Tong its is a popular Filipino rummy card game. Originating in the northern Philippines, the game was brought to the United States in the mid-90's and was quickly adopted on college campuses. It offered a new alternative to long time favorites pusoy dos and spades.
Anyone familiar with other rummy games such as Gin Rummy or Mah Johg can easily learn to play Tong its. It is a fun fast moving game. It encourages players to work together but in the end it's winner take all.
The Set up
Tong its is a three player game. The dealer deals 12 cards to the players counter clockwise starting with herself and then deals an extra card to herself for a total of thirteen. The remaining cards in the deck are placed in the center of the table.
The Play
The dealer always starts the play. She can either open by dropping at least a three-card straight flush (3 cards of the same suit) or by dropping at least a three of a kind (also know as a trio). She can drop a straight flush with more than three cards if she chooses to. To drop a hand, you place the cards face up in front of you. After she drops at least a trio or 3 card straight flush, cannot drop either, or doesn't want to open, she has to discard one card face up to the center of the table. Once she discards a card her turn is completed and the play moves to the next player, which is the player to the right.
Note: Aces can only be used in low straights.
Examples of hands:
2C 3C 4C or 7C 7S 7H
This next player can either pick up the discarded card or she can pick a card from the deck. If the player chooses to pick up the discarded card she has to open her hand by either dropping at least a three card straight flush or a trio with the card she just picked up. If she picks a card from the deck and completes a hand by either completing a three card straight or a trio she is not obligated to open.
During her turn, the player also has the option to connect (sapow) to any set of face up cards, either her open cards or the other players. She can connect by extending a straight flush by one or more or by adding a card to a trio making a 4 of a kind. To connect, you place your card face up next to the cards you are connecting to. In the case of straight flushes, other players can connect to the card you connected with when it is their turn to play.
When she is done either dropping cards or connecting, she must discard one card to the center of the table to end her turn.
Notes:
When you are holding a completed hand, you do not have to drop it unless you picked up a discarded card. However it is usually a good idea to drop at least one competed hand to discourage other players from calling draw (explained more later).
If you are holding a trio you can pick up a discarded card to make a four of a kind but you have to drop the completed hand in front of you.
You can connect to as many dropped hands as you choose. Moreover you can connect one or more cards to a dropped straight flush.
You cannot pick up a discarded card and connect it.
The play continues as above until one of three things happen:
1. out of cards: Once the deck runs out of cards and the player with the last pick completes her turn, the game is over. The players count the point total of their remaining cards that are not part of a competed hand. An Ace counts as one point, a two as two points, a three as three points as so on. Face cards are worth 10 points. The player with the lowest point total wins. If a player has not opened by placing at least a three of a kind or a 3 card straight flush down, she automatically loses.
For example:
8D 9D 10D 2S JS QD AH = 23 points
2. tong it: A player can call tong it during or at the end of her turn when she is able to drop or connect all her cards. i.e. All that remains in her hand are completed hands (either 3 or more card straight flushes or three or four of a kinds) after connecting all of her other cards. Note: She can but she does not need to discard a card to end her turn in order to have a winning tong it.
3. draw: A player calls draw. If a player has opened and believes the other players have a higher point total or will fold, a player is able to call "Draw" at the start of her turn (before she picks up a card). She cannot call draw if someone connected to her since her last turn. If the player connected to herself in her prior turn, she has to wait until her second turn before being able to call draw.
If she is able to call draw, the other players 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. A player must have opened her hand by having at least one three card flush or trio face up in order to challange a draw.
More on Draws. If a player has opened and is able to call draw (i.e. no one connected to her) and no others have opened, the player automatically wins since no one can challenge the draw.
The Player calling draw must announce her point total first.
Notes:
In the case of point ties:
A player is considered burned (sunog) if the game ends and she hasn't opened. When playing for money, a burned player has to pay the winning player extra.
If you are dealt a four of a kind or get one as a result of picking from the deck it is considered a secret. You can use a secret to open. However instead of playing the cards face up you can place them face down. Your opponents cannot connect to you and they will not know which card is in the secret. Secrets also pay exta when betting.
Betting
For betting I'll use quarters as examples but you can use any denomination you choose.
Before playing, players create a pot or side bet. In order to win this pot a player must win two games in a row.
After each individual game, the winner receives the following:
- a quarter for winning
- a quarter for each ace the winner is holding or in her dropped cards.
- two quarters for each secret
- a quarter for winning by tong it
- a quarter from each burned player
- in the cases of draws, the loser of any challenges pays the winner two quarters.
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