Tobi (Bust) Rules: When a Player's Score Goes Negative

Tobi ("flying", commonly called a bust) is a rule that ends an entire session immediately if ANY player's score drops below zero (negative), no matter how many hands were originally planned.

Why This Rule Is Common

Tobi gives a clear loss limit -- useful for tournaments (to keep the session's duration predictable) and for casual play alike (so nobody keeps "owing" score indefinitely).

A Concrete Example

Say starting points are 25,000 and your score has dropped to 8,000 after a few rough hands. The dealer then wins via Tsumo with a Mangan hand (2,000/4,000 -- as a non-dealer, you pay 4,000). Your score becomes 8,000 - 4,000 = 4,000, still positive, so the session continues. But if that hand had been a Haneman (3,000/6,000) instead, you'd pay 6,000 and your score would drop to -2,000 -- the session ends immediately right there, no matter which hand number it was.

Tobi Is Optional

Not every format uses it -- some casual leagues let scores go negative and keep playing until the planned number of hands runs out, only tallying the final score at the end.