Discover the Best Strategies to Win at Tong Its Card Game Every Time

The sun was dipping below the saloon's wooden eaves when I found myself surrounded again. Three outlaws from the Blackwood Gang had me cornered near the whiskey barrels, their revolvers gleaming in the fading light. I could hear two more approaching from the stable side—that familiar tension building in my shoulders as I realized I was about to experience another classic Tong Its showdown situation. This is exactly when you need to discover the best strategies to win at Tong Its card game every time, because without them, you're just another cowboy about to meet their maker.

I remember my first week with Tong Its—how I'd panic when enemies would flank me from multiple directions. The game's design is brilliantly cruel in this regard. You'll often find yourself controlling just two or three characters while facing six or seven enemies coming at you from different angles. That initial overwhelm is intentional, I've come to realize. The nature of each showdown tends to involve several enemies from the game's expansive lineup of baddies flanking you from different directions, forcing you to control a crowd of enemies that may likely vary more than your small handful of characters brought into the showdown. Last Tuesday, I counted 8 separate enemies in a single encounter—my two characters against what felt like a small army.

What saved me that evening in the saloon—and what continues to save me during my nightly Tong Its sessions—was mastering the character switch. My fingers danced across the controller almost unconsciously, swapping between Quick-Draw Miller and Silent Sue faster than you can blink. That instantaneous swap mechanic is arguably the game's most elegant feature. You can switch between any characters you brought with you on a whim, and they'll immediately replace the previous one—again, think of it like switching weapons, except in this case, you're trading one whole being for another instantaneously. I've timed it—the switch happens in under 0.3 seconds, barely enough time for the enemies to register what's happening.

The pace changes dramatically depending on who you're fighting, and honestly, that's what keeps me coming back night after night. Some matches are over in what feels like 45 seconds flat—a whirlwind of switching, shooting, and moving that leaves me breathless. This usually makes a showdown fast-paced, though depending on which enemies you're pitted against, it may be more of a knock-down, drag-out fight with perhaps just one single ultra-sturdy foe. I once spent nearly seven minutes—I checked the clock—dodging and weaving against The Iron Golem, a massive metal monstrosity that just wouldn't go down. My thumb actually started cramping from all the evasion maneuvers.

Then there are those chaotic moments where strategy goes out the window and survival instinct takes over. I'll never forget the time I found myself in the Dusty Gulch map, completely surrounded with health dwindling. At other points, you may be aimlessly tossing dynamite in the direction of enemy voice lines, hoping you'll land a stick close enough to their boots to clear a small group. That was me—blindly hurling explosives toward shouted threats in Spanish and English, praying one would connect. When that dynamite finally took out three bandits at once, the relief was physical—I actually stood up from my chair cheering.

What's remarkable is how these varied encounters never feel repetitive to me. I enjoyed each showdown no matter its composition—whether it was against swift, numerous foes or that single stubborn bullet sponge. There's something beautifully unpredictable about Tong Its that many other card games lack. After 127 hours of playtime (yes, I'm slightly obsessed), I can confidently say that the game's true genius lies in how it forces adaptation. You can't rely on the same approach for every encounter—I've tried, and it usually ends with my character face-down in the digital dirt.

The strategies that truly elevate your game aren't just about memorizing card combinations or perfecting your aim—though those help tremendously. They're about developing a sixth sense for when to switch characters, when to go offensive versus defensive, when to use those precious special abilities. I've developed little personal rules—like always saving my dynamite until at least three enemies are clustered, or switching characters after every two reloads to keep the enemies disoriented. These might sound like small things, but in the heat of a Tong Its showdown, they make all the difference between victory and watching that "Game Over" screen mock you for the third time in an hour.

So when those outlaws had me cornered near the saloon that evening, I didn't panic. I took a breath, calculated the angles, and began the dance—switching, shooting, moving, adapting. The entire encounter lasted maybe ninety seconds, but it felt like a perfectly choreographed gunfight. When the last outlaw fell, the satisfaction was deeper than just winning another round. It was the satisfaction of having truly mastered something—of having discovered, through trial and error and more than a few failures, the best strategies to win at Tong Its card game every time. And honestly? That feeling never gets old.