How to play Las Vegas (golf): rules, flips and examples
Las Vegas is a team game for four where two partners' scores on a hole are put side by side to make one two-digit number, low score first. The lower number wins, and the difference between the two numbers is the number of points that change hands.
- Players: 3 or 4 players
- Also called: Vegas, flip the bird
- Teams: Played in teams or pairs in some versions
- Scores needed: Every player's score on each hole
All four scores on each hole, then the L or R team button only if a team doubles. Birdie flips happen by themselves.
Win more points than the other team over the round.
How to play Las Vegas
- Make two teams of two. With three players, the lone player's score is used twice against both others.
- Each player plays their own ball. On each hole put the two scores together, lowest first: a 4 and a 5 make 45.
- The team with the lower number wins the difference. 45 against 56 is 11 points.
- Apply your birdie rule. In the usual version a birdie flips the other team's number so the highest score comes first, which can turn a small win into a big one.
- Settle the points at the value agreed per point.
A worked example with numbers
Ann and Bo against Cy and Di, 25 cents a point. Ann makes a birdie 3 and Bo makes 5, so their number is 35. Cy makes 4 and Di makes 5, so theirs is 45. Without a flip Ann and Bo win 10 points.
Ann's birdie flips Cy and Di's number to 54 (the high score first). Ann and Bo win 54 minus 35 = 19 points, so each of Cy and Di pays 19 x 0.25 = 4.75. On a hole where someone scores 10 or more, the default is that the high number goes first, so a 4 and a 10 make 104.
Options and defaults
These are the rules groups change. The first column is the setting, the second is what Hole19Tally starts with, and the last says what it changes.
| Option | Default | Choices | What it changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value per point | 0.25 | 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1 | What one point is worth. Points can add up fast, so this is usually small. |
| Gross or net | net individual | net individual, gross, net team | Net team gives the higher team the difference in combined team handicap. |
| Stroke method | off the low | off the low, full | Whether strokes are taken off the lowest player or from the full handicap. |
| Handicap allowance (%) | 100 | 100, 90, 85 | How much of each Course Handicap is used. |
| A score of 10 or more | high first | high first, cap9, low first | Sets the "a score of 10 or more" rule. |
| Flip the bird | on | on, off | Turns the flip the bird rule on or off. |
| What triggers a flip | gross | gross, net | Whether a gross birdie or a net birdie triggers the flip. |
| Flip condition | other has none | other has none, any, also wins | When a flip applies: only if the other team has no birdie, always, or only when it also wins the hole. |
| Two birdies on one team | flip double | flip double, flip only | What two birdies on the same team do: flip and double, or flip only. |
| Eagle | flip double | flip double, same as birdie, flip triple | What an eagle does: flip and double, count like a birdie, or flip and triple. |
| Alternative birdie rule (instead of flipping) | off | off, on | A birdie by the winning team doubles the points, an eagle triples them. No flipping. |
| Tied team numbers | no points | no points, next doubles | What happens when both team numbers are equal. |
| Teams | fixed | fixed, rotate6, sixes | Whether partners stay the same or rotate. |
| Per-hole point cap | none | none, 10, 20, 30, 50, 100 | The most points one hole can be worth. |
| Voluntary double | off | off, on | Lets a team double the hole before the tee shots. |
| Points forfeited by declining a double | 10 | 5, 10, 20 | Points forfeited if a team declines a voluntary double. |
Common disputes
When does a flip happen?
By default only when the team that is being flipped has no birdie of its own. Other groups flip regardless, or only flip when the birdie also wins the hole.
What about a 10 or more?
The default puts the high score first (a 4 and a 10 make 104). You can instead cap the score at 9 or keep the low score first.
Do eagles count more?
The default is that an eagle flips and doubles. Two birdies on one team flip and double by default as well.
Is there a limit on points per hole?
None by default. You can set a cap from 10 up to 100 points per hole.
Are teams fixed?
By default, yes. Teams can rotate every six holes or follow the sixes pattern.
Frequently asked questions
Is Vegas gross or net?
The default is net by individual strokes, off the low. Gross and net team scores are options.
How many players can play Las Vegas?
Four, as two teams of two. Three players can play it with the lone player's score used twice.
What does flip the bird mean?
When a team makes a birdie, the other team's two-digit number is flipped so its high score comes first, for example 45 becomes 54.
How much can a hole cost?
Without a cap, a flip on a bad hole can swing dozens of points. Set a per-hole cap if that worries your group.
Is Hole19Tally a betting app?
Hole19Tally is a scorekeeper. It records scores, works out strokes and shows who owes whom, but it never holds, moves or takes a share of money, and it is not a gambling service. Players settle up directly with each other.
Score it in Hole19Tally
Hole19Tally keeps the score for Las Vegas, applies the handicap strokes and shows who owes whom. Hole19Tally is a scorekeeper. It records scores, works out strokes and shows who owes whom, but it never holds, moves or takes a share of money, and it is not a gambling service. Players settle up directly with each other.
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