The deal
Each player receives five cards. One card starts the discard pile and the rest form the face-down stock.
Knock rummy · United States · 3 players
Tonk
Tunk
Make a spread, hit the table, or stop the hand when your unmatched cards are low enough.
WWest5 cards
EEast5 cards
No spreads yet
Your turn
Drop, or draw a card to begin.
YYou5 cards · 0 pts
Hand complete
You win!
01 How to play
Draw. Spread.
Drop low.
Tonk is a fast knock-rummy game. This three-player version uses the typical five-card deal and records stakes as chips.
Card values
Aces count 1, number cards their face value, and Jacks, Queens and Kings count 10. An initial hand worth exactly 49 or 50 is an immediate double win.
Draw first
Unless you drop, begin by taking either the top stock card or the visible top card of the discard pile.
Make spreads
A book is three or four cards of one rank. A run is at least three consecutive cards of one suit. Aces are low and do not follow Kings.
Hit the table
After drawing, you may add suitable cards to any existing spread. You may lay and hit more than once before discarding.
End your turn
Discard one card. Discarding your final card wins a normal stake; using every card in spreads or hits is a double Tonk out.
Drop and catch
At the start of your turn you may drop. You win if your hand is strictly lowest. An equal or lower opponent catches you and receives a double payment.
Empty stock
If a player tries to draw from an empty stock, the hand ends and the player with the lowest unmatched-card total wins.
02 History & variants
Fast rummy with a knock.
An American rummy tradition
Tonk, also written Tunk, was recorded in the United States during the twentieth century and became associated with fast, social games for stakes. It is a member of the knock-rummy family, but players can also extend combinations already on the table. The game has a strong oral tradition, so its early history and any connection with the Philippines remain uncertain.
Five cards or seven
Common forms begin with five or seven cards. Tables disagree about the opening total that produces an immediate Tonk, whether hitting another player’s spread prevents a later drop, and how ties are paid. Some require a player to knock before drawing; others permit a drop at different points in the turn or reward going out without a final discard.