Three players. A 52-card deck. Firstly, you get 12 cards. The dealer gets 13. The central stack sits in the middle. Then, you draw. You discard. You form melds. You try to empty your hand. Alternatively, you call Fight. Challenge the others. Subsequently, compare points. Lowest wins. That is the Tongits Fight. JDB built it. 789Bingo runs it. To summarize, the classic Filipino card game is digitized.
JDB Gaming is a rising name in the Asian market. Certainly, they build digital adaptations of traditional games. Tongits Fight captures the original. Three players. Standard rules. But with a digital twist. The Butasan (Fight) mode adds a fixed multiplier. Consequently, challenge someone. Double the stakes. The system handles the draws. The discards. Moreover, it manages the point calculations.
In this guide, we break down the game rules, the meld types, the Fight (Butasan) mechanics, the scoring system, and the disconnection policy. Furthermore, we also cover how secret melds and Tongits wins multiply your payout.
The Cards Are Dealt. The Fight Begins. The Points Matter.
Game Objective: Empty Your Hand or Minimize Points
Tongits is a 3-player game. Specifically, it is played with a standard 52-card deck (no jokers).
Deal: Each player receives 12 cards. Then, the dealer receives 13. The remaining cards form the central stack.
Objective: Empty your hand of all cards. In other words, when the game ends, have the fewest total points in unmatched cards.
Card points:
- Ace (A) = 1 point
- Jack (J), Queen (Q), King (K) = 10 points each
- 2 through 10 = face value (2 = 2 points, 3 = 3 points, etc.)
Profit drawn: The platform takes 5% of the tokens won by winners. Naturally, this is standard house commission.
Gameplay Flow: Draw, Meld, Discard
The dealer acts first. Firstly, put down pairs (melds) if you have them. Discard one card. Then, end your turn.
Turn order: Switch to the next player counterclockwise.
On your turn:
- Draw one card from the central stack OR from the discard pile.
- Form melds (pairs, three-of-a-kind, straights) with the drawn card if possible.
- You may put down multiple melds in one turn.
- Discard one card. End your turn.
Important: If the selected card can pair with a meld already on the table, you cannot discard it. As a result, it must be used.
Meld Types: Three-of-a-Kind, Four-of-a-Kind, Straight Flush
Three-of-a-kind: Three equally ranked cards. Example: A A A.
Four-of-a-kind: Four equally ranked cards. Example: K K K K.
Straight Flush: At least three sequential cards of the same suit. Example: 2, 3, 4 of hearts. 9 10 J of spades.
Secret Melds: When a player holds four-of-a-kind or a straight flush of at least 5 cards in hand without laying them down, those are “secret melds.” Consequently, at clearing, they pay extra.
End of Game: Three Ways
The game ends in one of three ways:
- Tongits: A player gets rid of all their cards. So, that player wins immediately.
- Fight (Butasan): A player calls “Fight” (Butasan) to invite the others to compare cards. The player with the fewest points wins.
- Run Out of Cards: When the central stack runs out of cards, the game ends. To clarify, players count the points of unmatched cards. The player with the lowest total wins.
Fight (Butasan) Mode: Challenge with Fixed Multiplier
In Butasan mode, the game plays the same as standard Tongits. But when a player starts a fight and the challenge resolves, the stakes multiply.
Challenge fixed multiplier: 2x.
To start a fight, the player must meet these conditions:
- At least one open meld must be available.
- When it is the player’s turn in a round, their open meld cannot be paired by other players.
- The player may only start the fight before drawing a card.
- Other players must have at least one open meld to choose Challenge or Fold.
- If a player is burned, they cannot challenge.
Challenge outcomes:
- Players who challenge compare points. Then, the player with fewer points wins. The winner gets 2x the ante from each loser who joined the challenge.
- Players who fold lose regardless of points. So, they pay the normal loss amount.
- Players who do not participate pay nothing extra.
Tiebreaker rules:
- If two players have the same points, the challenger wins.
If all three players have the same points (or the challenger lost and the other two tie), the next player after the challenger wins.
Burned Players: Penalty for No Melds
A player is considered burned if they are unable to form a meld or set by the end of the game.
During clearing, a burned player must pay 1x ante to each unburned player.
Above all, a burned player cannot challenge in fight mode.
Winning Payouts
Normal Win: The winner gets 1x ante from each of the other two players.
Tongits: If a player wins by emptying their hand, they get an additional 1x ante from each of the other two players. To sum up, that is a total of 2x ante per loser.
Secret Melds: During clearing, any player with a secret meld (four-of-a-kind or straight flush of 5+ cards held in hand) gets 1x ante from each of the other two players.
Fight (Butasan) Win: When a player starts a fight and wins, they get 2x ante from each loser who participated in the challenge. Likewise, this is in addition to standard win payouts.
Disconnection Policy
If you disconnect after the game starts, the system proceeds with the game on your behalf until the game ends.
Token deduction: The system keeps 6x tokens of the ante for opening a card room to proceed with the game.
After the game ends: After that, the remaining tokens return depending on your wins and losses.
Why 789Bingo?
We are PAGCOR-regulated. In the same vein, we have verified RNG for card shuffling. Audited game outcomes. Enforced fair play.
No hidden catches. For instance, the card point values are fixed. The meld rules are clear. The fight multiplier is fixed. What you see is what you get.
The community here plays together. In short there are three players. One table. The cards are dealt. The melds form. Moreover, players watch the discard pile and decide when to call Fight.
Your Game. Your Cards. Your Call.
Tongits Fight moves at the pace of the table. Firstly, the dealer acts first. You draw. You meld. Then, you discard. Watch the central stack. Watch the discard pile. Similarly, when you have an open hand, consider calling Fight.
Set a loss limit before you sit. Furthermore, the 6x ante hold for disconnection ensures the game completes. Do not leave mid-game.
We are here. In conclusion, the cards are dealt. The fight is waiting. No hidden catches. To sum up, just real cash and real wins.
Play Tongits Fight at 789Bingo today. Game responsibly. Call Fight when the time is right.
