Tunk
The classic rummy hustle — melds, drops, and a purse on the line vs three bots
The Deal
Standard 52-card deck, no jokers. Everyone gets 5 cards; the rest form the stock, with one card flipped to start the discard. Aces are low only (no wrapping runs) and count as 1; face cards count as 10.
Melds & Deadwood
A meld is 3 or more cards: a set (same rank) or a run (same suit, consecutive). Any card not part of a meld is deadwood — its value counts against you. The table always shows your hand's optimal split, minimizing your own deadwood.
On Your Turn
- Draw one card — from the stock (blind) or the top of the discard.
- Then discard one card back down to 5.
- Instead of drawing, you may Tonk or Drop at the start of your turn (see below).
Tonk & Dropping
| Tonk | your whole hand melds with zero deadwood — instant win, double payout |
| Drop | call it with any hand; if your deadwood is the lowest at the table, you win the difference |
| Caught | drop with deadwood that isn't the lowest, and whoever beats you collects double, from you alone |
If the stock and discard both run dry before anyone drops, it's a wash — the lowest deadwood at the table wins the difference from everyone else.
The Purse
Everyone starts with $120. Every hand settles in cash — winners collect the deadwood difference (×2 stake, ×2 again on a Tonk or a caught drop) from the losers. Hands keep dealing until you either bust at $0 or cash out at $300.