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GOLFCard Game

4-Card Golf Rules

4-card Golf (some players call it Turtle) uses four face-down cards in a 2×2 square. You peek once. You draw or take the discard. You can knock to end the hole. That is not the same as our Quick game online. We explain both below.

Standard rules

Pagat's four-card section covers the face-down layout, peek, knock ending, and scoring listed here.

Source: Pagat — Golf (Four Card Golf)

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How do you set up 4-card Golf?

Pagat lists two to around eight or more players. The game is best for about four. Use one deck; very big groups shuffle two decks together. Deal four cards face-down in a square.

Turn one draw-pile card face-up to start the discard pile.

Before play, each player may look once at the two nearest cards in their square without showing them. After that, face-down cards stay hidden until swapped or scored.

What can you do on your turn?

  1. Draw the top draw-pile card, or draw the top discard, or knock (see below).
  2. If you draw from the draw pile, swap it face-down into one slot. Discard the old card face-up.
  3. You may discard the stock draw unchanged if you do not want to swap. Pagat says you cannot peek at a slot before you replace it.
  4. If you take the discard, you must swap it into your layout. You cannot discard it unchanged.

Pagat also notes a peek rule. If you look at a face-down slot while deciding, that card must be the one you replace. You cannot peek and leave it.

How does knocking end the hole?

Knocking is the usual way to end 4-card Golf on Pagat. When you knock, you skip drawing. Each other player takes one normal turn. They may draw but not knock again. Then everyone turns their square face-up and scores.

Common variant

Pagat lists optional knocker penalties when the knocker is not lowest. Pick one before you deal:

  • The knocker adds 10 points.
  • The knocker's score is doubled and 5 is added.
  • The knocker scores the same as the highest player that hand.

How are cards scored?

Pagat's base four-card values:

  • Ace through Ten = face value (Ace = 1)
  • Jack or Queen = 10 each
  • King = 0

Twos count as 2 points in Pagat's base four-card list, not −2. A full game is often nine holes. Some groups play eighteen.

Common variant

Pagat lists a variant where equal pairs anywhere in the square score zero instead of adding both values.

What is no-peek ("no peeky") Golf?

House rule (optional)

Skip the opening peek at two cards. All four start unknown until you swap them out or the hole ends. Some groups look at only one card. Some charge a point to peek during play. Pick one before you deal.

What about Cabo and other power-card games?

Pagat groups Cabo, Cambio, Pablo, and similar games under "Golf with Power Cards." They share a four-card layout but add special cards.

Cabo is a separate commercial game. It is not another name for Turtle. See variations for a short overview and links.

How is Quick different on this site?

On this site

Quick is a 2×2 grid with two opening flips. You swap face-up. Vertical column pairs score 0. The hole ends when your last card is face-up, like 6-card Classic here.

It uses six-card-style values (Two = −2). It is a fast online format. It is not Pagat's face-down peek-and-knock Turtle.

Frequently asked questions

What is no-peeky Golf?

No-peek 4-card Golf skips the opening look at two cards. Every card stays hidden until you swap it or score at the end.

Does Quick mode follow Turtle rules?

No. Quick uses face-up swaps, column pairs, and a last-card face-up ending like 6-card Classic. Try Quick on /play for that format. It is not traditional peek-and-knock 4-card.

How do you end a hole in 4-card Golf?

On your turn, knock instead of drawing. Each other player gets one more turn, then layouts score.

Try our Quick 2×2 format

Play Quick free

Not the same as Turtle. See the callout above.