Every Golf
Betting Game

All the golf betting game formats — skins, Nassau, wolf, match play, Vegas, dots, Stableford, Nines, and Sixes — explained with rules and links.

Golf Betting Games: The Complete List

Golf betting games are skill contests between players or teams, decided by the scorecard. You agree on a game format and stakes before the round, play your golf, and the scores determine who owes who. No house, no rake, no third party. Just golfers competing against each other for bragging rights and stakes. Below is every major format your group should know, from the most popular to the ones you have probably never tried.

Skins

The most popular golf betting game in the world. Each hole is worth one skin. The player with the outright lowest score on a hole wins the skin. If two or more players tie for the lowest score, the skin carries over to the next hole, increasing its value. A single skin that has carried over four holes is now worth five skins. The drama of carryover skins — where a single putt could be worth $25 or more — is what makes skins the most exciting format hole by hole.

Skins works for any group size from two to twelve players. It is the easiest game to explain to someone who has never played a side game before: low score wins the hole, ties carry, that is it.

Full skins rules, scoring, and strategy →

Nassau

The backbone of golf betting. A Nassau is three bets in one: one on the front nine, one on the back nine, and one on the overall eighteen. Each segment is typically played as match play (hole by hole, not total strokes). The press is what makes Nassau special. When you fall behind by a set amount (usually two holes), you can press to start a new bet within the current segment. Presses keep the losing side engaged and can turn a blowout into a wild finish. A $5 Nassau with two presses becomes five separate bets, all tracked simultaneously.

Full Nassau rules, presses, and examples →

Wolf

The most strategic betting game in golf. On each hole, a rotating "wolf" tees off last and decides — after watching each player hit — whether to pick one of them as a partner or go lone wolf against all three. Lone wolf pays double if you win. Blind wolf (declaring before anyone tees off) pays triple. Wolf requires exactly four players and rewards both golf skill and the ability to read your opponents in real time. It creates more stories and more arguments than any other format.

Full Wolf rules, scoring, and strategy →

Match Play

The oldest form of golf competition. Two players (or two teams) go head to head, hole by hole. Win a hole and you go 1 up. Lose a hole and you go 1 down. The match ends when one side leads by more holes than remain (for example, 3 up with 2 holes to play is "3 and 2"). Match play changes how you think about every shot because you are playing the person, not the course. A triple bogey that still beats your opponent's quadruple bogey wins the hole just the same.

Full match play rules, formats, and scoring →

Vegas

A team game for exactly four players in two pairs. On each hole, each team combines their two scores into a two-digit number with the lower score first. A team that shoots 4 and 6 has a number of 46. The difference between the two teams' numbers determines the point swing. The signature twist: if a player on one team makes birdie, the other team's number flips so the higher digit goes first — turning their 46 into a 64. This creates enormous point swings and is the wildest team format in golf.

Full Vegas rules, scoring, and flip examples →

Dots (Trash / Junk / Garbage)

Dots are a collection of bonus-point side bets that run alongside your main game. They reward specific achievements — greenies (closest to the pin on par 3s), sandies (up and down from a bunker), birdies, poleys (one-putts), barkies (hitting a tree and still making par) — with a set point value each. Dots settle separately from your main game and add texture to every single shot. They are the lowest-stakes, most-fun addition to any round.

Full dots rules and point categories →

Stableford

A points-based scoring system that rewards good holes without punishing blow-ups. Double bogey or worse earns zero points. Bogey earns one. Par earns two. Birdie earns three. Eagle earns four. When you are out of the hole, pick up and move on. Stableford is the most forgiving format for higher-handicap players and is the best game for keeping pace of play fast. The modified Stableford variant adds negative points for bad holes, which creates more volatility for competitive groups.

Nines (Nine-Point Game)

Nine points are available on every hole, divided among three players. Low score gets five points, middle gets three, high gets one. Two-way ties split the top or bottom points. Three-way ties give each player three. After eighteen holes, the point difference between players determines the payout. Nines is purpose-built for threesomes. It is the best betting game when you have exactly three players, and it keeps every player competing on every hole.

Sixes (Round Robin)

A format for exactly four players that rotates partners every six holes. You play holes 1 through 6 with one partner, 7 through 12 with another, and 13 through 18 with the third. Each six-hole segment is its own match. It guarantees that everyone plays with and against everyone else. Sixes is the fairest four-player team format over eighteen holes because your result does not depend on one partner the entire round.

What Is Most Popular

Across all rounds played on bagboy, the most popular games in order are:

1. Skins — by a wide margin. Easiest to set up, works for any group size, creates the most drama.
2. Nassau — the default for twosomes and foursomes who want structured match play.
3. Wolf — the go-to for competitive foursomes who want strategy and drama.
4. Match play — clean head-to-head competition, often stacked with skins.
5. Dots — the most common add-on running alongside another main game.

Most Underrated

Two games that deserve more play than they get:

• Nines. If your group is three players, Nines is better than skins. It gives every hole a clear winner, runner-up, and loser, and the points distribute in a way that keeps the game tight through eighteen. Most threesomes default to skins because they do not know about Nines.
• Sixes. Most foursomes pick partners on the first tee and play best ball for eighteen holes. Sixes rotates the partnerships, so you play with every combination. The result is fairer, more social, and keeps the round from feeling stale when you and your partner are both struggling.

Stacking Multiple Games

The best rounds stack two or three games on top of each other. Each game uses the same scores but creates different competitions:

• Skins + Nassau: The Nassau gives you the eighteen-hole match. Skins gives you the hole-by-hole excitement. Together, every single score matters for multiple reasons.
• Wolf + Dots: Wolf handles the main competition. Dots add bonus points for greenies, sandies, and birdies on top. Maximum action.
• Nassau + Dots + Birdies: Three layers. The Nassau for the match. Dots for the side achievements. Birdies as a standalone bounty. This is the standard setup for groups that want constant action without complicating the primary format.

bagboy lets you stack any combination of games on a single scorecard. Enter scores once, and every game updates simultaneously.