How to play Okey: rules, the okey tile and scoring

The tiles: why does okey have 106?

An okey set has four colours: yellow, blue, black and red. Each colour has the numbers 1 to 13, and there are two copies of every tile. Two false okeys are added to these.

In our game the tiles are cream coloured with large, bold numbers. For players who find colours hard to tell apart, each number has a small shape beneath it: a circle on red, a square on black, a triangle on blue and a diamond on yellow. The false okey shows an eight-pointed star instead of a number.

Dealing and the indicator

Four people play. The player who starts the hand gets 15 tiles, the other three get 14. After the deal one tile is turned face up in the middle: this is the indicator (in Turkish gösterge). The remaining 48 tiles stay face down in the middle as the draw pile (106 − 15 − 3 × 14 − 1 = 48).

At a real table the tiles are usually stacked in fives and split with a die. On the computer there is no such step; the tiles are dealt from a secure random shuffle every hand, and the result is just as random. If a false okey comes up as the indicator, our game skips it and the next tile becomes the indicator.

A random player starts the first hand; in later hands the right to start passes in turn to the next player.

How to find the okey tile, and what the false okey is for

The okey is the tile of the same colour as the indicator, one number higher. If the indicator is a 13, the okey is the 1 of that colour. Since every tile has two copies, there are two okeys in the game.

• Indicator red 7: the okey is red 8.
• Indicator blue 12: the okey is blue 13.
• Indicator yellow 13: the okey is yellow 1.

The okey is a joker: it stands in for any missing tile in a run or a set. That is why holding an okey is a big advantage and why players rarely throw one away. In our game the okeys on your rack carry a small gold mark in the corner (you can turn this off in the settings).

The false okey, on the other hand, is not a joker. It takes the value of whichever tile became the okey. If the indicator is red 7, the two red 8s are okeys, and the false okeys are used as ordinary red 8s. That is their job: since the two real tiles of that value have become jokers, the false okeys fill the gap they leave.

Your turn: draw, arrange, discard

Play goes counter-clockwise: you take tiles from the discards of the player on your left, and the tile you discard lands in front of the player on your right. On screen you sit at the bottom; the opponent on your right plays after you.

1. Draw: take a face-down tile from the middle pile or the last face-up tile discarded by the player on your left.
2. Arrange: put the tile wherever you like on your rack.
3. Discard: throw a tile you do not need to your right, or, if your hand is complete, finish the hand.

The player who starts does not draw on the first turn; they already have 15 tiles, so they simply discard. You do not have to use a tile you took from the left (that obligation exists in Okey 101, not in classic okey). Discarding the okey is not against the rules, but the player on your right may take it; our game warns you before you throw it.

If the middle pile runs out, the hand ends in a draw and nobody's points change: once the last tile has been drawn and a tile discarded, the hand closes there.

Runs and sets: valid combinations

To finish, you split your tiles into two kinds of groups:

• Run (Turkish per or seri): at least 3 consecutive tiles of the same colour. Example: red 4-5-6 or blue 9-10-11-12-13.
• Set (Turkish grup): 3 or 4 tiles of the same number in different colours. Example: yellow 7, blue 7, black 7.

A run cannot contain the same tile twice. The okey can replace a missing tile in either kind of group, and both okeys can be used in the same hand. The false okey joins a run or a set with the okey's value (red 8 in the example above).

Tables disagree about 12-13-1: at some tables the 1 can only be used low, as in 1-2-3. In our game 12-13-1 and 11-12-13-1 are valid, and 13-1-2 is not.

Finishing the hand: normal, with the okey, and with pairs

After drawing you have 15 tiles. You can finish the hand when:

• Normal finish: all 14 tiles split into runs and sets, each tile in exactly one group; you place the 15th tile on the middle pile.
• Finishing with the okey: your hand is complete without the okey, and the tile you place in the middle to finish is the okey. The others lose double points.
• Pairs finish: your 14 tiles form seven pairs. A pair is two tiles of the same colour and number (such as two yellow 5s). An okey pairs with any tile, and the two okeys also count as a pair with each other.

What counts is not the order on your rack but whether the tiles can really be split into groups. When you press Finish, the game finds the finishing tile and the best split for you; if you can finish by discarding the okey, it chooses that. If the hand is not complete, you see "Not a complete hand" and nothing happens: in our game a wrong finish carries no penalty. At real tables a player who declares wrongly is sometimes penalised.

Very rarely, if the starting player's 15 tiles are already complete on the first turn, they can finish without drawing at all.

Showing the indicator and scoring

If you hold the twin of the indicator (same colour, same number; the other copy), you may show it on your own first turn, before you discard your first tile. A "Show indicator" button appears on screen. When you show it, the other three players lose 1 point and the tile stays in your hand. After your first turn the chance is gone.

