How Do You Play The Card Game Tonk
Eric Dee reports that in Seattle, USA, Tonk is a popular union card game, played by the longshoremen and labourers. The main difference is that seven cards are dealt to each player, not five. One correspondent reports playing Tonk with seven card hands with sailors while serving in Vietnam, in this case using a 40-card deck without 8's, 9's. Only the player on the dealer's left, whose turn comes first, may take the first upcard. Before discarding, the player may 'tunk' (knock) if their unmatched cards count five or less. The player then spreads their hand, separating matched and unmatched cards. A matched set may have no more than four cards and must include two natural cards. And one more thing you can play this online card game for free as much as you want. Climb the leader board till the win and take the throne of Tonk King. Challenge other players to play against you. Free Spades is a 52-card trick taking game similar to the top card games like bridge, tonk, whist, Euchre, Gin Rummy & Canasta. However, in this game, spades always trump! Not another Solitaire game. The best card game with Jokers: From the creators of some of the leading free online games - Online Spades Royale lets you play cards with friends. Frank Grillo gets to die another day — again and again and again — in the time-loop action comedy. By Elisabeth Vincentelli An enchanting documentary about men and their best friends combing.
| Origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Alternative names | Texas Tonk, Tunk or Knot |
| Type | Matching |
| Players | 2-4 |
| Skills required | Strategy |
| Cards | 52 (plus two jokers) |
| Deck | Anglo-American |
| Play | Clockwise |
| Playing time | 5-15 min per game. |
| Random chance | Medium |
| Related games | |
| Conquian | |
Tonk, or tunk,[1] is a matchingcard game, which combines features of knock rummy and conquian.[2] Tonk is a relatively fast-paced game that can be played by 2-4 players. It was popular with blues and jazz musicians in southern Louisiana in the 1930s, including Duke Ellington's orchestra, and was played during breaks in the back rooms of bars and saloons.[3] It has been played in military barracks to the battlefield and In many other places it has become a popular pastime for workers while on their lunch breaks. It can be played for just points or for money wagered.
Description[edit]
Tonk is usually played for money wagered (with a stake agreed on before each game starts). Each player pays the stake to the winner of the hand. Games typically involve two to four players. Stakes may be any amount. A game consists of several hands. The players take turns dealing.
A standard fifty-two card deck (plus two jokers) is used. The jokers are wild and can be played as any card needed by the player who's lucky enough to get one of the jokers.
Play[edit]
Players are dealt five, seven, or nine cards, depending on the number of players, in turn. The dealer turns up the first of the un-dealt cards as the start of the discard pile. In some variations, the dealer does not turn up the first card; the discard pile is started after the first player draws. The remaining un-dealt cards are set face down in a stack next to the discard pile. These form the stock.
The goal of play is to get rid of one's cards by forming them into spreads. A spread is three or four identical cards (such as three 5's or four queens), or three or more in a row of the same suit. A player may add cards to their own or another's spread. The winner is the first to get rid of all their cards, or the player with the fewest points when play is stopped.
Play stops when a player gets rid of all their cards, or when a player drops, by laying their cards face up on the table. Depending on the variation, a player may drop at any point in the game, including right after the cards are dealt, or only before drawing. When a player drops, all the players likewise lay their cards face up. The player with the fewest points in their hand is the winner. If the player who dropped does not have the fewest points, they must pay the stake to each player with fewer points: this is called being caught. In addition, each player pays the stake to the winner. If there is a tie, both players are paid. If the tie is between the player who dropped and another player, the one who dropped is considered caught and must pay double, with the other player being the sole winner.
If the player does not drop, they must take the top card from the discard pile or draw a card from the stock. The player may then lay face up any spreads, or add to any spreads on the table. If after this the player has no more cards, they say 'tonk' and win, and each player pays them a double stake. Some play that a player must spread with six cards to tonk, otherwise the player goes out with zero effectively ending the game but only winning a single stake.
How Do You Play The Card Game Tonk Song
If the player has one or more cards remaining, they must discard one card to the discard pile. If this is their last card, play ends: they are the winner, and each player pays them the stake. If the player has one or more cards left in their hand after discarding, their turn ends.
