Tonk Card Game | Tips & Tricks to Win the Game

Tonk Card game, also known as Tunk card game is a Knock Rummy and Conquian game having its origin in the US. The game is actually a descendant of Filipino Card game – Tong-Its. The game is quite popular and you might like it to.

To know how to play tonk game, tonk card game rules and more, keep reading further.

•  Aim on Tonk Card game – To Play all cards in hand or to have the lowest value non-pair in hand at the end of the game so as to win the stake.
•  Number of Players – 2-3 Players
• Number of Cards – 52 deck Playing Cards
• Game Type – Rummy
• Game Audience – Adult

Scoring in Tonk

The card values in tonk game are as below –

1. Aces = 1 point
2. Face Cards = 10 points
3. Number Cards = Face Value

The game tonk is played usually for money. Before the game starts, the players decide the stake, which is the amount paid by each player to the winner. At times, winners can double the stake and this is called as tonk.

How to Deal?

• The player who gets the highest card becomes the dealer.
• The deal passes to the left.
• The dealer deals 5 cards to each player starting from his left, one at a time.
• Once all the players get 5 cards each, the top card on the deck is flipped to create the discard pile. Only the top card of the discard pile can be visible.
• The rest of the cards form the stock pile.
• The game proceeds clockwise.

Note – If a player’s cards sum up to 49 or 50 points, they have to declare it before the game begins. This is a tonk. The hand is not played and the player who has the ton khets twice the stake from every other player.

In case there are more than 1 players who have got a tonk, then it is considered a draw and none of them are paid. The cards are then collected from all players, shuffled and a new deal is set.

How to Play?

• The players form spreads by drawing and discarding their cards. The spread is formed of runs and books.
• Players also have the option to discard cards into existing spreads.
•  In order to win, a player has to get rid of all their cards and have the lowest sum of unmatched cards with them until the game ends.
• Getting a 49 or 50 when the game has begun is of no use. Tonk can be called only before the game starts.
• At their turn, a player has 2 options – They can either play at the start and place all their cards faced up on the table. This is often known as ‘dropping’, ‘knocking’ or ‘going out low’. When a player knocks, they claim that have the lowest total value of cards.
• The other option is to continue playing by drawing a card from the discard or the stock pile. A tip here would be to get rid of the cards in your hand by adding to or creating spreads.
• Once a player discards a card to the top of discard pile, their turn ends.

Spread

A spread is made of 3 or more cards. Adding cards to a spread is known as Hitting. In case you have a spread of 3-4-5 of diamonds, and a 5 of diamonds then you can add that to the spread at your turn but before discard.

These cards do not count as your hand. There are generally 2 types of Spreads –

1. Runs – A run is a group of 3 or more cards from the same suit, in a sequence. For example, 3-4-5-6.
2. Books – A book is is a group of 3 or more cards of the same rank. For instance, K-K-K-K, 3-3-3-3.

When a player uses all of their cards in a turn the game then ends. And that player is the winner.

But if all the cards are not used, the player can complete their turn by discarding and if after discarding the player is left with no cards, that player is the winner.

If the game does not end that way or by knocking, then the players are required to play until the stock runs out and players all the cards possible with their hand. In such cases, the game ends when a player does not want to take from the discard.

Variations

One of the most common Tonk variations is when the after the deal, the discard pile is not formed. In such a game, the first player forms the stock pile and then the discard pile is created with their first discard.

The players are not allowed to have a spread in their hand. In case they have one, they are required to place it down. One exception to this tonk rule is when there are 3 aces in the hand.

The players get the option to double the fundamental stake if they make a new spread and get rid of all their cards without discarding. But the fundamental stake can be won only if the player hits spreads and runs out of cards.

That was all about Tonk card game, tonk/tunk variations and tonk game rules. In case there is anything you wish to ask us about the game, feel free to let us know in the comment section below. We will get back to you as soon as possible.