Tongits card points: a worked counting exercise for beginners

Write a value beside each card

Pagat’s traditional Tongits reference assigns 1 to an ace, 10 to J, Q and K, and the printed number to cards 2 through 10. The suit does not change that value.

Each row contains one card, even when its point value is ten. Label the columns in your own notes so that a bare number cannot be mistaken for a card count.

Add a fixed group of unmatched cards

For this exercise, the supplied unmatched cards are A♣, 7♦ and Q♥. Copy those three labels onto a sheet, leaving room beneath each for a value.

1. Count the labels: there are three cards.
2. Write their values: 1, 7 and 10.
3. Add them: 1 + 7 + 10 = 18.
4. Write the result with its unit: 3 cards; 18 points.

Check the addition in another order: 10 + 7 + 1 also gives 18. This second pass checks arithmetic, while matching each number back to its label checks transcription. Neither check asks you which card to play.

Keep an already identified meld out of the unmatched total

The reference does not count valid melds held in the hand against the player when counting unmatched cards. A physical card can belong to only one combination at a time.

Now add a separate, pre-labelled set of 4♣, 4♦ and 4♥ to the worksheet. Keep our original three unmatched cards unchanged. The set has already been identified for you; this is not a puzzle about finding the best grouping.

You now have six physical cards in the example and an unmatched total of 18. This intentionally small sample is not a full deal or a finished game. For recognising a set before doing arithmetic, see sets, runs and sapaw.

Use one line per physical card

Draw three columns headed “card”, “assigned group” and “included value”. List each physical card once. Put a dash in the included-value column for the fixed set and a number for each unmatched card.

Read the list from bottom to top and tick each card as you find it on the table. A missing tick signals something to inspect; two lines for the same physical card signal a duplicate entry. Correct the list before correcting the sum.

If you are unsure which cards the example says are held or exposed, use our table-area guide. If a symbol is unclear, use rank and suit identification.

Check a fresh sum

A correct sum alone cannot decide who wins. Opening eligibility, the way play ends and tie rules are separate questions; start with the basic rules guide and its source. An App mode may use its own rules. No App balance, purchase or cash value is calculated here.