If the stock runs out, play stops. The player with the fewest points in their hand wins, and is paid the stake by each player. If two or more players tie the hand is a draw, and another hand is dealt.
Many variations in play are possible.
Melding[edit]
Free Tonk Card Game App
Players can meld sets (three of the same rank card) or runs (three consecutive cards in the same suit, e.g. 9♦10♦J♦).
Aces may be played as high or low card, but may not 'bridge the gap' in a meld (e.g. K♦A♦2♦).
Hitting[edit]
Hitting is a variation of the common laying off of another player's meld (i.e.: hitting an opponent's set of three 10s with the other 10). The card is put with the melds of the player who is receiving the hit. However, when a player 'hits' another player, the player receiving the hit cannot lay down for one turn. Multiple hits result in additional loss of lay downs for turns thereafter. After a player has hit another player, the hitting player is allowed to discard a card from their hand. Once a player's set has been hit and the four cards of that rank are melded, they can be thrown into the discard pile.
Players cannot spread out.[clarification needed]
Tonking out (doubles)[edit]
Tonking out is the preferred method of winning the game. It is achieved by melding or hitting until no cards remain in the player's hand. The difference between tonking out and running out is that when a player tonks out, they use all six cards in either a spread or by hitting multiple times. When a player 'runs out', they use five cards and discard one. When a game is played for money, tonking out usually results in a double payment.
Tonk out double: In some variations, usually two-player, a player who 'tonks out' with a run that subsequently allows the other player to tonk out on those cards results in a 'double-double'. For example, a player holding 5♥ and 6♥ draws the 7♥ and tonks out, while the remaining player is holding 8♥ and 9♥ and tonks out as a result of the other player's hand, resulting in a 'double-double', meaning the wager would be increased by four times. So a wager of $1 for running out would be $2 for tonking out (doubles), and $4 for a double-double.
High count or low count[edit]
Some house rules include a provision that a player wins the game automatically if they are dealt a hand count of 49 or 50. Another variation states that 50 is automatic but 49 must be played in turn. This means that if a player goes down before it is the turn of the player who has 49, that player no longer wins.
Some house rules include a provision that a player wins the game automatically if dealt a hand count of 13 or under, and is paid double. Some house rules state that a hand of 9 or under is an automatic win and is paid triple.
Only run is a spread[edit]
Another house rule states players may add a card from their hand only to tabled runs, not on three of a kind. This rule is attributed to John P. Speno, inspired by writer Glen Cook'sThe Black Company.[4]
Texas Tonk[edit]
The winner is awarded double if:
- The winner tonks
- A different player comes in (shows their hand claiming to have the lowest) and is beaten by someone with a lower hand. The person with the lowest hand would be paid double by the person who 'came in.'
- The winner is dealt 50 on their initial deal
The winner is awarded the standard amount if:
- The player comes in with the lowest hand
- The player is dealt 49 on the initial deal
Spades[edit]
Players can bet on who has the highest spade dealt in their opening hand. Players who wish to participate will put their stake in an additional side pot (optional). Each player choosing to participate will reveal their highest spade in the order the cards were dealt. If a player participating in spades does not have a spade, they obviously will not show one, but it is a matter of honor to reveal a spade even if another player has already revealed theirs. If a player chooses not to participate, they do not need to reveal their spade. This creates an extra element of strategy as some players will more than likely be required to reveal a portion of their hand.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Richard Delgado, Jean Stefancic Critical race theory: the cutting edge pg. 407 Temple University Press ISBN1-56639-714-6
- ^John Scarne Scarne on Card Games: How to Play and Win at Poker, Pinochle, Blackjack, Gin and Other Popular Card Games pg. 108 Dover Publications (2004) ISBN0-486-43603-9
- ^Heimer, Mel. Penniless Blues. New York, Putnam.
