How to play six-card Golf

Deal two rows of three

Play with 2 to 8 people. Use one standard 52-card deck for 2 to 4 players, or two decks for 5 to 8. Leave out the Jokers. Deal six cards face down to each player in two rows of three. Put the rest face down as the stock and turn one card face up beside it to start the discard pile.

Each player turns any two of their own cards face up. Keep the other cards hidden. In the online game, everyone chooses these two at the same time. The player to the dealer’s left goes first, and play continues clockwise.

Choose where to draw

1. Take the top discard: you know its value. You must use it to replace one card in your own layout.
2. Draw from the stock: look at that one card. Either replace a layout card with it or throw the drawn card onto the discard pile.

A replacement can go over a face-up or face-down card. The new card stays face up, and the old card goes face up onto the discard pile. You cannot look under a hidden card first.

Throwing away a stock draw ends your turn. In the default game you do not flip another card, and you cannot take a standalone flip turn. “Discard and flip” is an optional private house rule.

Score vertical columns

Two matching ranks directly above and below each other score zero. Suits do not matter. Matching means the same rank: Jack and Queen do not match even though both are worth ten.

Add the three column scores for the hole. A Two beside a King in the same column gives −2 + 0 = −2. See more examples in the Golf scoring guide.

The sixth face-up card ends the hole

As soon as any player’s layout is entirely face up, the hole ends immediately. Nobody gets an extra turn. Reveal the remaining hidden cards and score every hand. The online game asks for confirmation before a move that exposes your last hidden card.

Move the dealer one seat to the left for the next hole. Add each hole to the running score. After nine holes, the lowest total wins; tied lowest totals share the win. You can choose 18 holes in private setup.

Details for this online table

• If the stock runs out, keep the top discard and shuffle the other discards into a new stock.
• Opening choices have a 30-second window. A timed-out choice is completed by the server.
• Public tables use a 45-second turn timer and standard six-card rules. Private hosts can choose their table settings.
• The “Showing” number counts visible cards only. The hole score also counts every card revealed at the end.

Why your family’s rules may differ

Golf has several established versions. Our default follows Bicycle’s six-card rules and the six-card baseline in Pagat’s Golf guide. Extra final turns, Jokers and discard-and-flip are labeled alternatives in private setup variations.

For a physical game, print a nine- or eighteen-hole score sheet. For your next browser game, read the ten Golf strategy tips.