Tong-Its / Tongits

Setup

Players: Tong-its is a game for three players only.

Cards: A standard 52 card deck is used, without jokers. The Ace always ranks lowest in Runs. An Ace is worth 1 point, Jacks, Queens and Kings are worth 10 points each, and all other cards count their face value.

The Deal: The first dealer is chosen randomly. Thereafter the dealer is the winner of the previous hand. The cards are dealt one at a time counterclockwise, starting with the dealer: thirteen cards to the dealer and twelve cards to each of the other players. The remainder of the deck is placed face down to form the stock.

Objective: The object of the game is, by drawing and discarding, to form Sets and Runs, and to to minimize the count of unmatched cards remaining in your hand.

Game Play

The dealer starts the play. The dealer may optionally expose one or more sets or runs face up on the table, thereby opening his or her hand, and must then discard one card face up to the centre of the table to start the discard pile. Discarding a card completes the dealer's turn and it is the turn of the next player, the player to the right. Play is counterclockwise.

Players do the following actions when it is their turn:

1. Draw: The player begins by taking one card from either the top of the stock pile or the top card on the discard pile, and adding it to their hand. A player may only take a card from the discard pile if they are able to immediately create a meld (a set or run) with it.

2. Meld (optional): If the player has a valid meld or melds (sets or runs) in their hand they can expose any of them on the table in front of them. Melding is optional if a card was taken from the stock; the player is not obliged to expose a meld just because they can. Note that melds held in hand do not count against the player at the end of the play.

   A player must lay at least one meld on the table for the hand to be considered opened. In the special case that a player can meld a set of four and they have not drawn from the discard pile to complete the meld, they can lay the set of four down face down. By doing this you can "open" your hand without losing the bonus payments for a secret set of 4 and without revealing the cards to the other players.

3. Lay off (optional): If the player wishes, they may add cards to sets or runs previously melded by themselves or others. There is no limit to the number of cards a player may lay off in one turn. A player need not have opened their hand to lay off. Laying a card off on another player's exposed meld prevents that player from calling Draw on his or her next turn.

   Note: you cannot take the top card of the discard pile in order to lay it off on a meld - the discard can only be used to form a set or run along with at least two cards from your hand.

4. Discard: At the end of the player's turn, one card must be discarded from their hand and placed on top of the discard pile face up.

End of Round

The play continues as above until one of three things happens:

1. The stock is exhausted: If the stock pile runs out the game is over when the turn of the player who drew the last card is completed. At this point any player who has not opened by placing at least one meld on the table automatically loses. The players who have opened count the point total of the unmelded cards in their hands. The player with the lowest point total wins. In the case of a tie for least points, the player that picks up the last card wins if he is involved in the tie. In the case of a tie between the other two players, both having a lower score than the player who took the last card, the winner is the player whose turn would have been next - the player to the right of the one who took the last card.
2. A player calls "Tong-its": If you are able use all your cards in valid combinations or by laying them off on melds that are on the table, you may call "Tong-its" during or at the end of your turn. You may end this turn with a discard, or you may keep all your cards without discarding, if all the remaining cards in your hand form valid sets and runs.
3. A player calls "Draw": A player who has opened, and believes that both the other players have a higher point total or will fold, can call Draw at the start of his or her turn (before picking up a card). You cannot call Draw if someone laid off on any of your melds since your previous turn, or if you laid off on your own melds in your previous turn. In either case, you must wait until your next turn before you are able to call Draw.

If a player calls draw, the other players in turn can either fold or challenge the draw. If the other players both fold the player that called draw wins. If there are any challenges, the players compare cards and the player with the lowest point total wins. In the case of point ties the challenger wins all ties against the player calling draw. For ties between two challengers, the player to the right of the player calling draw wins. A player must have opened his or her hand in order to challenge a draw. If a player has opened and calls draw and no others have opened, the player automatically wins since no one can challenge the draw.

A player who has not opened when the play ends is considered burned. A burned player has to pay the winning player an extra penalty.

Scoring

After each individual game, the winner receives from each loser:

• 1 chip for winning
• 1 chip for each ace the winner is holding in hand or has in their own exposed melds. (Aces that are laid off on other players' melds do not count - neither those that the winner has laid off on other players nor those that they have laid off on the winner. Also, aces held by players other than the winner or placed in their melds have no effect on payment.)
• 1 chip penalty for being burned
• 3 chips for each secret set of 4 equal cards belonging to the winner - that is each 4-card set that is face down on the table or concealed in the winner's hand.
• 3 chips instead of 1 for winning by Tong-its
• 3 chips for winning a Draw after a challenge

Additionally players create a side pot to which they add 2 chips before each deal. In order to win this pot a player must win two games in a row.

Optional Rules and Variations

The following rules may be added to the standard game if all players agree to the variation before the first player takes their turn. It’s not an all or nothing deal, the game participants can pick and choose which variations they like.

1. Some play with more special hands that earn extra chips - for example 3 chips for any 5 card or longer run that the winner has.
2. Some play with a payment of only 2 chips instead of 3 for secret sets of 4, Tong-its and winning a challenge after a Draw.