How to play Banker.

Overview

Banker turns each hole into a casino with one player as the house. The banker plays a separate 1v1 bet against every other player in the group on that hole — and crucially, each opponent picks their own stake (within limits the group agrees up front). Play well as the banker and you sweep three bets at once; find the water and you pay everyone at whatever they dared to wager. The role rotates, so everyone gets their turn holding the bank — and everyone gets their turn trying to break it.

How Banker Works

1. Agree the limits. A minimum and maximum bet per hole (say $1–$5). This is the game's seatbelt — don't skip it.
2. Choose the first banker. Flip tees. The banker traditionally hits last on the tee, absorbing the pressure of every declared bet.
3. Opponents declare stakes on the tee. Each player announces their bet against the banker for that hole. Confidence is information: three max bets tell the banker exactly what the group thinks of their driving.
4. Play the hole as separate 1v1s. Banker's net score against each opponent's net score. Win: collect that player's stake. Lose: pay it. Tie: push. The other players' scores never interact with each other.
5. Rotate. Simple version: pass the bank in order each hole. Gunslinger version: the banker keeps the bank until they have a net losing hole, then it passes.
6. Settle at the end. Running tally per player; pay the differences after 18.

Worked example. Alex banks the par-3 6th. Dana bets the $5 max (Alex hates this hole), Jo bets $2, Sam bets $1. Alex sticks it to 8 feet and makes par; Dana bogeys ($5 to Alex), Jo pars (push), Sam birdies (Alex pays $1). Net: Alex +$4 on the hole and the bank moves on — or stays, if your group plays winner-holds.

Rules & Variations

Doubling. Many groups allow either side of a bet to double it mid-hole (a “press” or “hammer”), with the other side folding at the current value or playing on for twice as much. Cap the redoubles unless the group is fearless.

Winner holds the bank. The banker keeps the role until losing a hole on aggregate. Streaky, dramatic, and it puts the group's hottest player permanently on the wall.

Defender. A close cousin in threesomes: the “defender” plays 1v2 against the other two players' better ball each hole, with fixed stakes and set rotation. Same soul, simpler bookkeeping.

Bet windows. Standard: stakes are locked once the banker tees off. Some groups allow one raise after the tee shots — announce which before the round.

Handicaps. Each 1v1 is net: strokes fall by stroke index, exactly like match play. This keeps every bet live regardless of the pairing.

Strategy

• Bet the hole, not the player. Stakes should track the banker's fit to the hole — max against the short hitter banking the 560-yard par 5, minimum when the course's best putter banks a wedge hole.
• As banker, par is a fortress. You don't need heroics; you need a score everyone else has to beat. Fairway, green, two putts collects most bets most days.
• Watch the declared stakes. When everyone suddenly bets the minimum against you, they're playing scared — attack. When the max bets come out, they've smelled blood — tighten up.
• Variance management is the game. Banking multiplies your exposure by the field size. If you're up big late, the winner-holds variant lets you decline nothing — so in fixed rotation, protect leads by playing your banking holes conservatively.

Frequently asked questions

If you like Banker, try these

Same energy, different game. Everything below has a full rules guide of its own.

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