The way I understand it and it is played around here.  If you are playing for $5.00 per hole.  Win hole 1 up $5, win hole 2 up $10 win hole 3 up $15, lose hole 4 minus $5 up $10 now.  They press so holes go to $10 each. You win hole 5 up $20 now, the press again so holes go to $20 each and they win #6 so you lose $20 and are now even.

Whew! This is one of the reasons that I do not like to gamble. It takes a Philadelphia lawyer and accountant to figure out the bets. I guess if you gamble every time you play it would come natural on figuring out every thing but to me playing golf is me against the course and not the players in my group. Anyway, thanks for the answer.

As for a little wager, remember, "Money won is twice as sweet as money earned", especially when it's your buddy's money. Some do seem to want to play for far too much money - that can create ill feelings even between the closest friends.

As I understand it, it is when you are playing for $$ per side.

Say you are playing for $5 a side, $5 total ($5 nassau). After 4 holes(it can be done after hole 1) you are down and you press, now you are playing for $5 for who wins holes 1-9 and $5 for who wins holes 5-9. 

You cannot press your own press, your opponent can press your press then you can press again.

So you could end up with 9 $5 bets on one side. 1-9, 2-9, 3-9.........hole 9

In response to your question about your 6-6-6 bet...

Each bet (not hole) is worth $5 per player. For example, when you won 3 holes out of the first 4, you were only up 1 bet ($5 per player) not up 4 bets. Now when the automatic press kicked in (which actually should have been put into place after you won your second hole, but I wont get into that) and you won the next hole, you are up 2 bets, up 4 and up 1. Now that you come to the final hole and there is an option for a press, which is used, and your opponents win the hole, the bets then move to up 3, even, and down 1. so you win $5, you break even, then you lose $5. So yes, the bet is a wash.

Hope this helps.

I think you explained it the best. Our robin is a $3 bet per player. We were up 1 on #1,#2 and #3 (#2 and #3 was a tie). We won #4 and automatic press kicked in. We won #5 so now we are up 3 holes on original bet (not 4 like I stated. That was my error.) We win #5 and now are up 4 holes and playing #6. Opposition calls for a third press and win. We won first bet $3. They win last bet $3 and because they won last hole they tied the automatic press (second bet) so it is a wash. The opposition got mad when we questioned the results because being non gamblers we did not understand. They talked down to us like we were school children and we did not appreciate the brow beating. Hard feelings kicked in and put a damper on the rest of the game which is supposed to be fun. Apologies were made and all forgiven but my feeling of playing golf and gambling still hold true as to me it is a lose lose situation in the long run.

I thought you said you were a non-gambler........gambling is something non-gamblers do NOT do.

If you are going to be a gambler, understand the bet before the action begins.

I do not like to gamble as it adds nothing to my game and usually lightens my pocket book which is no fun. I do get sucked into a gambling game every so often and just when I think I understand the game, something new happens like three presses in a 6 hole game. Unfortuantly it seems that gambling and golf go together like a horse and buggy. Some people would not even play if there was not any money to be won. I don't get it. I try to avoid the gambling games as much as possible but when I am invited to play with a group and then I find out that there is "a game", I don't want to look like a whimp so I will go ahead and play.