# 🏌️⚪ Golf

6-Card Golf Card Game

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### Players

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### Game Settings

Decks
Holes
Cards Revealed

Recommended: 2+ decks for 4+ players

Advanced Options

#### Gameplay

Flip on Discard
After discarding a drawn card
Flip as Action ♣flip instead of draw Knock Penalty ♦+10 if not lowest Early Knock ♠flip all (≤2) to go out

#### Jokers

None Standard ♠2 per deck, -2 / 0 paired Lucky Swing ♥1 Joker total, -5! Eagle-Eyed ♣+2 / -4 paired

#### Card Values

Super Kings ♦K = -2 Ten Penny ♠10 = 1 One-Eyed Jacks ♥J♥/J♠ = 0 Negative Pairs ♣paired 2s/Jokers = -4

#### Bonuses & Penalties

Knock Bonus ♦-5 going out first Underdog ♠-3 lowest score Tied Shame ♥+5 if tied Blackjack ♣score 21 = 0 Four of a Kind ♦-20 bonus Wolfpack ♠4 Jacks = -20

🃏 4 Jacks = -40 (stacks!)

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⚡ FINAL TURN
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#### Scores

Player | Hole | Tot | W
--- | --- | --- | ---

# 🏌️ Golf Rules

6-Card Golf Card Game - Complete Guide

## Basic Rules

6-Card Golf is a card game where players try to achieve the lowest score over multiple rounds ("holes"). Like golf, lower is better!

- Each player has 6 cards arranged in a 2-row by 3-column grid
- Most cards start face-down (hidden from everyone)
- On your turn: draw one card, then either swap it with one of yours or discard it
- When any player reveals all 6 of their cards, everyone else gets one final turn
- After all rounds ("holes") are played, the player with the lowest total score wins

## Card Values

Card | Points | Notes
--- | --- | ---
Joker | -2 | Best card! (requires Jokers to be enabled)
2 | -2 | Excellent - gives you negative points!
Ace (A) | 1 | Very low and safe
King (K) | 0 | Zero points - great for making pairs!
3 through 10 | Face value | 3=3 pts, 4=4 pts, ..., 10=10 pts
Jack (J), Queen (Q) | 10 | High cards - replace these quickly!

## Column Pairing (IMPORTANT!)

This is the most important rule to understand:

If both cards in a vertical column have the same rank (like two 8s or two Jacks), that entire column scores 0 points - regardless of what the cards are worth individually!

#### Example:

    Your 6-card grid:
      Col1  Col2  Col3
     [8]   [5]   [7]   ← Top row
     [8]   [3]   [9]   ← Bottom row

    Column 1: 8 + 8 = PAIR! = 0 points (not 16!)
    Column 2: 5 + 3 = 8 points
    Column 3: 7 + 9 = 16 points

    TOTAL: 0 + 8 + 16 = 24 points

IMPORTANT: When you pair cards, you get 0 points for that column - even if the cards have negative values! Two 2s paired = 0 points (not -4). Two Jokers paired = 0 points (not -4). Exception: The "Negative Pairs Keep Value" house rule changes this - paired negative cards keep their -4 value!

## Turn Structure (Step by Step)

### Step 1: Draw a Card

You MUST draw exactly one card. Choose from:

- The Deck (face-down pile) - You don't know what you'll get!
- The Discard Pile (face-up pile) - You can see exactly what card you're taking

### Step 2: Use or Discard the Card

#### If you drew from the DECK:

You have two options:

- SWAP: Replace any one of your 6 cards with the drawn card. The old card goes to the discard pile.
- DISCARD: Put the drawn card directly on the discard pile without using it.

#### If you drew from the DISCARD PILE:

You MUST swap - you cannot put the same card back on the discard pile.

## Flip on Discard Rules (3 Modes)

This setting affects what happens when you draw from the deck and choose to discard (not swap):

### Standard Mode (No Flip)

Default setting. Discarding ends your turn immediately.

