Card games
Tonk
Five cards: drop low or tonk out for double
Tonk is the quick rummy of American barbershops, porches and card nights: five cards each, spreads of three and hits on anyone’s spread. Think your count is the lowest? Drop at the start of your turn and everyone shows — but if someone ties or beats you, you are caught. Run out of cards for a tonk and win double.
- Players
- 2–6 players
- Length
- 5–12 min per game
- Type
- Card games
Play Tonk online with friends
At Masa, Tonk is a game of its own right next to Konken Rummy: pick it in the games list, open a table and share its code or link with your friends, or sit at a house table. Bots fill the empty chairs, and voice chat keeps the table talking.
How to play
- 1
One pack, no jokers, 5 cards each. Get rid of your cards, or hold the lowest count: A is 1, pictures 10, others their number.
- 2
On your turn draw from the stock or take the top discard, lay runs or sets (3+), add cards to any spread on the table, then discard.
- 3
Instead of drawing you may drop: everyone shows and the lowest count wins. If someone ties or beats you, you are caught and pay.
House rules
Pick any of these when you create a table; a table that changes none plays the rules above.
- Cards each — 5 · 7
- Waiting rule — After a spread or a hit you wait before you may drop
- Caught drop — Pays 2 · Lowest takes 2 · Pays everyone’s 1 · Pays 1 · Pays all 2 · Lowest takes 5
- Dealt 49 / 50 — Both double · 50 double, 49 single
- Up card — One card up · None
- Empty stock — Lowest wins · Dead hand
- Out by hits — Tonk ×2 · Single
- Holding spreads — A three-card spread in hand must go down (three aces may stay)
- Pictures — 10 each · J 11, Q 12, K 13
- Scoring — Points · Push-ups
Frequently asked questions
Is Tonk the same game as Konken Rummy?
No. Tonk is played at the same kind of table as Konken Rummy, but with rules of its own — see “How to play” above. At Masa it is a game of its own, with its own tables, stats and achievements.
Can I play Tonk online with friends?
Yes. Open a Tonk table and share its code or link. Empty seats fill with other players or bots, so a game always starts.
Is Tonk free to play?
Yes. You play with Chips, which have no cash value: nothing can be won or cashed out.
