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]

[Al Mirpuri]

There is a game called Tonk mentioned in Scarne On Cards but that game was a rummy-type game.

[beset7]

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There is a game called Tonk mentioned in Scarne On Cards but that game was a rummy-type game.

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I should have googled before posting. Lots of stuff online about it. These guys had added a bunch of rules to it but the basic game is the same. I guess I'll have to just sit in next year and see if I can pick up the variations.

[Luv2DriveTT]

Interesting, I didn't know craps can be played without a house bank. Please elaberate, this is fasinating to me.

TT [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

[fnord_too]

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Interesting, I didn't know craps can be played without a house bank. Please elaberate, this is fasinating to me.

TT [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

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It's usually just pass/don't pass I think with players fading each others action, and no push on the don't pass with 66 (or 11). Obviously, you want to fade peoples pass bets.

[Phat Mack]

I should have googled before posting. Lots of stuff online about it. These guys had added a bunch of rules to it but the basic game is the same. I guess I'll have to just sit in next year and see if I can pick up the variations.

Tonk's a good game and is played everywhere. I've never thought of it as a prison game, in fact I always thought that dominoes was the prison game. I first came across tonk in the service where it seemed to be widely played by african-americans, so I assumed that the game was developed in that community.

There are a lot of variations to tonk, and they seem to vary according to region, or even neighborhood. The major variations seem to be:

Begining tonks; some play 50 pts.; some add 49 pts. (for half price); some play 15 or fewer pts. Of course, they can play any one, two or three of the above. Both the 49 pt. and the 15 or fewer pts. are sometimes refered to as "little tonks," so if they say they are playing little tonks, you have to ask what is meant.

Hits: when you play a card on an opponent's meld, it is called (among other things, heh) a "hit." Some play that when you hit an opponent, he can't go down for a round. Some play that if he is hit twice, he can't go down for two rounds, others play that in order to keep him from going down for two rounds, you have to hit him, then wait 'til he plays and hit him again. Others play that hitting an opponent doesn't affect his ability to go down.

Going down: some play that going down with six cards counts as a Big Tonk.

If you ask about Hits and Tonks, you should have most bases covered.

The web site for one of the LA cardrooms (Bike or Commerce?) used to advertise that they spread Tonk. I don't know if they ever get games going?

[Phat Mack]

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Interesting, I didn't know craps can be played without a house bank. Please elaberate, this is fasinating to me.

TT [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

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Called "barracks craps," "blanket craps," or "shoot and fade." The players bet with each other instead of against the house. Players can make any bets they want, including some never dreamed of in a house game, but they negotiate their own odds. Usually the bettor proposes the odds (if the point is an 8, "i've got 10 to make 100 the hard way." (or 10 to make 50, or 5 to make 75). The more uncommon the bet, the more edge for the mathematically-aware.

Shoot & Fade is, to me, the most enjoyable way to play craps, but if it is played for any amount of money, sooner or later the game will be either cheated or heisted. I always bet the sooner.

[beset7]

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Tonk's a good game and is played everywhere. I've never thought of it as a prison game, in fact I always thought that dominoes was the prison game. I first came across tonk in the service where it seemed to be widely played by african-americans, so I assumed that the game was developed in that community.

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Interesting tidbit about the service. It may just be played a lot in south central which is still predominantly a black community (though the hispanic population is growing every year). A lot of the ex-cons I know are mean partnership pinochle players and would play pinochle over dominoes, dice or poker any day. I always found this interesting.

Thanks for the info on those variations. I think, it's getting hazy now, they were playing 49 pts and 15 or less pts for a beginning tonk but if you took the low 15 or less then 1/2 of the pot stayed in the center for the next hand or something like that. I think it was 6 cards go down was a big tonk and they had somehow managed to add a second round of betting.

I can't remember how the worked the hits.

TT: PhatMack described shoot and fade craps perfectly. It's a lot of fun if played with honest people at moderate stakes.

I saw that there is an online casino spreading Tonk it but it might be some kind of table game variation... might be worth checking out.

[Phat Mack]

The web site for one of the LA cardrooms (Bike or Commerce?) used to advertise that they spread Tonk. I don't know if they ever get games going?

It was Hollywood Park, and my understanding is that the game never makes.