How to playGolf (Card Game)

1Object of the game

Finish nine holes with the lowest total score, just like real golf. Aces count 1, twos count minus 2, kings count 0, jacks and queens count 10, and everything else counts its face value. Two cards of the same rank in one column cancel to zero, so the best layouts are full of matched columns, kings and twos.

2Setup

1. Use one standard 52-card deck for 2 to 4 players. Add a second deck for 5 to 8 players, and a third for more than 8.
2. Deal six cards face down to each player. Each player lays them out in two rows of three without looking at them, so the layout has three columns of two cards.
3. Put the rest of the deck face down in the middle as the stock, and turn the top card face up beside it to start the discard pile.
4. Before play starts, every player turns any two of their six cards face up. The other four stay face down, and you may not peek at them.
5. The player to the dealer's left goes first, and play moves clockwise. Rotate the deal around the table from hole to hole.

3The play

1. Draw one card: either the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile.
2. If you took the top discard, you must swap it into your layout. Put it in place of any one of your six cards and throw the replaced card face up on the discard pile.
3. If you drew from the stock, you may swap it into your layout the same way, or you may simply discard it face up and end your turn.
4. When you replace a face-down card, you put the new card face up and discard the old one without looking at it first. You do not get to check a hidden card before deciding to replace it.
5. Cards you place in your layout stay face up for the rest of the hole. A face-up card can be replaced again on a later turn.

4End of a hand

A hole ends when one player has all six cards face up. Each other player then gets one final turn, and the hole is over. Everyone turns any remaining face-down cards face up and scores their layout column by column. Write each player's score for the hole on the sheet, rotate the deal and play the next hole.

5Scoring

Score each column of two cards. If the two cards in a column are the same rank, that column scores zero no matter what the rank is. Otherwise add up the two cards using the values below, then add the three columns together for your hole score. Low is good, and a negative score for a hole is possible.

The pairing rule applies only to cards stacked in the same column. Two 7s sitting side by side in the same row do not cancel and count 14. A pair of 2s in one column also scores zero under the standard rule, so two 2s in different columns (minus 4 total) are worth more to you than a pair of them. Values follow pagat.com, Bicycle and Wikipedia, which all give twos as minus 2 and kings as 0.

6Winning

Play nine holes, one deal each. Add up each player's nine hole scores. The player with the lowest total wins the game. The published rules give no tiebreak, so agree before you start whether a tie is shared or settled by one extra hole.

7A worked hand

8House rules

The rules above are the version most US players use. These are the variations you are most likely to run into; settle them before the first deal.

Jokers as minus cards

Some groups add two jokers per deck. Pagat.com describes a version where jokers are worth minus 2 and twos become plus 2, and other groups score jokers at minus 5.

Four-of-a-kind bonus

Some players give minus 10 for four equal cards arranged as two pairs in two columns. Others give minus 20 when the four cards sit together in a square block.

Caller penalty

The player who exposes all their cards first is the caller. In one version, the low scorer for the hole scores zero, and a caller who is not low adds the low player's score to their own.

Flip instead of draw

Some play that you may spend your turn turning one of your face-down cards face up instead of drawing. It speeds the hole up and lets you check a hidden card.

Four-card and nine-card golf

Four-card golf uses a 2 by 2 layout, you peek at two cards, and a player knocks to end the hole. Nine-card golf uses a 3 by 3 grid where a column of three equal cards scores zero.

9Mistakes people make

• Only pairs in the same column cancel. Matching cards in the same row, or diagonally, still count their full value.
• If you take the top discard, you must put it in your layout. Only a card drawn from the stock can be discarded straight away.
• When a player turns their last card face up, the hole does not end instantly. Every other player gets exactly one more turn first.
• A two is worth minus 2, not 2, and a king is worth 0, not 10. Jacks and queens are the 10-point cards.

10Playing better

• Choose your two starting face-up cards in different columns. That gives you information about two columns instead of one and more chances to build a pair.
• Go after pairs. A matched column scores zero, so a pair of queens turns 20 points into nothing.
• Keep kings and twos where they sit. A lone king adds nothing and a lone two takes 2 off your score, so neither needs a partner.
• Swap high cards into columns where a matching card might show up. A single 9 is bad, but a 9 above a face-down card could still become a pair.
• Watch how many cards your opponents still have face down. If someone has only one hidden card left, clean up your worst column now, because the hole may end before your next turn.
• Do not rush to turn your last card. Once you go out, everyone else gets a final turn, and ending while your hidden card might be a queen can cost you.

Golf (Card Game): questions people ask

What is a 2 worth in golf card game?

In standard six-card golf a 2 is worth minus 2 points, so it lowers your score. Pagat.com, Bicycle and Wikipedia all use that value. If your group adds jokers, one common version makes twos worth plus 2 and jokers minus 2 instead.

Are kings worth zero in golf?

Yes. In six-card golf a king scores 0 points, while jacks and queens score 10 each. That makes a single king the second-best card to hold after a two. A pair of kings in one column also scores 0, the same as any other pair.

What happens when you get a pair in golf?

Two cards of the same rank in the same column cancel out, and that column scores zero. It works for any rank, so a pair of queens that would have cost you 20 points costs nothing. Cards that match across a row do not cancel.

How many cards do you get in golf?

The main version deals six cards to each player, laid out face down in two rows of three. Each player turns two of them face up before play begins. Four-card and nine-card versions also exist, using a 2 by 2 or 3 by 3 layout.

How many holes are in the golf card game?

A standard game is nine holes, and each hole is one deal. You add up your nine hole scores, and the lowest total wins. A hole ends once one player has all six cards face up and everyone else has taken a final turn.

Can you pick up a card from the discard pile and throw it back in golf?

No. If you take the top card of the discard pile you must use it to replace one of your six cards. Only a card you drew from the stock can be discarded without swapping it into your layout.

What happens when someone turns over all their cards in golf?

The hole is almost over. Every other player gets one final turn to draw and swap, and then all remaining face-down cards are turned up and scored. The player who went out does not get another turn.

Sources

Checked by Morgan Hale against the sources below. Last reviewed September 28, 2026.

1. Golf (card game rules), pagat.com. Read September 29, 2026.
2. How to Play Six Card Golf, Bicycle Cards. Read September 29, 2026.
3. Golf (card game), Wikipedia. Read September 29, 2026.

Also on the table: 31 (Scat), Crazy Eights, Rummy, Gin Rummy.