What's your "line in the sand" for gambling?

General Discussion
#1

Going to deviate from this thread a little bit…

Yesterday I got invited to a course that I’ve wanted to play for quite some time. It would be a $200 unaccompanied guest fee (a little excessive IMO, but I was OK paying it). The guy who invited me from my club is a bit of a gambler and told me that we would be playing for “some money.”

Long story short, we played a 50/50/100 Nassau with $5 junk and auto presses. Luckily I was on the right end of it and won $300 (almost $400 - the losing team bet $100 on the 18th, but we halved).

For me, these numbers are excessive. I really got no joy out of taking these guys’ money. Also, I would have been pretty upset if I was on the other end of it, and it was a $500 round of golf.

I think “my number” for betting is about $25 - $75 total. Once it gets beyond that, it’s just not fun for me. It’s not that the money makes me any more nervous; it just feels like it’s removing the friendly camaraderie of a match.

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#2

I just don’t gamble. Wouldn’t bet anything on my golf shots yet.

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#3

I think my limit is pretty similar to yours. My normal playing partners and I usually like to have a cap of roughly $30. We do occasionally switch things up and sometimes set a cap at $100 but that is very rare.

I was invited to play at Des Moines Golf & Country Club this past spring with some big gamblers. I cant remember what game we played but there were a few holes down the stretch that were worth $100+ each hole. Luckily I came out on the right end as well.

I guess I dont mind playing for a bit more once or twice a year, but I prefer to keep the amount low and playing for bragging rights against my buddies

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#4

I agree. I’ve found most guys who want to do these big money games are either in a completely different tax bracket than I am and want to remind me of that (in which case I don’t feel bad taking their money). Or it’s somebody who has a real problem with gambling. In which case I do not enjoy taking their money.

Money games should be friendly and fun. If you’re a high roller and the guys you play with are high rollers and 500-1000 isn’t going to put a dent in your bottom line, by all means play for that money, but there comes a point where it’s more about the money than it is about the golf and that’s a shame.

I’d say for me if I have $50 on the line I’m fine with that. Any more and it feels less than a fun day with some buddies.

But if some guy with deep pockets just wants a piece of me because he thinks he can take me - let’s go pops. I’m ready.

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#5

We usually play where you can’t win or lose much more than $10 and that’s going towards the tab after the round. It’s more about winning and bragging than actual money.

We do have some big tournaments at my club where you can bet on players or teams depending on the format and that can get big. I’ve never gone over $300, but some guys will go over $1000. If teams are getting bid up then a few of us might join together to bid so that no one is risking too much. I have one friend that enjoys gambling and will risk a lot, but he’s single with a great job. The rest of us have kids and are a lot more conservative.

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#6

Our typical bet is a $5 Nassau. When we go on a golf trip we usually each put in $200-$250 and the bets are spread over each round we play.

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#7

Yeah, $50 is about my limit.

More than that and I’m focused more on the cash than I am on playing golf. That’s not why I’m out there.

I can go work for four hours if I want to make money… I play golf to have fun. Small bets on the side can be fun.

The guys who “need” big stakes are guys I don’t care to play golf with… they tend to be more concerned with competition than playing their best.

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#8

Our trips always involve more gambling. We started creating a list of prop bets which has been a lot of fun. We all submit all sorts of random bets, everybody throws in $25, whoever gets the most correct takes it all.

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#9

I would hate to get above about $30. Unfortunately from my story on the other thread, I don’t always get to make the rules and most of the time the games we play are theoretically uncapped.

I play in a group sometimes where it’s $25 a man into the pot and they’ll do different games - 2 man or 4 man teams - and then divide up the pot at the end. That’s my favorite way of doing it. You can win big but can’t lose more than $25

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#10

Yeah, one of the groups at the club I Occasionally play with does a net / gross skins game for $50 every weekend…

It’s good for me as I’m long enough to score well on harder holes… it’s not really a focus during the round and you aren’t trying to “beat” anyone…

I like games like wolf and COD because the teams change… It’s a nice change of pace for me to gamble occasionally, but I don’t get the guys who have to have something on the line.

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#11

Auto 2 down presses?

#12

My typical game is $5 wolf or $10 match play (birdies double). We typically do not do press or carry and we don’t have a group that likes to cry baby large amounts (losers trying to win it all back on 17 and 18th hole). That being said my typical guys don’t want to risk more than that and just want a bit of fun action.

I have to preface this next paragraph with the following background. I played ALOT of online poker in college, mostly $1/$2 NL and took some shots at $2-$4 no limit (sitting down at the table with a $400 stack). I am probably up something like $20k lifetime playing poker and am very comfortable with $1-$2k swings… well maybe I WAS comfortable back when I played all the time. The money truly was just UNITS, divorced myself from any idea of it as MONEY. Anyone who has gone deep with poker will understand what I am saying here. 5-10 buy in swings are very common when playing thousands of hands per month.

Bringing that back to golf. Like @Bigdadenergy, if an older rich guy hears that I like to gamble a bit, and wants a piece of me, I have no problem playing a game with maybe $1k changing hands. I would only do this with a handful of old guys I know who routinely play in games where $2k - $5k are changing hands. These guys all are business owners, and likely deca millionaires. Our game for $1k is just “fun” to them. I would never play for this money if I didn’t feel good about my game and I didn’t feel like I was getting the best of it (+EV based on how its handicapped, and what rules we play with).

To date, these matches are $50 per hole, presses allowed, birdies are double. I have played three of these and they have all been pillow fights (well handicapped, maybe $100 changing hands). I would NEVER do this with my buddies, as beating them like a drum for $2k would give me no pleasure.

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#13

Put a dollar in, win a car?

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#14

Ok now that’s funny. Nearly spit out my coffee.

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#15

In high school, I played for free, so was willing to lose up to the green fee amount ($15-20 total), and broke even or was ahead most of the time.

Now I typically play $1-2 Wolf or skins. Not enough to cover the green fee if you win, and not enough that you have a difficult conversation with your spouse if you lose. I’d rather play with something on the line, because the pressure will ultimately help my game and prepare me for other pressure situations, but I’ve also seen some guys lose their :poop: over losing a 5 hole carryover for $10.

#16

My normal group typically has 3 or 4 foursomes each weekend day. Our betting is structured so that its just about impossible to lose more than $25, or win more than maybe $40. I’m happy at that level, I don’t feel a need to take a bunch of money from my friends, and I don’t want anyone (including me) to have hard feelings over losing.

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#17

My theory is to have something on the line, enough so you feel it, but not so much that it hurts. My buddies and I play a team skins game where partners change every 6 holes. Each skin is $5, so theoretically the absolute max you’d lose is $180, but that has never happened. Add in $25 individual bets for scoring (handicap adjusted), and the absolute most you’d lose is $75+180=$255. That would be a record breaking bad day. We’re all pretty evenly matched, so usually payouts are in the $20-40 range. Big winner buys drinks.

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#18

When I was young I’d play the old mega rich guys at our country club and wipe the floor with them. I won so much off them I didn’t need a summer job (I had one anyway booo).
It took me a few years before I realized they just had more money than God and they just liked playing with me. Stopped taking their money after that and they were my regular playing partners until I graduated high school and moved away. A couple of them have since passed and I miss them like crazy.

#19

Also laughing at your original post…

“Can you believe these guys playing these stakes?!? Oh ps… I won all the money :slight_smile:”

#20

:joy: :joy: it was more relief, I would’ve been pretty pissed walking out of there with $500 less.

The course was nice, but it wasn’t that nice

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