Scores
Side games
Vegas: rules, scoring and a free calculator
Two teams of two. On each hole, each team’s two scores are joined into one number, and the lower number wins the difference in points.
4 players, two teams of two
How Vegas works
- Make two teams of two. Each team plays its own scores on every hole.
- Join a team’s two scores into one number with the lower score first. A 4 and a 5 make 45.
- If a score is 10 or more, the higher score goes first so the number stays honest. A 4 and a 10 make 104.
- The team with the lower number wins the hole, and the points are the difference between the two numbers. 45 against 56 is 11 points.
On each hole
- Play the hole. Every player writes down a score.
- Join each team’s two scores, low first, into one number.
- Subtract the lower number from the higher one. That is the points the better team earns from the other team.
- Add the holes up as you go. The calculator below keeps the running total.
Why the numbers swing
Joining the scores instead of adding them makes a bad hole cost a lot. A 4 and a 7 make 47, not 11, so one blow-up hole can decide the round.
Many groups turn the other team’s number around when a team makes a birdie: 45 becomes 54. It punishes the team that was about to win the hole. The calculator on this page leaves the birdie flip out, and Pocket Looper has it as an option on the live card.
A hole a player picks up counts as a score of two over par for the number.
Common variations
- The birdie flip: a natural birdie by one team turns the other team’s number around.
- Fixed teams for the round, or new teams every six holes, as in Sixes.
- Net Vegas: handicap strokes come off the scores before they are joined.
Vegas calculator
Add your players and type the strokes for each hole. You get the standings and who won what. It uses the same game engine as the Pocket Looper live card.
Handicap strokes (optional)
| Hole | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | ||||
| 7 | ||||
| 8 | ||||
| 9 |
Enter scores to start
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Points
Questions golfers ask
How do you play Vegas in golf?
Two teams of two. Each team’s two scores on a hole make one number, lower score first, and the lower number wins the difference in points.
How are the two scores combined in Vegas?
Put the lower score first and the higher one second. A 4 and a 5 make 45. If either score is 10 or more, the higher score goes first, so a 4 and a 10 make 104.
What is the flip in Vegas?
When a team makes a natural birdie, the other team’s number is turned around, with the higher score first. It makes birdies worth a lot.
How many players do you need for Vegas?
Four, in two teams of two.
More side games
Get this on every shot
Pocket Looper keeps Skins, Nassau, Wolf, Dots, Vegas, Sixes, Quota and more for your group on the live card, keeps the points as you play, and it is free.