Advocacy Introduction

This advocacy is about gambling. Gambling in a game, playing this game, Tong-its.

Gambling, the betting or staking of something of value, with consciousness of risk and hope of gain, on
the outcome of a game, a contest, or an uncertain event whose result may be determined by chance or accident or
have an unexpected result by reason of the bettor’s miscalculation.
This advocacy’s mission is to avoid, stop, or worse, forbid people from gambling or playing a game
with a bet.

In this advocacy, I will focus on this pretty popular game mostly played in family gatherings,
neighborhood events, and even local festivals and funerals, the game Tong-its.

Game Introduction
(Description, Mechanics,
Rules)

The objective of the game is to empty your hand of all cards or minimize the count and the scores of
unmatched cards that are still on the player's hand by forming card sets (melds, also called a "bahay"(pronounced
ba-hai), "buo," or "balay" in some languages), dumping cards and calling a draw. The player who gets rid of all
the cards or has the fewest total points at the end of the game (when the central stack is empty) wins the game.

Each player is dealt 12 cards while the dealer gets 13 and the rest of the cards are left as a central stack.
The game begins when the dealer dumps a card. The next person can either pick up the disposed card if that card
makes a set or adds to a set they have already or get one from the central stack. Collect hand combinations and
dump unnecessary cards. The picking and discarding of cards goes on until someone wins by Tong-its, calls a
draw or until the central stack runs out of cards. If this happens, the players tally the points of the cards they have
at hand and the one with the lowest wins. In case of a draw the last person to take a card from the central deck
wins
 Game Problem
(Permutation, Combination)
Tong-Its is a game for three players only, using one standard Anglo-American deck of 52 cards
(without jokers). The cards in each suit rank: Ace 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Jack Queen King. An Ace is worth 1 point,
Jacks, Queens and Kings are worth 10 points each, and all other cards count their face value.

The object of the game is, by drawing and discarding, to form sets and runs, and to to minimize the count of
unmatched cards remaining in your hand.

A run consists of three or more consecutive cards of the same suit, such as 4, 5, 6 or 8, 9, 10, J.
(A-K-Q of a suit is not a run since aces are low in this game).

A set consists of three or four cards of the same rank, such as 7, 7, 7. A card can belong to only one
combination at a time - you cannot use the same card as part of both a set and a run.

The first dealer is chosen randomly. Thereafter the dealer is the winner of the previous hand. The cards
are dealt one at a time counterclockwise, starting with the dealer: thirteen cards to the dealer and twelve cards
to each of the other players. The remainder of the deck is placed face down to form the stock.

he dealer starts the play. The dealer may optionally expose one or more sets or runs face up on the table,
thereby opening his or her hand, and must then discard one card face up to the centre of the table to start the
discard pile. Discarding a card completes the dealer's turn and it is the turn of the next player, the player to the
right. Play is counterclockwise.

Each turn consists of the following:

1. Draw. You must begin by taking one card from either the top of the stock or the top card on the discard pile,
and adding it to your hand. You may only take a card from the discard pile if you are able to create a meld (a
set or run) with it, and you are then obliged to expose the meld.
2. Exposing Melds. If you have a valid meld or melds (sets or runs) in your hand you can expose any of them on
the table in front of you. Melding is optional if a card was taken from the stock; you are not obliged to expose
a meld just because you can, and note that melds held in hand do not count against you at the end of the play.
A player must lay at least one meld on the table for the hand to be considered opened. In the special case that
you can meld a set of four and you have not drawn from the discard pile to complete the meld, you can lay the
set of four down face down. By doing this you can "open" your hand without losing the bonus payments for a
secret set of 4 and without revealing the cards to the other players.
3. Laying off. (sapaw) This is also optional. If you wish, you may add cards to sets or runs previously melded by
yourself or others. There is no limit to the number of cards a player may lay off in one turn. A player need not
have opened their hand to lay off. Laying a card off on another player's exposed meld prevents that player from
calling Draw on his or her next turn.
4. Discard. At the end of your turn, one card must be discarded from your hand and placed on top of the discard
pile face up.

Note: you cannot take the top card of the discard pile in order to lay it off on a meld - the discard can only be used
to form a set or run along with at least two cards from your hand.

