Cribbage - Dealer maximal combined score.

This article based on the letter of Joe O'Brien, who showed the maximum combined count of the dealer's hand, pegging, and crib - 78 points, Dealer can score 29 points in pegging here (not 26 points as we stated before with a dealer's hand 4,4,4,7, pone's hand 4,8,10,K, and the jack as a starter). In Joe's example Dealer hand 3,3,4,4 ; Pone hand 3,3,4,4 and Crib: J,5,5,5. The turn card is 5 of the same suit as the Jack in crib.

Play goes like this:

Dealer Points 2 for pair, 12 for 6 pairs, 2, for pair, 12 for 6 pairs
Dealer Totals 2 14 16 28 + 1 (last) = 29
Dealer pegs 29 in this scenario.

This represents the hightest pegging hand possible, regardless of the turn card (starter). It's only attainable by the dealer, not by pone. Going second allows matcheing for count on each play as well as count for the last card.

With a turn card of 5, it will also allow for the highest crib attainable. That being the famous 29 hand. A Jack of the same suit as the 5 turn card, and the three remaining 5's in the deck

When the dealer counts the hand, with the turn card of 5, it's double double for 16 plus 15's for a total count of 20. Dealer pegging 29, counted 20 in the play hand, and got 29 in the crib. Advanced 78 points on the board