World Series of Golf, on Las Vegas’ doorstep, borrows Texas hold ‘em poker strategy
America’s poker mania is transmuting into golf with a Las Vegas flair.
It’s happening on the front doorstep of Las Vegas, at the verdant Primm Valley Golf Club.
Strategy is the byword for wagering and winning in this game, to make its grand debut as the World Series of Golf, to be played May 13th through 16th wherein Texas hold’em poker has been incorporated into a golf format.
What’s this about wagering as in poker applied to hole-by-hole golf play?
Terry Leiweke, World Series of Golf CEO, explains it eloquently:
“We have a patent-pending method of play, where we have incorporated Texas hold’em poker into a golf format. The inaugural event, which is played in Las Vegas from May 13th through the 16th, is a buy-in event. Once you buy in, we have 36 groups that go the tee on Day One. When you get to the tee, there’s an automatic ante. The ante doubles every three holes. But the way the format’s played, which is really interesting, is that all the players hit their shot. And then whichever player has the button, which is determined on the first tee—and the hitting rotation is determined on the first tee—that player leads the wager.“After your tee shot and every shot thereafter, you place a wager, and you follow that rotation. Unlike traditional golf, it’s not the guy farthest away from the hole who hits. It’s the guy who has the button leads the betting. And that just adds this incredible strategy.
“So, I’ve forced the other players who have to hit before I do. So I check my bet, and then they went a round, and after I saw that they weren’t too confident about their shots, I put ‘em all in. So, we’ll see if they match the call.
“And what you’re wagering on is whether you’re going to win the hole. And the objective of the game is very simple: take all the money from all the other players in your group.
“The relevance of the game is: It’s strategy. It’s like no other golf game you’ll ever play.”
Terry Leiweke, World Series of Golf CEO, can be seen and heard on the tournament’s Web site at WorldSeriesOfGolf.com.
