speeding up round turnover.

Tips and Strategy

• Count to 5, then to 10. Keep a rolling mental tally of the distance to the next multiple of five, not the total itself; it is faster and more accurate.
• Hoard 5s and 10s. Any card worth 5 or 10 points can hit a multiple target twice as often as other cards; save them for moments when the total sits at 10, 15, 20, or 25.
• Defensive play. Avoid leaving the total at 6, 11, 16, 21, or 26; these set your opponent up for a five-multiple the moment they play almost any face card.
• Track opponents' misses. If an opponent hesitates or looks confused after playing, be ready to shout Muggins the instant they tap the pile without claiming.
• Closing piles. In the late game, deliberately steering the pile toward an unwinnable total (say 26 with no good follow-ups) can be a strong way to pick up a 'last' point and deny opponents a multiple.

Glossary

• Running total: The cumulative value of all cards played to the current pile; resets when the pile closes.
• Pile: The sequence of cards played that shares a running total; a new pile starts after a 'go' is passed around.
• Go: A declaration that you cannot play without exceeding 31; you draw one card and pass.
• Last: 1 point awarded to the player who played the final card of a pile before it closed.
• Muggins: A call by an opponent taking points the active player forgot to claim.
• Target: The agreed score (typically 61 or 100) required to win the match.