Tonk
How to Play Tonk
Tonk is a five-card knock-rummy for 2–4 people — 2 is the usual pair table, and 3 is a real table — everyone for themselves. You deal one 52, five cards each. Spread 3+ sets or runs, knock, or auto-win on a 50 deal.
This page is kitchen-table Tonk. Southern knock-rummy at the table, not a gambling primer. Short enough to deal tonight. This is not gin rummy. Gin is two people, 10 cards, knock at 10 deadwood, hold the hand. This is not 31. 31 is three cards, one suit, lives, and everyone else gets another turn after a knock. Not Rummy 500 (7 or 13 cards, fish the discard, race to 500). Three is a real table, not a leftover. Two is the usual pair. Pick it from tonight with 2 players, tonight with 3, or tonight with 4.
What you need
- 2–4 players. Everyone for themselves. No partners. Two is the usual pair table. Three is a real table. Four is a full table. Five is not tonight's Tonk.
- One standard 52-card deck. No jokers. Five cards each. The rest is the stock. Turn one discard face-up. You look at your own cards.
- No score pad. Win the hand. Optional rematch: first to 3 hands.
Sit, pick a dealer, agree on the house
Sit where you can see the discard and reach the stock. Cut for the first deal, or point at someone. After each hand, the deal moves clockwise.
Say these out loud before the first card:
- One 52. Five each. No jokers. No partners. Rest is the stock. One discard up.
- Look for a 50-tonk right after the deal. Ace = 11, face = 10, pip = face. If the five cards total 50, show now — you win the hand. If two people both have 50, first to show wins.
- Draw, spread, lay off, discard. Stock or the top discard — no fishing buried cards. Spreads are 3+ of a kind or 3+ same-suit consecutive. Ace low in runs (A-2-3), not high, not around. Lay off on anyone's spread.
- After you discard you may knock. No extra turn for anyone else. Remaining unmelded: ace 1, face 10, pip face. Strictly lowest wins. Tied or not lowest: knocker is caught and loses. Empty the hand and you win without knocking. Not gin. Not 31. Not Rummy 500.
Deal 5 each, a stock, and one discard
Shuffle the 52. Deal clockwise: five cards each. Put the rest of the pack face-down in the middle. That is the stock. Turn the next card face-up beside it. That is the discard.
Two people: 10 cards dealt, 42 in the stock, one of those turned up. Three people: 15 dealt. Four people: 20 dealt. If someone has the wrong count, throw it in and deal again.
Look at your hand before anyone draws. Left of the dealer plays first — unless someone just showed a 50-tonk.
The 50-tonk on the deal
Add the five cards with ace = 11, face = 10, pip = face value. If the five total 50, that is a tonk. Show immediately. You win the hand. Nobody draws. Nobody knocks.
If two people both have 50, first to show wins that hand. Do not wait. Ace is 11 only for this deal check. After play starts, leftover ace is 1.
| What | Value on the deal |
|---|---|
| Ace | 11 — deal check only |
| King, queen, jack | 10 |
| Pip 2–10 | Face value |
| Five cards total 50 | Tonk. Show now. You win the hand. |
| Two people both at 50 | First to show wins. |
Example: A♣ K♣ Q♣ J♣ 9♣ is 11+10+10+10+9 = 50. Show. Tonk. You win. A♥ A♦ K♥ Q♥ J♥ is 11+11+10+10+10 = 52. Not 50. Play.
Spreads: sets, runs, and layoffs
You put spreads on the table. Two legal kinds:
- Set: three or more of a kind, any suits. Three kings. Four 8s. A pair is not a spread.
- Run: three or more consecutive cards of the same suit. 5-6-7 of clubs. 9-10-jack of hearts.
Ace is low in runs, not high, not around. A-2-3 of diamonds is a run. Queen-king-ace is not. King-ace-2 is not.
You may lay off on anyone's spread — yours or theirs. A fourth king onto three kings already down. A 4 of spades onto someone's ace-2-3 of spades.
This is the opposite of gin rummy. In gin you hold the hand until a knock at 10. Here the table is public, five cards, and you may knock any remaining count.
Your turn: draw, spread, discard, maybe knock
Play goes clockwise. On your turn:
- Draw one from the stock, or take the top discard. Do not fish buried cards. That is Rummy 500.
- Spread if you want — new sets, new runs, or layoffs on anyone's piles. You may table more than one spread in a turn.
- Discard one card face-up, unless you emptied the hand. That ends the draw half of the turn.
- After you discard, you may knock. Everyone else gets no extra turn tonight. Show remaining unmelded. Compare.
When the stock is gone, play on with what is in hand until someone knocks or empties. Do not reshape the discard into a new stock.
Count, knock, caught, empty the hand
Remaining unmelded cards are your count. After the deal check, values change for the ace:
| What | Value after the deal |
|---|---|
| Ace | 1 — not 11. 11 was the deal-check only. |
| King, queen, jack | 10 |
| Pip 2–10 | Face value |
| Spread cards already on the table | Do not count |
| Knock: strictly lowest remaining | Wins the hand |
| Knocker tied or not lowest (caught) | Knocker loses. Lowest among the others wins. |
| Empty the hand | Win without knocking |
Knock only after you discard. Nobody else draws. Everyone shows what is still in hand — not the spreads already down. Strictly lowest remaining wins the hand. If you are tied or someone is lower, you are caught: you lose the hand. The lowest remaining among the others wins.
If you table the last cards and nothing is left — with or without a final discard — you win without knocking. Nobody compares counts.
No pad. Win the hand. If you want a rematch night, first to 3 hands is tonight's optional house. You do not race to 100. That is gin. You do not spend lives. That is 31.
Walk through one first-night hand
Three people — a real table. You are West. East dealt. Five each. The discard is 4♥.
You hold A♣ K♣ Q♣ J♣ 9♣. Deal check: ace is 11. 11+10+10+10+9 = 50. Show now. Tonk. You win the hand. Nobody draws. Deal again if you are playing first to 3.
Next hand. You hold 7♥ 7♦ 7♣ 5♠ 2♠. Deal check: 7+7+7+5+2 = 28. Not 50. North and East are not 50 either. Play.
You draw 7♠ from the stock. Spread four 7s. Discard 2♠. One card left: 5♠. You knock. North shows leftover 9. East leftover 12. You have 5 remaining. Strictly lowest. You win the hand.
Later you knock with 8 remaining. North also has 8. East has 12. You are tied — caught. You lose the hand. North wins. Knock when you think you are strictly lowest, not tied.
Another hand you draw into 5♥-6♥-7♥ with two cards already tabled as a layoff. You spread the run. Nothing left. No discard. You win without knocking. Nobody compared counts. Nobody wrote on paper. Nobody held ten cards and waited for 10 deadwood. Nobody scored one suit in three cards.
Night-one habits
- Check for 50 before anyone draws. Ace is 11 only on that look.
- After play starts, leftover ace is 1. Do not still count it 11.
- Table a spread when it is ready. Waiting is how gin works, not this.
- Lay off on anyone's piles. Those cards leave your count.
- Knock after you discard. Nobody else gets a turn. Caught if you are tied or not lowest.
- Three people is a real Tonk table. Two is the usual pair. Four is a full table. Deal.
You know enough to deal. Keep this page beside the table. Two people is the tonight pick. Three people is a tonight pick. Four people is a tonight pick. There is no Tonk trainer on CardPractice — this how-to is the product. If you wanted 10 cards, a knock at 10, and no spreading on the table, that is gin rummy. If you wanted three cards, one suit, and lives, that is 31. If you wanted 7 or 13 cards and to fish the discard, that is Rummy 500.