The play continues as above until one of three things happens:

 The stock is exhausted. If the stock pile runs out the game is over when the turn of the player who drew the
last card is completed. At this point any player who has not opened by placing at least one meld on the table
automatically loses. The players who have opened count the point total of the unmelded cards in their hands.
The player with the lowest point total wins. In the case of a tie for least points, the player that picks up the last
card wins if he is involved in the tie. In the case of a tie between the other two players, both having a lower
score than the player who took the last card, the winner is the player whose turn would have been next - the
player to the right of the one who took the last card.
 A player calls Tongit. If you are able use all your cards in combinations or by laying them off on melds that
are on the table, you may call Tongit during or at the end of your turn. You may end this turn with a discard, or
 you may keep all your cards without discarding, if all the remaining cards in your hand form valid sets and
runs.
 A player calls Draw. A player who has opened, and believes that both the other players have a higher point
total or will fold, can call Draw at the start of his or her turn (before picking up a card). You cannot call Draw
if someone laid off on any of your melds since your previous turn, or if you laid off on your own melds in your
previous turn. In either case, you must wait until your next turn before you are able to call Draw.

If a player calls draw, the other players in turn can either fold or challenge the draw. If the other players both fold
the player that called draw wins. If there are any challenges, the players compare cards and the player with the
lowest point total wins. In the case of point ties the challenger wins all ties against the player calling draw. For
ties between two challengers, the player to the right of the player calling draw wins. A player must have opened
his or her hand in order to challenge a draw. If a player has opened and calls draw and no others have opened, the
player automatically wins since no one can challenge the draw.

A player who has not opened when the play ends is considered burned (sunog). A burned player has to pay the
winning player an extra penalty.

Game Problem
(Possibility)
After each individual game, the winner receives from each loser:

 1 chip for winning

 1 chip for each ace the winner is holding in hand or has in her own exposed melds. (Aces that are laid off on
other players' melds do not count - neither those that the winner has laid off on other players nor those that they
have laid off on the winner. Also, aces held by players other than the winner or placed in their melds have no
effect on payment.)
 1 chip penalty for being burned
 3 chips for each secret set of 4 equal cards belonging to the winner - that is each 4-card set that is face down on
the table or concealed in the winner's hand.
 3 chips instead of 1 for winning by Tongit
 3 chips for winning a Draw after a challenge

Additionally, players create a side pot to which they add 2 chips before each deal. In order to win this pot a player
must win two games in a row.

Some play with more special hands that earn extra chips - for example 3 chips for any 5 card or longer run that the
winner has.

Some play with a payment of only 2 chips instead of 3 for secret sets of 4, Tong-its and winning a challenge after
a Draw.

Gambling Problem
(Advocacy Against Gambling)
People who gamble are the people that are desperate in need of money. Instead of committing bad
doings or crimes, people use this doing, habit, or for some, a job, in earning money. However, to join a game,
one must bet of throw money that is higher of at least the same value as one’s opponent. In doing so, a person
is throwing a money without knowing whether it will come back to the person or at least come back to the
person with the same value as the bet value. If one wins, then their lucky since they won the value bet by their
opponent. If one loses, then their unlucky since the money they have thrown is now in the hands of their
opponent.

Game Problem
 (Advocacy Against Gambling)
In this game Tong-its, you can see the possibilities above. The pinnacle moment comes when a player
manages to play all their cards, shouting “Tong-its” to signal an immediate victory and game conclusion That’s
how hard Tong-its is when playing passively. But usually many people are addicted to this gambling which
causes them to collapse and lose a large amount of money which causes them to run out of savings, pawn or
sell their equipment and get into debt.

Advocacy Against Gambling

(No to Gambling, if no, Forbid Gambling)

The most important part of this advocacy at last, stopping, ending, and for bidding yawl from gambling
or playing this game, TONG-ITS!
As you can see, the more you play or gamble, the more money you throw, waste, and lose in the process.
Remember, gambling games are controlled by its organizer, they are the ones that benefit. The winner in
a game is just another but higher in value victim of the organizer. Remember that losing one time is
more pleasant than winning with a lot of loss one time.