The 6-Point Game Explained

In the golf betting game called the 6-Point Game, a certain number of points are up for grabs on each hole. Big surprise: It's six. The 6-Point Game is for a group of three golfers, and on each hole they are competing against one another for those six points.

This game goes by many alternative names. Those include Split Sixes, English, Cricket, and Win Place and Show.

How are the six points divvied up on each hole? Most commonly, like this:

• The golfer among the three who has the lowest score on the hole gets 4 points.
• The golfer with the second-lowest score gets 2 point.
• And that leaves zero points for the golfer bringing up the rear.

There will naturally be many ties with this point structure, but the advantage of the 4-2-0 point split is that ties are easy to compute — no fractions required. If two golfers tie for low score, each gets 3 points (4+2 is 6, 6 divided by 2 golfers is 3). If two tie for high score, each gets 1 point. If all three tie, each gets 2 points.

An alternative way to divvy the points is this:

• Low scorer gets 3 points.
• Second-low scorer gets 2 points.
• High scorer gets 1 point.

Tie scores in the the 3-2-1 point structure do require fractions (e.g., two golfers tying for low score each get 2.5 points). But half-points are still easy.

Your group can pick one or the other, or try both and see which fits your playing abilities best — which results in the most-competitive game for your threeball.

You can bet on the overall outcome of the game (high points wins, of course). Or you can assign a monetary value to each point and pay out the differences at the end.

More golf games:

• How to play the 5-3-1 betting game
• The 16 Points format explained
• How to play the 12-Point Game