Anyone ever played "Tonk"? Is this a prison game?

[beset7]

I went to an AA meeting in south central LA a few months ago to celebrate a friend of mines "sobriety birthday" (he quit drinking a few years ago). It was a mens meeting that was comprised almost exclusive of mexican and black felons (prison tattoos galore). After the meeting, they closed the door and out came the dice and the cards. Half the meeting started shooting craps and the rest kicked up a card game called "Tonk."

They all seemed painfully familar with the game which made me think they all learned it in the southern california prison system. It was kind of like cribbage meets crazy8s meets 5-card draw. I never got ahold of all the rules and they were too impatient with me to teach me so I shot dice instead.

Anybody familar with this game? I want to clean up next time I visit LA if my friend doesn't get drunk for another year [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]