Rules of TONKOUT
Tonkout is a card game that you can play with between 2 and 4 players with a standard 52 deck of cards
Tonkout is played for points or for fun but can be played for money with a stake agreed on before the game starts. The stakes may be any amount, but are typically small because Tonkout is fast and furious. Players may drop at any time and this option is used quite often.
AUTOMATIC WINS OFF THE DEAL
50 points PAYS DOUBLE
13 points and under PAYS DOUBLE
49 points PAYS SINGLE
These are the counted number of cards to make these totals.
All cards are worth their face value except the picture cards (Jack, queen, King) are worth 10 points and aces are worth 1 point.
ALL Players are dealt (5) five cards. The objective of Tonkout is to get the lowest numbered amount in your hand. You do this by getting rid of all your cards by obtaining sets or runs in your hand and getting rid of all your cards by laying them on the table.
If you feel you are lowest point total when your turn comes you may GO FOR LOW (also called “running in” or “dropping”), which is laying your hand down cards facing up. (CATCH RULES APPLY) If any player GOES FOR LOW, another player can obtain a “catch” by being equal or lower in the counted number of the cards. If a player Goes for Low, that player must push catch chips, points, or money in with the cards on any attempt.
CATCH RULES
IF A CATCH OCCURS, the player that gets caught has to pay the catcher DOUBLE the table pot at that time. (If pot is 20 then he has to pay that player 40, if the pot is 100 then that player has to pay 200)
FREE RIDE
The main pot doesn’t change during a catch, no player wins the pot and no player re antes. Thus it is a “free ride” to all players.
Tonkout is a matching card game to which players make spreads with 3 or more cards. Spreads come in 2 different ways. A player can spread in sets of three (3), for example: 3 sevens which are the seven of clubs, seven of spades and seven of diamonds. And a player can spread in a row of same suit, for example, the 3 of hearts, the 4 of hearts and the 5 of hearts. A Set consists of three or four cards of the same rank, such as Q- Q- Q or 4- 4- 4- 4.A run consists of three or more consecutive cards of the same suit, such as Ace- 2- 3 or 8- 9- 10- J. The ace counts as low, next to the two not the king.
You may also “Hit” existing spreads to reduce the cards in your hand by adding to a spread previously put down by yourself or another player. For example if there is 5- 6- 7 of clubs on the table and you have a 4 or 8 of clubs in your hand you can put it on the table, adding it to the run. (Hit and Hold rules) (See below)
If you get rid of all the cards in your hand (by making a second spread or using all your cards to hit existing spreads), the play ends and you win the hand (see below).
HIT AND HOLD
Hit and Hold rules are if a player takes a hit by himself or another player on a spread, that player must wait one complete round of play before the can “Go for Low”. If that player takes multiple hits in the same round of play, he still only has to wait one complete round of play.
If no one has automatic win, the play begins. The aim is, by drawing and discarding, to form your cards into spreads, which can be books of 3 or 4 equally 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 is no longer any use to collect 49 or more points; this only wins in your original hand, before the play starts.
End of the Game
Assuming that no one claims 49 or 50 points immediately after the deal, the game can end in four ways:
- Someone gets rid of all his or her cards without a final discard by putting down two different spreads, this is also called a Tonkout. A tonkout pays double antes to the winner after the game.
- Someone runs out of cards by discarding their last card. The player with no cards wins. A player can do this by spread out or hit out. . Spread out/Spread all card out in sequential order being left with no cards. Hit out/Players get rid of any and all cards by hitting any spread on table to release any and all of his cards before another player wins.
- Someone “Goes for Low” or drops at the start of their turn. In this case all players expose their cards that remain in their hands and add up the values of the cards they held. * If the player who dropped has the lowest point count, that player wins.
- If the deck runs out, the player with the lowest count wins. In the case of a tie when the stock runs out, the pot is split between the two players.
SIDE BETS WINNING POTS DISTRIBUTED TO THE PLAYER OR PLAYERS THAT WON THEIR RESPECTED SIDE BET.
- BEST HAND (also known as “beat out”- THE PLAYER THAT WINS HAND OR PLAYER WITH THE LOWEST HAND (COUNTED NUMBERS)
- HIGH CARDS OF EACH SUIT (SPADES, CLUBS, HEARTS, DIAMOND)-PLAYER WITH THE HIGHEST CARD IN THIS SUIT OFF THE DEAL
- LOW CARDS OF EACH SUIT (SPACES, CLUBS, HEARTS, DIAMONDS) THE PLAYER WITH THE LOWEST CARD IN THE SUIT FROM THE DEAL
- COLOR PAIR (PLAYER WITH THE HIGHEST COLOR PAIR FROM DEAL) MUST BE SAME COLOR (RED/DIAMOND AND HEARTS OR BLACK/SPADES AND CLUBS) NOTE: ACES ARE HIGH, DEUCES ARE LOWEST
- OPPOSITE PAIR (PLAYER WITH THE HIGHEST OPPOSITE PAIR FROM DEAL) MUST BE DIFFERENT COLORS (RED AND BLACK AND COMBINATION/CLUB AND HEARTS OR DIAMONDS/SPADES WITH HEARTS OR DIAMONDS)
- ONE EYED JACKS (JACK OF SPADES AND HEARTS FROM THE DEAL)(PLAYER OR PLAYERS WITH ONE OF THESE CARDS FROM THE DEAL.NOTE IF A TIE, PLAYERS SPLIT POT
- SUICIDE KING (KING OF HEARTS)(PLAYER WITH THIS CARD FROM THE DEAL)
- 1ST TO SPREAD (FIRST PLAYER TO MAKE A SPEAD DURING THAT DEAL OF THE GAME)
- 1ST TO TONK (MAKE 2 SPREADS) (1ST PLAYER TO WIN BY TONKOUT DURING THE GAME)