- ^'Glen Cook's Card Game - Tonk [Version HH-24]'. bsfs.org. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
External links[edit]
- Rules of Card Games: Tonk at Pagat.com
| Alternative names | Battle |
|---|---|
| Type | Catching type |
| Players | 2 |
| Skills required | Counting and card values |
| Age range | 5-12[1] |
| Cards | 52 |
| Deck | French |
| Play | Clockwise |
| Card rank (highest first) | A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 |
| Playing time | 10–40 min. |
| Random chance | High |
| Related games | |
| Beggar-My-Neighbour | |
How Do You Play The Card Game Tonk
War (also known as Battle in the United Kingdom) is a simple card game, typically played by two players using a standard playing card deck[2] — and often played by children. There are many variations, including the German 32-card variant Tod und Leben ('Life and Death').
Gameplay[edit]
The objective of the game is to win all of the cards.
The deck is divided evenly among the players, giving each a down stack. In unison, each player reveals the top card of their deck—this is a 'battle'—and the player with the higher card takes both of the cards played and moves them to their stack. Aces are high, and suits are ignored.[2]
If the two cards played are of equal value, then there is a 'war'.[2] Both players place the next three cards face down and then another card face-up. The owner of the higher face-up card wins the war and adds all the cards on the table to the bottom of their deck. If the face-up cards are again equal then the battle repeats with another set of face-down/up cards. This repeats until one player's face-up card is higher than their opponent's.[2]
Most descriptions of War are unclear about what happens if a player runs out of cards during a war.[2] In some variants, that player immediately loses. In others, the player may play the last card in their deck as their face-up card for the remainder of the war or replay the game from the beginning.[2]
Game designer Greg Costikyan has observed that since there are no choices in the game, and all outcomes are random, it cannot be considered a game by some definitions.[3] However, the rules often do not specify in which order the cards should be returned to the deck. If they are returned in a non-random order, the decision of putting one card before another after a win can change the overall outcome of the game.[4] The effects of such decisions are more visible with smaller size decks as it is easier for a player to card count, however the decisions can still affect gameplay if taken in standard decks.
Variations[edit]
Being a widely known game, War has many variations. Recorded variants include:
- Casino War
- A simple variation played for money in casinos.[5]
- Prisoners of War
- Usually played with more than 2 players. When a player wins a battle, they can choose to take one of the cards as 'prisoner'; this must not be one of their own cards. If they do, they put the card face up in front of them, away from the discard pile and the deck. When another battle is started, you may choose to not play a card from your deck, and instead of the 'prisoner' card. (You cannot look at the card you would have drawn and then choose to play the prisoner.) If you win the battle, it works like a regular one. If you lose, however, you give the winner the card you played as well as the card you would have drawn if you chose not to play the 'prisoner' card. If a war is initiated, it works the same way. If you win a war, you can also choose to 'capture' one of the face-down cards.[6]
- Bettelmann ('Beggar Man') and Tod und Leben ('Life and Death')
- German variants mentioned as early as 1833.[7] Uses a 32-card Skat pack for 2 players with cards ranking in the natural order and suits being irrelevant, except that in Tod und Leben, one player plays with the red suits and the other with the black suits. Players get 16 cards each face down. They turn over their top cards at the same time and the higher card wins. If the cards are equal, players turn the next card and the winner takes all four cards. The player with the most cards at the end wins.[8]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Children's Card Games by USPC Co. Retrieved 22 Apr 2019
- ^ abcdef'Rules of card games: War'. Pagat.com. 2013-03-04. Retrieved 2014-04-20.
- ^Costikyan, Greg (1994). 'I Have No Words & I Must Design'. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
- ^Lakshtanov, Evgeny (2011). 'On Finiteness in the Card Game of War'. arXiv:1007.1371.
- ^https://www.pagat.com/war/war.html
- ^War Variations
- ^Schenkel, C.F. (1833). Oekonomische Encyclopaedia order Allgemeines System der Staats-, Stadt-, Haus- und Landwirthschaft und der Kunstgeschichte, Volume 158, Paul Eischen Buchhandlung, Berlin, p. 127
- ^Tod und Leben at www.pagat.com. Retrieved 22 Apr 2019
Literature[edit]
- Gööck, Roland (1967). Freude am Kartenspiel, Bertelsmann, Gütersloh.
External links[edit]
- McLeod, John, ed., War, Card Games Website
- McLeod, John, ed., War Variations, Card Games Website
- This site lists several varieties of variations of the card game War.
- [1] Simulations of War using MATLAB
- [2] Another explanation of a War simulation using C++