See full list on pagat.com. Eric Dee reports that in Seattle, USA, Tonk is a popular union card game, played by the longshoremen and labourers. The main difference is that seven cards are dealt to each player, not five. Card Game Rules. Tunk, or Tonk, is a rummy type game played with 2-4 players and with a standard 52 playing card deck. In Tunk, Kings are high, Aces low, and 2s wild. The objective of Tunk is to have the fewest points at the round’s end. For more Rummy type games, check out our guides for Canasta and Gin.
Tonk, or Tunk as it is sometimes referred, is a knock rummy and conquian game from the United States. It is supposed to be a descendant of a Filipino card game “Tong-Its.” It was a popular card game among jazz players in the 1930s and 40s. Tonk - card game Tonk, or tunk is a matching card game, which combines features of knock rummy and conquian. Tonk is a relatively fast game that can be played during brief periods of time by varying numbers of players. In some places it is a popular pastime for workers on their lunch break.
OBJECTIVE OF TONK: Play all cards in hand or have the lowest value non-pair in hand at the end of the game in order to win the stake.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2-3 Players
NUMBER OF CARDS: 52-card deck
TYPE OF GAME: Rummy
AUDIENCE: Adult
INTRODUCTION TO TONK
Tonk, or Tunk as it is sometimes referred, is a knock rummy and conquian game from the United States. It is supposed to be a descendant of a Filipino card game “Tong-Its.” It was a popular card game among jazz players in the 1930s and 40s.
![Tonk Card Game Tonk Card Game](/uploads/1/3/6/1/136148697/614348708.jpg)
STARTING THE GAME
Card values are as follows:
Face cards: 10 points
Aces: 1 point
Number cards: face value
Tonk is generally played for money. Before beginning, players agree upon the foundational stake- this is the amount paid to the winner by each player. Sometimes winners can win double the stake, this is called a tonk.
To determine a dealer, each player receives one card, player with the highest card acts as dealer. The deal passes to the left so new players must sit to the dealers right.
THE DEAL
The dealer passes each player five cards, one at a time, starting to their left. The top card on the deck after each player has five cards is flipped to create the discard pile. The remaining deck is the stock.
If a player’s hand initially sums to 49 or 50 points they must declare it and show their cards, this is a tonk. The hand is not played and the player with the tonk receives twice the stake from each player. If there is more than one player with a hand totaling 49 or 50 points it is a draw. Neither are paid, all cards are collected, shuffled, and a new hand is dealt.
THE PLAY
By drawing and discarding, players try to form their cards into spreads. A spread can be made of books and runs. Players will also try to discard their cards into existing spreads. To win, you must get rid of all your cards or have the lowest sum of unmatched cards at the end of the game. After play has begun, it is of no use to try and get 49 or 50 points, this only applies before gameplay.
Play begins with the player to the left of the dealer and moves clockwise. A turn gives two options:
- You may end the play at the beginning by placing all your cards face-up on the table. This is referred to as “dropping,”“going out low,” or “knocking.” By knocking you are claiming to have the lowest total value of cards in hand with regards to other players.
- You may continue to play by drawing or plucking the top card from the stock or the discard. Try to reduce the cards in your hand by creating or adding to spreads. Your turn ends when you discard a card to the top of the discard pile (face-up).
Only the top card of the discard should be visible, players are not allowed to rummage through the discard.
A spread is made of three or more cards that no longer count toward your hand. There are two kinds of spreads:
- Books consist of three to four cards of the same rank. For example, J-J-J or 4-4-4-4
- Runs consist of three or more cards in sequence from the same suit. For example, (spades) A-2-3-4. Ace counts as low card.
Adding a card to a spread is called hitting. If you have a spread of (Clubs) 5-6-7 and you have a 4 of clubs in hand, you may add that to the spread during your turn (before discard).
If you use all cards in hand during a turn, the play ends and you have won that hand. If not, complete your turn by discarding. If after discarding you are left with no cards, you win.
If play does not end with someone playing all their cards or knocking, play until the stock runs out (dry) and players play all the cards they can within their hand. The play ends when a player does not wish to take from the discard (but rather the empty stock.)
POST-PLAY (PAYOUT)
If a player plays all their cards without discarding, this is a “tonk” or the player has “tonked out.” They receive double the stake from each player.
If a player runs out of cards after discarding, the player with the empty hand collects the basic stake from each player.
If someone knocks, each player exposes their hand and sums the total of cards held.
- The player who knocks has the lowest total, they win the basic stake.
- The player who knocks does not have the lowest total, they pay double the stake to each player who has an equal or lower hand. Also, the player who actually held the lowest hand receives the basic stake from each player. If there is a tie for low hand, both players are paid the stake, this is called a catch.
If the stock runs dry, the player with the lowest sum receives the basic stake from each player.
VARIATIONS
After the deal, there is no discard pile formed, the first player draws from the stock and the discard pile begins with their first discard.
It is illegal to hold a spread in hand, if you have a spread you must place it down. There is an exception, in which three Aces may be held in hand. This rule seems strange, from an enforcement perspective, since hands are supposed to be secret.
Players can win double the basic stake if they make a new spread and get rid of all their cards without discarding. However, the can only win the basic stake if they only hit spreads and run out of cards without discarding.
REFERENCES:
https://www.pagat.com/rummy/tonk.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonk_(card_game)
This page draws on information collected by Dave Holdsworth and Adva Dar.
