Dealing and playing the tonk card game
You deal five cards to each player, clockwise, one at a time. After dealing 5 cards to each player, the next card will start the discard pile. The remaining undealt cards are placed face down beside the discard pile which will now be called your Stock pile. Look, at your hand and if it contains 49 to 50 points you must say this aloud and show your cards. This is called tonk. If this happens then the hand is not played and the player with 40 to 50 points is paid twice the amount of the basic stake by the other players. If more than one player has 49 to 50 points, then there is no payments made, and the cards are thrown in and the next player deals.
Now you are ready to play.
If no one tonks, then the play begins. Your objective by drawing and discarding, to form your cards into spreads, which can be books of 3 or 4 equal ranked cards or runs of 3 or more cards in suit, or to dispose of your cards by adding them to existing spreads. You win if you manage to get rid of all of your cards, or if you have the lowest value of unmatched cards when someone stops the play. Note that once the play has begun, it’s no longer any use to collect 40 or more points, this only wins in your original hand, before the play starts.
The person to the left of the dealer plays first and the turn to play passes clockwise. At your turn, you have two options. If after drawing from the stock or discard pile you have a spread of three or more cards, you may place them face up on the table. These cards them no longer count towards the total in your hand. There are two types of spread.
A book consists of three or four of the same rank. A run consists of three or more consecutive cards of the same suit. The ace counts as low, next to the two not the king.
Another possibility to reduce the cards in your hand is to extend a spread previously put down by yourself or another player. Putting down a card to extend a spread is sometimes called hitting. Cards can only be put down this in your own turn, after drawing and before discarding.
If by putting down cards, you get rid of all the cards in your hand by making a second or using all your cards to hit existing spreads), the play ends and you win the hand. Otherwise, you complete your turn by discarding one card face up on top of the discard pile. If this leaves you with no cards you win, other wise the turn passes to the next player to your left and play continues.
The End of the tonk card game.
If no one had claimed 49 to 50 points immediately after the deal, the play can end in four ways.
Other ways to end the game.
Someone gets rid of all their cards without a final discard.
This may happen as a result of a player putting down a second spread or hitting existing spreads on three occasions. This is usually called a tonk, and the winner is paid a double stake by each other player.
Someone runs out of cards by discussing their last card.
The player with no cards wins and each of the other players pays the agreed basic stake to the winner.
Someone drops or goes down or knocks at the start of their turn.
The stock runs out. The player with the lowest count receives the basic stake from each other player.
Also, try the tonk casino game, which can be played online or played to win cash at your nearest casino.
The tonk card game and the tonk casino game are both very fun for a night out with friends.