How it works: When you draw from the deck and decide not to use it, you simply discard it and your turn is over. Nothing else happens.

Strategic impact: Information is precious. You only learn what's in your hand by actively swapping cards, so there's more gambling on face-down cards. Rewards good memory and tracking what opponents discard.

Best for: Traditional gameplay, longer games, players who enjoy mystery and risk.

### Speed Golf Mode (Must Flip)

Every discard reveals one of your hidden cards.

How it works: When you draw from the deck and discard, you MUST also flip over one of your face-down cards. This is mandatory - you cannot skip it.

Strategic impact: Even "bad" draws give you information. Reduces the luck factor since everyone makes more informed decisions. Games naturally end faster with less hidden information.

Best for: Quick games, players who prefer skill over luck.

### Endgame Mode (Catch-Up Flip)

Optional flip activates when any player has only 1 hidden card left.

How it works:

- Early in the round: Discarding ends your turn (like Standard mode)
- When ANY player has 1 or fewer face-down cards: After discarding, you MAY choose to flip one of your hidden cards OR skip

Strategic impact: This is a catch-up mechanic. When someone is about to go out, trailing players can accelerate their information gathering to find pairs or swap out bad cards. The leader (who triggered this) doesn't benefit since they have no hidden cards left. Reduces the "runaway leader" problem and keeps games competitive.

Best for: Competitive play where you want trailing players to have a fighting chance.

## House Rules (Optional Variants)

### Point Modifiers

#### Super Kings

Kings are worth -2 points instead of 0.

Strategic impact: Kings become valuable to keep unpaired, not just pairing fodder. Creates interesting decisions - do you pair Kings for 0, or keep them separate for -4 total?

#### Ten Penny

10s are worth 1 point instead of 10.

Strategic impact: Removes the "10 disaster" - drawing a 10 is no longer a crisis. Queens and Jacks become the only truly bad cards. Makes the game more forgiving.

### Joker Variants

#### Standard Jokers

2 Jokers per deck, each worth -2 points.

Strategic impact: Jokers are great to find but pairing them is wasteful (0 points instead of -4). Best kept in different columns. Adds 2 premium cards to hunt for.

#### Lucky Swing

Only 1 Joker in the entire deck, worth -5 points.

Strategic impact: High variance. Whoever finds this rare card gets a significant advantage. Increases the luck factor - sometimes you get it, sometimes your opponent does.

#### Eagle Eye

Jokers are worth +2 unpaired, but -4 when paired.

Strategic impact: Risk/reward Jokers. Finding one actually hurts you (+2) until you commit to finding the second. Rewards aggressive searching and creates tense decisions about whether to keep hunting or cut your losses.

### Going Out Rules

#### Knock Penalty

+10 points if you go out but don't have the lowest score.

Strategic impact: Discourages reckless rushing. You need to be confident you're winning before going out. Rewards patience and reading your opponents' likely scores. Can backfire spectacularly if you misjudge.

#### Knock Bonus

-5 points for going out first (regardless of who wins).

Strategic impact: Encourages racing to finish, even with a mediocre hand. The 5-point bonus might make up for a slightly worse score. Speeds up gameplay.

Combining Knock Penalty + Knock Bonus creates high-stakes "going out" decisions: -5 if you win, +10 if you lose!

### Scoring Bonuses

#### Underdog Bonus

Round winner gets -3 points extra.

Strategic impact: Amplifies winning - the best player each round pulls further ahead. Can lead to snowballing leads over multiple holes. Rewards consistency.

#### Tied Shame

If you tie another player's score, both get +5 penalty.

Strategic impact: Punishes playing it safe. If you suspect a tie, you need to take risks to differentiate your score. Creates interesting late-round decisions.

#### Blackjack

Score of exactly 21 becomes 0.

Strategic impact: A "hail mary" comeback. If you're stuck at 21, you're suddenly in great shape. Mostly luck, but adds exciting moments when it happens.

#### Wolfpack

Having all 4 Jacks (2 pairs) gives -20 bonus.