Our game uses point deduction. Everyone starts with the same score: 10 in a Short game, 20 in a Classic game. The player who finishes keeps their points, and the other three lose points:

When any player's score reaches zero or below, the game ends. The player with the most points left comes first; on a tie, the player who finished the last hand ranks higher, otherwise the place is shared. This table is a common way of scoring but it varies between tables: some use a different starting score, some give more for the indicator, and some collect plus points instead of deducting.

Partner okey (2 vs 2)

Okey can also be played in partners: the four players form two teams and the players sitting opposite each other are partners. Tiles, the deal, the indicator, runs, sets and finishing work exactly as in the solo game. You cannot pass tiles to your partner, and hands stay hidden. Because play goes counter-clockwise, the players on your left and right are both on the other team: you take tiles from an opponent and discard to an opponent.

• When either partner finishes or shows the indicator, only the other team loses points. The amounts are the same as in the solo game: normal 2, okey discard 4, pairs 4, pairs with okey discard 8, indicator 1.
• Points belong to the team: both teams start with the same score (Short 10, Classic 20). In our game the team scores are shown at the top as Us / Them.
• When a team's score reaches zero or below, the game ends and the team with points left wins.

In a partner game it does not matter which of you finishes. If your hand is far from complete, not feeding the opponent on your right can be worth more than forcing your own hand. In our game you can play partners in Quick Game (Game type: Partners) and at the Masters' Table in the Apartment Table story.

Okey on CetinsGame: our table

The game opens in your browser with no sign-up needed and plays on phones and computers. At the table sit you and three computer opponents.

• Quick Game: you pick the level (Easy, Medium, Hard) and the length (Short, 10 points, or Classic, 20 points). Easy opponents arrange their hand and throw what they do not need; Medium opponents count waiting tiles and try not to give you a useful tile; Hard opponents track the tiles that have appeared and play the odds.
• Partner games: choose Partners as the game type in Quick Game and the computer player opposite becomes your partner for a 2 vs 2 game; the rules are above.
• A fair table: the computer never sees your tiles or the order of the pile; it only knows what everyone can see (discards and tiles taken from the left). The tiles are securely shuffled every hand.
• Sort runs and Sort pairs: arrange your tiles yourself by dragging, or let these two buttons order your rack by runs and sets or by pairs.
• "What would the master discard?" An optional hint for when you are stuck, showing which tile the strongest computer would throw in your place (3 times per game). It uses only what you can see, and you are free to ignore it.
• Discards window: shows the tiles every player has thrown, so you do not have to memorise information that is visible at a real table anyway.
• Apartment Table: as a newcomer who has just moved in from the city, you join the building's okey tables on winter evenings. Five evenings, six neighbours (Mrs Gülsüm, Uncle Şevket, Deniz, Sabri the caretaker, Mr Hilmi the manager and Auntie Nazmiye); each time you come first your title climbs from Newcomer to Okey Master. After the final, the Masters' Table opens: you play as Auntie Nazmiye's partner against her old friends Captain Rüstem and Mualla the tailor; each win puts your name on the building board, and the first one brings the title Building Legend. There is no money or betting at the table, just tea, tangerines and conversation.
• Daily Hand is a single hand with the same deal for everyone; How to play is a step-by-step tutorial with a prepared hand.
• Tasks: 3 tasks every day and one challenge every week; rewards go to your okey score. After every hand, What would the master have done? compares your decisions with what the Hard opponent would have chosen using only the information you had at that moment.

Quick strategy tips

• Keep the okey. Discarding the okey hands the most valuable tile in the game to the player on your right. The only good moment to throw it is when your hand is complete without it and you finish by placing it in the middle.
• Count your waiting tiles. The more unseen copies there are of the tiles that would complete your hand, the better your chances. Do not wait for a tile whose two copies have both been discarded; the Discards window helps here.
• Do not take every tile from the left. A tile taken from the left is seen by everyone and reveals what you are collecting. Take it only when it clearly improves your hand; otherwise draw from the middle.
• Watch the player on your right. What they take from the left and what they never discard shows what they are building. Try not to give them a tile they need.
• Throw the least useful tiles first. Edge tiles such as 1 and 13 fit into fewer runs than middle tiles; if they are on their own, they are the first to go.
• Decide on pairs early. If you hold four or five pairs, consider a pairs finish: it costs the others double points and is sometimes faster than building runs.
• Do not miss the indicator. If you hold its twin, show it on your first turn; on the second turn the chance is gone.

Common mistakes

• Thinking the indicator itself is the okey: the okey is one number higher, in the same colour.
• Trying to use the false okey as a joker: it only carries the okey's value.
• Throwing the okey away as a spare tile: the player on your right can take it and use it as a joker.
• Building a wrap-around run like 13-1-2: 12-13-1 is valid, but the run does not continue past 13.
• Repeating a colour in a set: yellow 7, yellow 7, blue 7 is not a set.
• Forgetting to show the indicator's twin on the first turn: the chance is lost once you discard.
• Taking the tile from the left when it does not help, and showing your opponents what you are collecting.