Team match and Las Vegas re-pairing
Two sides, one hole at a time. And a variant that reshuffles the partnerships on every tee so nobody is stuck with the same partner for eighteen holes.
Written and maintained by the Golf Game Bet Calculator team, who build the scoring engine this site runs on. Last reviewed .
The basic team match
Split the group into two sides — traditionally Blue and White in Korean club play — and score each hole as a side. The two common scoring methods:
- Better ball — the side records its lowest individual score on the hole. Forgiving, and it lets a partner having a bad day play freely without costing the team anything.
- Combined — both scores are added together. Every player matters on every hole, which is more tense and much less forgiving.
Better ball is the right default for social rounds. Combined scoring is better when the four players are close in ability and want a genuinely competitive match.
Traditional Las Vegas scoring
The format most people mean by "Las Vegas" uses a specific two-digit scoring trick rather than better ball or combined totals. Each side's two scores are combined into a number, lower digit first: a 4 and a 6 becomes 46, never 64. The side with the lower two-digit number wins the hole, and the difference is usually the payout multiplier.
The wrinkle that makes traditional Las Vegas notorious is the "flip" rule: if one player on a side birdies or better while their partner does not break par, the opposing side's number is flipped (reversed) before comparing. A team of 3 and 7 would normally combine to 37, but if the 3 is a birdie and the partner's 7 is not under par, the rule flips the other team's number instead — turning, say, their 45 into 54. It is a large swing off one great and one poor score, which is exactly why the format has a reputation for being either thrilling or infuriating depending on which side of the flip you land on.
Because the flip rule causes so many arguments about whether it applies, many groups today use the name "Las Vegas" loosely to mean any four-player game with rotating partners, and simply pick better-ball or combined scoring instead of the two-digit method. Agree explicitly on which version you are playing before the first tee shot.
| Side A scores | Side A number | Side B scores | Side B number | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 and 5 | 45 | 3 and 6 | 36 | Side B (36 < 45) |
| 4 and 4 (birdie + par) | 44 | 5 and 6 | 56 | Side A |
| 3 (birdie) and 7 | flip triggers | 4 and 5 → flipped to 54 | 54 | Side A likely wins big |
Traditional Las Vegas scoring: lower digit always listed first, flip rule applies only when a birdie-or-better is unmatched by the partner.
Settling every hole
Traditional team matches are scored as a match — holes up and down — and settle once at the end. We recommend settling each hole instead: the winning side collects the agreed amount from the losing side immediately, and the ledger closes. Halved holes pay nothing.
The advantage is that the running total is always final. Nobody has to remember whether the press on the twelfth was ever conceded, and a player who has to leave after fifteen holes is already settled up for what they played.
Las Vegas: new partners every hole
The complaint about fixed teams is that one unlucky draw can define the whole round. Las Vegas fixes that by re-pairing the four players on every hole, so over eighteen holes you partner each of the other three roughly equally and the result reflects your own play far more than your draw.
The standard rotation with four players uses the three possible pairings, cycling through them: A+B vs C+D, then A+C vs B+D, then A+D vs B+C, then back to the first. A common variant instead pairs by the previous hole's standing — the leader with the last-placed player, the second with the third — which actively works against a runaway winner.
Whichever rotation you use, the important property is that the pairings must actually change even when the previous hole was tied or unplayed. A standings-based rotation that stalls on a tied hole will silently keep the same partners for several holes, which defeats the point. Falling back to the fixed three-set cycle whenever standings do not separate the field keeps the rotation honest.
Reading the pairings on the card
Because partnerships change hole by hole, the card needs to show who was paired with whom. We display the pairing as initials on each hole — for example "AD+BC" meaning players A and D formed one side against B and C. Without that, reconstructing a disputed hole after the round is impossible.
Regional variations
Naming conventions differ widely by region and even by club. What Korean-influenced clubs call Blue vs White, American clubs might just call "the team game," and some Texas groups use "Vegas" to mean any rotating four-ball regardless of whether the two-digit flip rule is in play. Confirm three things before the round: the scoring method (better ball, combined, or two-digit), whether the flip rule applies, and the rotation schedule — those three answers define the entire game.
Handicaps in team play
For better ball, allocate strokes individually by stroke index and take the lower net score. For combined scoring, do the same and add the net scores. Many clubs reduce handicap allowance in four-ball formats — 85 or 90 percent is typical — because two players each having a good hole produces a lower team score than either would post alone. Traditional two-digit Las Vegas scoring is usually played with full individual net scores rather than a reduced percentage, since the flip rule already adds enough volatility.
Larger groups
- Six players — two sides of three, best two scores count on each hole.
- Eight players — two sides of four, best two or best three, depending on how much you want an individual bad hole to matter.
- Multiple groups — run each foursome in its own room and combine the net scores into a single leaderboard, which is how a full field tournament is scored.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a team match and the Las Vegas game?
A standard team match keeps the same two-player pairings for the whole round, while Las Vegas re-pairs the four players on every hole so everyone eventually partners with everyone else. Las Vegas is really a rotation rule layered on top of a normal team scoring method.
How does traditional Las Vegas scoring work with the two scores?
The classic version combines each team's two scores into a two-digit number, with the lower score placed first — a 4 and a 6 becomes 46, not 64. If one player on a side scores a birdie or better while their partner does not, the traditional rule flips the opposing team's number, which can produce large swings and is why many casual groups drop this rule in favor of simple combined or better-ball scoring.
Is better ball or combined scoring better for a team match?
Better ball is more forgiving and suits mixed-ability or social groups because one player's bad hole never costs the team. Combined scoring is more competitive and works best when all four players are close in ability, since every shot from every player affects the outcome.
How do you rotate partners fairly in Las Vegas?
With four players there are exactly three possible pairings, so cycling through A+B vs C+D, then A+C vs B+D, then A+D vs B+C and repeating ensures everyone partners everyone else an equal number of times over eighteen holes. A standings-based rotation, pairing the current leader with the trailing player, is a common alternative but must fall back to the fixed cycle whenever a tie prevents it from separating the field.
Can you run a Nassau inside a team match?
Yes — front nine, back nine and overall bets work the same way for two teams as they do for two individuals, and presses can be added on any of the three segments. Just decide up front whether the Nassau uses better-ball or combined scoring, since that changes how close the match actually is.