What golf games can you play with your group?
A plain-English guide to the most popular golf betting games — Skins, Nassau, Wolf, Vegas, Bingo Bango Bongo and Junk — with how many players each needs and when to pick it.
How each game works
Each game has its own rules page — how you win, the usual variations, and what BirdieConnect scores for you.
Scoring formats vs side games
Every round is scored one way — stroke play, Stableford, match play or skins. That decides who wins the round.
Side games sit on top of that score. They use the same strokes everyone is already writing down, plus a few extras (who hit the green first, who the Wolf picked), to create more bets inside the round. You can run several at once: a four-ball can play a Nassau, Junk and Skins on the same card.
The point of most side games is to keep everybody in it. A player having a rough day can still win a press on the back nine, a greenie on a par 3, or a Bingo Bango Bongo point on a hole they bogeyed.
Which game fits your group
Group size is the first filter. Some games need exactly four players, others work with any number.
| Game | Players | How you win | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skins | 2 or more | Win a hole outright to take its skin; ties carry over | Any group, any skill mix |
| Nassau | 2 (1 v 1) or 4 (2 v 2) | Three bets: front nine, back nine, overall | Match play fans, regular partners |
| Wolf | 3 to 5 | The Wolf picks a partner each hole, or goes it alone | Threesomes and foursomes who like strategy |
| Vegas | 4 (2 v 2) | Team scores combine into a two-digit number | Teams who want big swings |
| Bingo Bango Bongo | 2 or more | Points for first on, closest once on, first in | Mixed abilities |
| Junk (dots) | 2 or more | Dots for birdies, greenies, sandies, barkies, chip-ins | Adding action to any game |
Settling up without the arithmetic
The hard part of side games is the end of the round: presses, carryovers and dot counts across four players add up fast.
The fairest way to settle is to net everything first — every game, every player — and then pay the fewest possible transfers, rather than each bet one by one.
Doing this on BirdieConnect
BirdieConnect runs all of these on iPhone and Android: Skins, Nassau with automatic or manual presses, Wolf with Lone and Blind Wolf, Vegas with birdie flips, Bingo Bango Bongo and Junk. Pick them when you set up a round, tap the extras (greenies, Wolf calls, BBB points) as you play, and the settle-up at the end shows who owes who in as few payments as possible. BirdieConnect only does the math — no money moves through the app.
Common questions
- What is the best golf betting game for four players?
- Nassau (2 v 2), Wolf and Vegas are the classic foursome games. Skins and Junk work with four too and can be added on top of any of them.
- What golf game is best for three players?
- Wolf works well with three — the Wolf picks one partner or plays alone against the other two. Skins, Bingo Bango Bongo and Junk also work with three.
- Can you play more than one golf game at once?
- Yes. Most groups combine a main game such as a Nassau or Wolf with Skins or Junk. Each game is settled separately, then everything is netted together.
- Do golf betting games use handicaps?
- They can. Skins, Nassau, Wolf and Vegas are often played net, with strokes given on the hardest holes by stroke index. Junk and Bingo Bango Bongo are usually played straight.