Tonk (game)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tonk or tunk, a card game, is a less complex variety of rummy, without the scoring component. Any number can play. A game consists of several hands. The players take turns dealing.
Tonk is usually played for money, with a stake agreed on before the game starts. Each player pays the stake to the winner of the hand. Games typically involve three to five players. Stakes may be any amount, but are typically small, on the order of a nickel or dime.
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.
A standard fifty-two card deck is used. Each card has a point value: Ace through ten have their face value, aces having a value of one point, deuces a value of two points, and so on. The Jack, Queen, and King are each worth ten points.
There is a group of Tonk players in Deltona, Florida that founded the TPA, which stands for Tonk Players of America. The group was founded on or near June 8, 2008. There is no information as to whether this group has any sanction over Tonk games, but speculation is that they will.
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[edit] Play
Players are dealt five cards in turn. The dealer turns up the first of the un-dealt cards as the start of the discard pile (Some people play that the dealer does not turn up the first card. The discard pile is started after the first player draws). The remaining un-dealt cards are set face down in a stack next to the discard pile. These form the stock.
Players total up the points in their hand. If a player has 50 points (or 49 in some variations) he says, "tonk" and immediately wins a double stake from each player. If two players have 50 points the hand is a draw, and another hand is dealt. If no one tonks, play continues. The player to the left of the dealer begins, and play continues in turn.
The goal of play is to get rid of one's cards by forming them into spreads. A spread is three or four identical cards regardless of suit (such as three 5's or four Queens), or three or more in a row of the same suit. A player may add cards to his own or another's spread. The winner is the first to get rid of all his cards, or the player with the fewest points when play is stopped.
Play stops when a player gets rid of all his cards, or when a player knocks, by laying his cards face up on the table. A player may knock at any point in the game, including right after the cards are dealt. When a player knocks, all the players likewise lay their cards face up. The player with the fewest points in his hand is the winner. If the player who knocked does not have the fewest points, he must pay the stake to each player with fewer points. In addition, each player pays the stake to the winner. If there is a tie, both players are paid.
If the player does not knock, he must draw the top card from the discard pile or from the stock. The player may then lay face up any spreads, or add to any spreads on the table. If after this the player has no more cards, he says, "tonk" and wins. Each player pays him a double stake.
If the player has one or more cards remaining, he must discard one card to the discard pile. If this is his last card, play ends. He is the winner, and each player pays him the stake. If the player has one or more cards left in his hand after discarding, his turn ends.
If the stock runs out, play stops. The player with the fewest points in his hand wins, and is paid the stake by each player. If two or more players tie the hand is a draw, and another hand is dealt.
Many variations in play are possible.
[edit] Eating
Eating differentiates Tonk from the rest of the gin rummy family. It is an optional component of the game and is changeable by the house rules. Eating is done when a player sees a card he wants or needs discarded by another player and picks it up, regardless of whether it is his turn or not. When a player eats, he effectively skips the players between him and the player who discarded the eaten card. Play resumes with the player after the eating player after he has discarded.
[edit] Melding
Players can meld sets (three of the same rank card) or runs (three consecutive cards in the same suit, i.e.: 9d, 10d, Jd), but cannot "bridge the gap" by melding Kh, Ah, 2h of any suit.
[edit] Hitting
Hitting is a variation of the common laying off of another player's meld (i.e.: you hit an opponent's set of three 10s with the other 10). The card is put with the melds of the player who is receiving the hit. However, when a player "hits" another player, the player receiving the hit cannot lay down for three turns. Multiple hits result in 6, 9, 12, and so on turns. After a player has hit another player, the hitting player is allowed to discard a card from his hand. Once a player's set has been hit and the four cards of that rank are melded, they can be thrown into the discard pile.
[edit] Dropping (Shooting)
A player can drop at any point in the game, even before the play begins. The player wins the match if he has a lower hand count than the other players. Number cards are worth their rank, face cards are worth ten, and aces are usually counted as one, but this can be changed by the house rules. If a player "catches" the dropping player by having the same hand count as him, the dropping player loses. In the event of two players catching a dropping player, both players are considered winners.
[edit] Running out
Running out is simple. It occurs when you use your last card to discard. An example situation: Player A has two cards, 5 and 2. Player B melds a set of 5's. Player A hits Player B with his 5 and discards his remaining card, the 2
[edit] Tonking out (Bubbles)
Tonking out is the preferred method of winning the game. It is achieved by melding or hitting until no cards remain in the player's hand. However, what differs tonking out from running out is that you can not discard your last card, it must either be used in a meld or in a hit. When a game is played for money, tonking out usually results in a double payment.(Tonk out Double).
[edit] High count or Low count
Some house rules include a provision that a player wins the game automatically if he is dealt a hand count of 49 or 50. Some house rules include a provision that a player wins the game automatically if he/she is dealt a hand count of 13 or under.
