Game
Rules and explanation onlyLas Vegas scramble
Also called Vegas scramble, Dice scramble.
A Las Vegas scramble is a four-player scramble in which a die roll after the tee shots decides whose drive the team plays. In the common form a roll of 1 to 4 picks that player's drive, a 5 lets the team choose and a 6 forces the worst drive. From the chosen drive the hole is a normal scramble.
At a glance
- Players
- Teams of 4, numbered 1 to 4
- The roll
- After all four drives, before anyone walks forward
- 1 to 4
- That player's drive is used
- 5 and 6
- Team choice on a 5; worst drive on a 6, in the common form
- Kind of thing
- An outing format, not an overlay
On this page8
How a Las Vegas scramble works
Before the round each player on the team takes a number from 1 to 4. On every hole all four players drive, and then one of them rolls a die. If the die shows 1, 2, 3 or 4 the team plays from that player's drive, however good or bad it was. This is the common form; the meaning of 5 and 6 is where clubs differ.
The usual reading is that a 5 lets the team choose its best drive, as in a normal scramble, and a 6 forces the team to play from its worst drive. Some clubs make 5 and 6 both team choice, and some make 6 a re-roll. Whichever rule is used, once the drive is settled the rest of the hole is a plain scramble: everyone plays from the chosen spot, the best ball is picked, and so on to the hole.
Because the roll can pick any drive, every player has to hit a real tee shot on every hole. A player who would have coasted in a normal scramble is one roll from being the team's drive.
Why it is not a side game
The die changes which ball is in play. That is a change to the physical round, not a way of scoring a round that was played anyway, so it cannot be layered onto a stroke play or four-ball outing. It belongs to the same family as the Florida and reverse scrambles: an outing format that has to be chosen before anyone tees off.
Handicaps and scoring
Teams are handicapped as in any scramble, with a weighted percentage of each Course Handicap™, or the round is simply played gross. The team score is one gross or net score per hole and the lowest 18-hole total wins. Ties are settled on countback in the usual way.
What Parful does
Parful does not score the Las Vegas scramble, and it is not a candidate for a side game because it changes the round rather than scoring it. A club that wants to run one can set the outing up as a scramble on Parful and manage the die on the course; the app will score the team's hole totals like any scramble without knowing about the roll.
The rules on this page are the common form. Parful has not ratified a version of this format.
Worked example
A worked example: six holes
Ana is 1, Ben is 2, Cal is 3, Dee is 4. A 5 is team choice and a 6 is worst drive. The table shows the roll, the drive played and the team's gross score for the hole.
| Hole | Roll | Drive used | Where it was | Team score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (par 4) | 3 | Cal | 230 yards, rough | 4 |
| 2 (par 5) | 5 | Team choice: Ben | 270 yards, fairway | 4 |
| 3 (par 3) | 6 | Worst: Dee | Short, in the bunker | 4 |
| 4 (par 4) | 1 | Ana | 245 yards, fairway | 3 |
| 5 (par 4) | 4 | Dee | 200 yards, fairway | 4 |
| 6 (par 5) | 2 | Ben | 255 yards, trees | 6 |
- On hole 2 the team chose Ben's drive because the roll was a 5. On hole 6 Ben's drive was in the trees and the roll gave the team no choice.
- Dee's 200-yard drive on hole 5 would never be used in a normal scramble; here it was, and the team still made par.
Common variants
- 5 and 6 are both team choice
- The gentler version. One third of the holes become a normal scramble and there is no forced worst drive. Scores are lower and the luck is smaller.
- Roll before the drive
- The die is rolled on the tee so the team knows whose drive counts before anyone hits. Only that player really needs to drive, which loses most of the fun; it is uncommon.
- Every shot rolled
- The die is rolled after every stroke rather than only the drive, so approach shots and chips are picked by chance too. Rounds take a long time.
Las Vegas scramble questions
How does a Las Vegas scramble work?
All four players drive, then one rolls a die. A 1 to 4 means that numbered player's drive is used. In the common form a 5 lets the team choose and a 6 forces the worst drive. The rest of the hole is a normal scramble.
What do 5 and 6 mean on the die?
Most clubs use 5 for team choice and 6 for the worst drive. Some use both as team choice. Agree it on the first tee.
Is a Las Vegas scramble the same as Vegas?
No. Vegas is a two-versus-two betting game where the pairs' scores are combined into a two-digit number. The Las Vegas scramble is a team format with a die.
Can we play it as a side game inside our normal outing?
No. The die changes which ball is played, so it has to be the outing's format. Parful explains it and does not score it.
How is a Las Vegas scramble handicapped?
Like any scramble, with a weighted share of each player's Course Handicap, or gross. The die does not change the handicap.