Tonj rules; the complete guide

How a match goes

1. 1

   Pick your table

   Join a coin tier that fits you, or create a private room and invite a friend with a code.

2. 2

   Build your foundations

   Play on the 8 shared foundations Ace → King, and build on any of the 8 shared side slots in descending, alternating colors.

3. 3

   Shed every card first

   Race to shed every card. Tonj pile, stock and waste. Play anything else while a card can go to the foundations and you eat a «Tonj!»: penalty cards land on your pile and you lose the turn.

The goal

Shed all your cards; the 13-card Tonj pile, your stock and your waste; before your rival sheds theirs. Everything else is a tool to get there faster… or to slow them down.

What is on the table

• Tonj pile: 13 cards face-down, top card revealed. Its top card can go to the foundations, onto any slot, or onto your rival's piles.
• Each player deals 4 side slots; all 8 are shared sources and destinations. Build descending with alternating colors, one card at a time, with Ace below 2. Any card can fill an empty slot.
• 8 shared foundations, built Ace → King in one suit. Every available foundation play is compulsory, regardless of source or rank. A completed run leaves play and frees its slot in our variant.
• Stock: 35 face-down cards; the top one opens by itself on your turn, ready to play. An unplayable card goes to your waste pile and ends your turn. When the stock runs out, the waste flips over without shuffling.

Your turn

Each player starts with a complete 52-card deck: 13 in the Tonj pile, 4 side cards and 35 in stock. The higher Tonj top starts (Ace high; tied ranks use a fair draw). Turns alternate. Discard your open stock card to end your turn; pass only when stock, waste and the live flip are empty.

Loading your rival

Load a same-suit adjacent card onto your rival’s Tonj pile or waste. Ace is next to 2, never King. Loading keeps your turn unless a compulsory foundation play was missed.

The Tonj penalty

Any card that can go to the foundations must go there first. Play a different move instead and the referee calls Tonj on the spot: the move is taken back, penalty cards are added to your pile, and your turn ends.

Winning & stakes

Shed your Tonj pile, stock and waste to win. Shared side slots do not count. Two genuinely stuck passes draw. At 400 turns, fewer remaining cards wins; equal totals draw. A turn ends after 40 continuing moves. Ranked winnings follow the table’s stated entry fees and rake.