Tonk Rules
Objective
Be the first to get rid of all your cards or have the lowest point total when someone drops. First player to reach 100 points loses the match!
Card Values
- Ace: 1 point
- 2-10: Face value
- J, Q, K: 10 points each
Turn Flow
- Start of Turn: You may form spreads, hit existing spreads, or drop
- Draw: Draw one card from the deck or discard pile
- Action: Form spreads, hit spreads, then discard one card to end your turn
Spreads
- Book: 3 or 4 cards of the same rank (e.g., 7-7-7)
- Run: 3+ cards of the same suit in sequence (e.g., 4-5-6 of Hearts). Ace is low only.
You can "hit" existing spreads by adding matching cards to them.
Dropping (Knocking)
At the start of your turn (before drawing), you may drop claiming lowest points. All hands are revealed:
- If you have the lowest points, you win the round
- If someone else has equal or lower points, they win (you got "caught")
Winning
- Tonk: Empty your hand by laying spreads/hitting
- Initial Tonk: Start with 49 or 50 points - automatic win! (If multiple players have it, cards are redealt)
- Drop: Have the lowest points when you drop
- Stock Empty: When the deck runs out and you can't draw, lowest points wins
Match Scoring
When a round ends, the loser(s) add their hand points to their match total. First player to 100 points loses the match!