I am sure you might have heard the name of golf game at least once in your life. However, most of the times the game is not related to cards, but the golf most people know of is played in course. Also popularly known by names like Polish Poker or Polish Polka, the Golf card game is also played in 4 cards version, 6 cards version and 9 cards version which are known as Turtle, Hara Kiri and Crazy Nines, respectively.
If you are not so good at the golf game played in course, here is your chance to shine. Using the detailed article below, you can see for yourself how to play golf card game, its game rules and how to win this game!
- Aim of Golf game – The objective is to score the lowest number of points.
- Total Number of Players – 2+ players
- Number of Cards – 1 to 3 decks, depending on variation and number of players.
- Rank of Cards – Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A, K
- Game Audience – Adult
As we mentioned above, just like any other game, golf card game too has variations. For you, we have included all the major variations for this game of golf as below. So you can play which ever or all versions that you like.
Contents
4 Card Golf Game
4 cards golf game is the most popular variant of Golf card game. In this game, the players are required to use 1 standard 52 deck of playing cards for 2-8 players. In case there are more than 8 players, you will need 2 standard decks.
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How to deal in Golf card game?
- In 4 card golf game, the game as well as the dealing moves clockwise. The dealer will distribute 4 cards to each player, one card at a time. The players have to place these cards faced down, in the shape of a square layout. These are called as face down cards.
- The rest of the cards that were not dealt will form the draw pile. The top most card of this pile is faced up and put besides to start the discard pile.
- Before the game starts, the players can look only once at the 2 cards closer to them in the square layout. These cards cannot be shown to other players and are kept a secret. The next time players look at their cards will be only when they are either discarding their cards or scoring them in the end.
Note – If you look at your cards in the faced down square layout, the card you looked at will be discarded.
How to Play 4 card golf game?
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The play begins from the left of the dealer and passes clockwise. Each player who gets their turn has 3 options –
1. Draw a card from draw pile.
Players can draw a card from the stock and use this to replace any of the 4 cards laid out in square. However, no player can look at the face value of the card they are replacing. Just make sure to remember which card is replacement. Transfer the card you select to replace in the layout faced up to the discard pile.
2. Draw a card from the discard pile
The cards in the discard pile are faced up and you can use one card from your layout to replace and then discard it. No player will be allowed to put the drawn card back in the pile without charging their layout.
3. Knock
The third option a player has is to knock. Once you knock, your turn will be over. The game continues as it should and other players can play their turns in either of these 3 ways.
Scoring in 4 Card Golf game
In a 4 card golf game, the scoring is usually done at the end of the game. The players have to flip all their cards faced up for scoring. The player with the lowest score wins or number of points after 9 plays, is the winner.
- King = 0 points (King scores zero points)
- Number cards equal their face value, Ace = 1, Two = 2, etc.
- Jack and Queen = 10 points
6 Card Golf Game
The aim of six card golf came is to make as many pairs as possible to play this version. The pairs in a column score 0 points. The unpaired cards are kept a low denomination.
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Dealing 6 Card Golf game
- For a game of 2-4 players, a standard 52 deck of playing cards can be enough. For a game of 4-8 players, you might need 2 packs of playing cards. For more than 8 players, you can use 3 packs.
- Again, the deal as well as the game proceed clockwise.
- The dealer deals 6 cards to each player, one at a time. The cards have to be formed into a rectangular lay out.
- The rest of the cards that were not dealt, form the draw pile.
- Before the game starts, the players can look only once at the 2 cards closer to them in the rectangular layout. These cards cannot be shown to other players and are kept a secret. The next time players look at their cards will be only when they are either discarding their cards or score them in the end.
Note – If you look at your cards in the faced down square layout, the card you looked at will be discarded.
How to Play 6 card golf game?
Source: aecinfo.org
- The play begins with the player to the left of the dealer and proceeds clockwise.
- On their turn, a player can either – Draw the top card from the draw the top pile or Discard pile. You can use the drawn cards to replace any of the 6 cards in your layout. But note that, if you want to replace a faced down card, you cannot look at it before replacing.
- Now, will have to place the new card faced up in your layout and the old card faced up on the discard pile.
