Tunk Game Rules

(In Tunk, ummelded cards are worth point. Above illustrates the value of each hand.)

Card Game Rules

Tunk, or Tonk, is a rummy type game played with 2-4 players and with a standard 52 playing card deck. In Tunk, Kings are high, Aces low, and 2s wild. The objective of Tunk is to have the fewest points at the round’s end.

For more Rummy type games, check out our guides for Canasta and Gin.

If you are looking for cards to play Tunk with, check out a standard deck here or one of our newest arrivals here.

You may find a free online version of Tunk here.

Set Up

Before gameplay can begin, a dealer must be selected. Each player draws one card from a shuffled deck. The player with the lowest card becomes the dealer. The dealer shuffles the deck and passes out 7 cards to each player in a clockwise fashion. 

The rest of the cards form the stock and they go in the middle of the gameplay area. The top card of the stock then is flipped upright and placed besides the stock to form the discard pile.

How to Play

Gameplay begins starting with the player left of the dealer and proceeds clockwise. Players then decide to either draw a card from the stock or from the discard pile. To end their turn, they must discard a card.                        

Melding

Players can get rid of their cards by melding them into sets and runs. A set is three or more cards of a kind. A run is three or more cards in the same suit in an increasing or decreasing sequence. Once a player makes a meld, they lay out the cards upright on the gameplay area. Players may play onto any other players melds as well as their own.

Going Out

When a player gets rid of all of their cards, they are out. Every player afterwards has one more turn to improve their hand. After the round has ended, players tally up their score.

Scoring

A players unmelded cards count as points. In Tunk, face cards are worth 10 points, numbered cards are worth their pip value, and Aces are worth 1. When a player reaches 100 points, they are out of the game. Last player alive wins.

If a player has 50 points at the first draw, they declare “Tunk!” and immediately win the game.                                           

For more information on the game Tunk and its rules, check out Wikipedia's article here or Pagat's article here.

Looking for more card games to play?  Check out this article:

40+ Great Card Games For All Occasions

About the author: John Taylor is a content writer and freelancer through the company Upwork.com. You may view his freelancing profile here. He has a B. A. in English, with a specialty in technical writing, from Texas A&M University and a M. A. in English from the University of Glasgow. You may view his previous articles about card games here and his LinkedIn profile here.