What is golf poker?
Golf poker weaves golf and poker into a side bet that rewards both good play and good putting. You earn playing cards by performing on the course, and at the end it is your best five-card hand, not your score, that decides whether you take the pot. That means even a player who does not win the round itself can walk away with the money given the right luck in the deck.
How you earn cards
Cards per hole by score:
- Par: 1 card
- Birdie: 2 cards
- Eagle or better: 3 cards
- Bogey or worse: no cards
Putting bonuses on top of that:
- No putts, a chip-in or a hole-in-one: 2 extra cards
- One-putt eagle: 2 extra cards
- One-putt par or birdie: 1 extra card
A single hole can yield at most 5 cards, for example a one-putt eagle or a hole-in-one.
How the pot is decided
Every player has their own deck, and cards are dealt in turn as they are earned. When the round ends, everyone's best five-card hand goes head to head exactly as in ordinary poker, and the best hand takes the pot. With fewer than five cards you have no valid hand. Equal hand values split the pot.
Wager Golf deals the cards from scores and putts automatically, keeps each player's deck and evaluates the poker hands for you when the round ends.