- The cards you draw from the faced down pile can be discarded without using. However, the cards from the discard pile have to be used to replace a card in your layout.
- The game ends when all the players have their cards faced up and then the scoring is done according to the below rules.
Related keywords: draw the top card, equal card, six card golf, jack or queen scores, face value, column scores zero points
Scoring in Six Card Golf game
Source: aecinfo.org
In a six card golf game, the scoring is usually done at the end of the game. The players have to flip all their cards faced up with the score. The game has negative scores as well. The player with the lowest score after 9 plays, is the winner. Card point value as follow:
- Two = -2 points
- King = 0 points (King score 0 points)
- Equal cards in the same column = 0 points (including twos which score zero)
- Ace = 1 point
- Number cards 3-10 = face value
- Jack and Queen = 10 points (Jack or queen scores 10)
This is how score system works in six card golf.
8 Card Golf Game
8 Cards golf came is somewhat similar to 6 card golf game. But in the former, you will have 2 rows of 4 layout.
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Dealing 8 Card Golf game
- For a game of 2-4 players, a standard 52 deck of playing cards can be enough.
- Here as well, the deal as well as the game proceed clockwise.
- The dealer deals 8 cards to each player, one at a time. The cards have to be formed into a rectangular lay out.
- The rest of the cards that were not dealt, form the draw pile.
- When you draw the top card of this pile it is faced up and put besides to form the discard pile to start the discard pile.
How to Play 8 card golf game?
The game is started with the players turning 2 cards in one column, faced up. The players can draw cards from either of the two – draw pile or discard pile. The players get 3 options to choose from –
- Draw a card and replace a faced up card by discarding it into the discard pile.
- Draw a card to replace a faced down card. You Can discard the faced down card to the discard pile, but cannot look at it before replacing.
- If you draw a card from the face-down draw pile, discard faced-up on top of the discard pile. The player can flip one of the faced-down cards in their personal layout face-up.
Scoring in 8 Card Golf game
Before you see for yourself, yes, negative points are a thing in this game. Each card has point value associated with it. And, the player with the lowest total score after 9 game plays, wins the game. In this, usually king scores zero points while Jack or Queens scores 10.
- Jokers = -5 points
- Kings = 0 points
- Jacks and Queens = 10 points
- Aces = 1 point
- Number cards 2-10 = face value
- Pair in a column = 0 points
- 2 pairs in 2 columns = -10 points
Related keywords: value, column, point, card from the stock, equal cards, nine cards, game play
9 Card Golf Game
Also known as Crazy Nines or Nines, the 9 card golf game variant is played using 2 standard decks of playing cards. The layout for this game is 3×3 square of cards. In order to start the game, 3 cards are flipped faced up.
This nine cards game further on follows the rules as used for 6 card golf game. However, there is one exception to it. In the nine card golf game, the pairs do not score zero points but the 3 matching cards in a same column scores zero points.
While playing this nine card golf game, if you have two intersecting rows of equal cards then the players have to, before the game decide how to score this. Most of the players tend to remove the block or line of equal cards.
Just like others Nine card golf game has its variants as well.
- Some players plays with the Queens score 12 instead of 10.
- In one of the variants, players prefers to play with twos score as +2 instead of 2 and include joker as -2.
- Some play with only two cards faced up at the start of the game.
- In another variant, a horizontal row and a diagonal of three equal cards scores zero along with the vertical row.
- Some play that the player with the lowest score for a zero score hole, and that if the player who saw all his cards (known as the caller) for the first time, does not have the lowest score value, this player adds the score of the player’s lower than his own. Though we aren’t sure how the bonds are resolved in this method.
- Few players also play that a block of four identical cards in a square gives a negative score, for example -25.
10 Card Golf Game
10 cards golf game requires at least 2 standard decks of playing cards. Similar to the above versions of golf card, the players are dealt 5 cards each. These cards are dealt in 5×2 rectangular layout (column). You can flip any of the 2 cards faced up.
Once you are done till here, the rest of the game is played according to the rules of 6 Cards Golf game.
Summing it up
I hope that you have found the above guide on how to play golf card game, of use. In case you have any questions related to the game, feel free to ask us in the comments section below. We will get back to you as soon as possible.