Strategic impact: Extremely rare but now a significant reward! Turns a potential disaster (40 points of Jacks) into a triumph. The huge bonus makes it worth celebrating when achieved, though still not worth actively pursuing.

### New Variants

#### Flip as Action

Use your turn to flip one of your face-down cards without drawing. Ends your turn immediately.

Strategic impact: Lets you gather information without risking a bad deck draw. Conservative players can learn their hand safely. However, you miss the chance to actively improve your hand - you're just learning what you have.

#### Four of a Kind

Having 4 cards of the same rank across two columns scores -20 bonus.

Strategic impact: Rewards collecting matching cards beyond just column pairs. Changes whether you should take a third or fourth copy of a rank. If you already have two pairs of 8s, that's -20 extra! Stacks with Wolfpack: four Jacks = -40 total.

#### Negative Pairs Keep Value

When you pair 2s or Jokers in a column, they keep their combined -4 points instead of becoming 0.

Strategic impact: Major change! Pairing your best cards is now beneficial. Two 2s paired = -4 points, not 0. This encourages hunting for duplicate negative cards and fundamentally changes how you value 2s and Jokers.

#### One-Eyed Jacks

The Jack of Hearts (J♥) and Jack of Spades (J♠) - the "one-eyed" Jacks - are worth 0 points instead of 10.

Strategic impact: Two of the four Jacks become safe cards, comparable to Kings. J♥ and J♠ are now good cards to keep! Only J♣ and J♦ remain dangerous. Reduces the "Jack disaster" probability by half.

#### Early Knock

If you have 2 or fewer face-down cards, you may use your turn to flip all remaining cards at once and immediately end the round. Click the "Knock!" button during your draw phase.

Strategic impact: A high-risk, high-reward option! If you're confident your hidden cards are low, you can knock early to surprise opponents. But if those hidden cards are bad, you've just locked in a terrible score. Best used when you've deduced your face-down cards are safe (like after drawing and discarding duplicates).

## Frequently Asked Questions

#### Q: Can I look at my face-down cards?

A: No! Once the game starts, you cannot peek at your own face-down cards. You only see them when they get flipped face-up (either by swapping or by the flip-on-discard rule).

#### Q: Can I swap a face-down card without looking at it first?

A: Yes! In fact, that's often the best strategy - if you have a card that seems high based on probability, swap it out before you even see it.

#### Q: What happens when someone reveals all their cards?

A: Once ANY player has all 6 cards face-up, every other player gets exactly ONE more turn. Then the round ends and scores are calculated.

#### Q: Do I have to go out (reveal all cards) to win?

A: No! You can win the round even with face-down cards. The player with the lowest score wins, regardless of how many cards are revealed.

#### Q: When do pairs count?

A: Pairs only count in VERTICAL columns (top card + bottom card in the same column). Horizontal or diagonal matches don't create pairs.

#### Q: Can I make a pair with face-down cards?

A: Face-down cards are still counted for scoring, but since you can't see them, you're gambling that they might form a pair. At the end of the round, all cards are revealed and pairs are calculated.

#### Q: What if the deck runs out of cards?

A: The discard pile (except the top card) is shuffled to create a new deck.

#### Q: In Endgame mode, when exactly can I flip?

A: The optional flip activates the moment ANY player (including you) has 1 or fewer face-down cards remaining. From that point until the round ends, whenever you discard from the deck, you'll get the option to flip or skip.

#### Q: How does Endgame mode help trailing players?

A: When someone is close to going out, they've likely optimized their hand already. The optional flip lets everyone else accelerate their information gathering - flipping cards to find pairs or identify which cards to swap out. The leader doesn't benefit (they have no hidden cards left), so it's purely a catch-up mechanic.

#### Q: Why would I skip the flip in Endgame mode?

A: If you're already winning or your remaining hidden cards are statistically likely to be good, you might prefer not to risk revealing a disaster. It's a calculated gamble!

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