Introduction
Tong-its is a three-player knock rummy game that has become popular in the northern Philippines in recent years. Both the name and the structure of the game suggest a relationship to the American game Tonk. Tong-Its appeared in the late 20th century and seems to be an extended version of Tonk, played with 12 card hands.
Players and Cards
Tong-Its is a game for three players only, using one standard Anglo-American deck of 52 cards (without jokers). The cards in each suit rank: Ace 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Jack Queen King. An Ace is worth 1 point, Jacks, Queens and Kings are worth 10 points each, and all other cards count their face value.
Objective; Melds
The object of the game is, by drawing and discarding, to form sets and runs, and to to minimize the count of unmatched cards remaining in your hand.
A run consists of three or more consecutive cards of the same suit, such as 4, 5, 6 or 8, 9, 10, J. (A-K-Q of a suit is not a run since aces are low in this game).
A set consists of three or four cards of the same rank, such as 7, 7, 7. A card can belong to only one combination at a time - you cannot use the same card as part of both a set and a run.
The Deal
The first dealer is chosen randomly. Thereafter the dealer is the winner of the previous hand. The cards are dealt one at a time counterclockwise, starting with the dealer: thirteen cards to the dealer and twelve cards to each of the other players. The remainder of the deck is placed face down to form the stock.
The Play
The dealer starts the play. The dealer may optionally expose one or more sets or runs face up on the table, thereby opening his or her hand, and must then discard one card face up to the centre of the table to start the discard pile. Discarding a card completes the dealer's turn and it is the turn of the next player, the player to the right. Play is counterclockwise.
Each turn consists of the following:
Tonk Card Game Videos
- Draw. You must begin by taking one card from either the top of the stock or the top card on the discard pile, and adding it to your hand. You may only take a card from the discard pile if you are able to create a meld (a set or run) with it, and you are then obliged to expose the meld.
- Exposing Melds. If you have a valid meld or melds (sets or runs) in your hand you can expose any of them on the table in front of you. Melding is optional if a card was taken from the stock; you are not obliged to expose a meld just because you can, and note that melds held in hand do not count against you at the end of the play. A player must lay at least one meld on the table for the hand to be considered opened. In the special case that you can meld a set of four and you have not drawn from the discard pile to complete the meld, you can lay the set of four down face down. By doing this you can 'open' your hand without losing the bonus payments for a secret set of 4 and without revealing the cards to the other players.
- Laying off.(sapaw) This is also optional. If you wish, you may add cards to sets or runs previously melded by yourself or others. There is no limit to the number of cards a player may lay off in one turn. A player need not have opened their hand to lay off. Laying a card off on another player's exposed meld prevents that player from calling Draw on his or her next turn.
- Discard. At the end of your turn, one card must be discarded from your hand and placed on top of the discard pile face up.
Note: you cannot take the top card of the discard pile in order to lay it off on a meld - the discard can only be used to form a set or run along with at least two cards from your hand.
End of the Play
The play continues as above until one of three things happens:
Tonk Card Game Instructions
- The stock is exhausted. If the stock pile runs out the game is over when the turn of the player who drew the last card is completed. At this point any player who has not opened by placing at least one meld on the table automatically loses. The players who have opened count the point total of the unmelded cards in their hands. The player with the lowest point total wins. In the case of a tie for least points, the player that picks up the last card wins if he is involved in the tie. In the case of a tie between the other two players, both having a lower score than the player who took the last card, the winner is the player whose turn would have been next - the player to the right of the one who took the last card.
- A player calls Tongit. If you are able use all your cards in combinations or by laying them off on melds that are on the table, you may call Tongit during or at the end of your turn. You may end this turn with a discard, or you may keep all your cards without discarding, if all the remaining cards in your hand form valid sets and runs.
- A player calls Draw. A player who has opened, and believes that both the other players have a higher point total or will fold, can call Draw at the start of his or her turn (before picking up a card). You cannot call Draw if someone laid off on any of your melds since your previous turn, or if you laid off on your own melds in your previous turn. In either case, you must wait until your next turn before you are able to call Draw.
If a player calls draw, the other players in turn can either fold or challenge the draw. If the other players both fold the player that called draw wins. If there are any challenges, the players compare cards and the player with the lowest point total wins. In the case of point ties the challenger wins all ties against the player calling draw. For ties between two challengers, the player to the right of the player calling draw wins. A player must have opened his or her hand in order to challenge a draw. If a player has opened and calls draw and no others have opened, the player automatically wins since no one can challenge the draw.
A player who has not opened when the play ends is considered burned(sunog). A burned player has to pay the winning player an extra penalty.
Scoring
After each individual game, the winner receives from each loser:
- 1 chip for winning
- 1 chip for each ace the winner is holding in hand or has in her own exposed melds. (Aces that are laid off on other players' melds do not count - neither those that the winner has laid off on other players nor those that they have laid off on the winner. Also, aces held by players other than the winner or placed in their melds have no effect on payment.)
- 1 chip penalty for being burned
- 3 chips for each secret set of 4 equal cards belonging to the winner - that is each 4-card set that is face down on the table or concealed in the winner's hand.
- 3 chips instead of 1 for winning by Tongit
- 3 chips for winning a Draw after a challenge
Additionally players create a side pot to which they add 2 chips before each deal. In order to win this pot a player must win two games in a row.
Tonk Card Game
Variations
Play Tonk
Some play with more special hands that earn extra chips - for example 3 chips for any 5 card or longer run that the winner has.
Some play with a payment of only 2 chips instead of 3 for secret sets of 4, Tongit and winning a challenge after a Draw.