OKEY RULES
How to play Okey (Turkish Rummy): 106 tiles, the indicator, okey and false jokers, runs, sets and pairs, finishing and scoring — a complete beginner guide.
What is Okey?
Okey — often called Turkish Rummy — is one of Turkey's favourite tile games. It is played with 106 tiles by four players; the goal is to be first to arrange all 14 tiles in your rack into valid melds. This guide describes the classic rules exactly as implemented in YOZGAMES Okey.
Tiles and the deal
The set has four colours (yellow, blue, black, red) numbered 1 to 13, two of each tile, plus two false jokers: 4 × 13 × 2 + 2 = 106 tiles. After shuffling, everyone receives 14 tiles and the starting player 15; the starter's first move is simply a discard.
The indicator, the okey and the false jokers
One tile is turned face up after the deal: the indicator. The tile one higher in the same colour is the okey — if the indicator is yellow 5, the okey is yellow 6 (after 13 it wraps to 1). The okey works as a wild card standing in for any tile. The two false jokers work the other way round: each one plays as the tile the okey would normally be — the okey's "real" number and colour.
How a hand flows
On your turn you either draw from the face-down pile or take the last tile discarded by the player on your left, then discard one tile. The hand circles like this. You are shaping your 14 tiles into:
- Runs: at least 3 consecutive tiles in one colour (e.g. blue 7-8-9). 12-13-1 is a valid run; 13-1-2 is not.
- Sets: the same number in different colours, 3 or 4 tiles (e.g. yellow 10, blue 10, black 10).
- Pairs: two identical tiles. Finishing on pairs needs 7 of them.
Finishing and scoring
When all 14 tiles form valid melds, you end the hand by discarding your final tile. Match scoring in YOZGAMES Okey:
- Normal finish: 1 point.
- Pairs finish (7 pairs): 2 points.
- Finishing by discarding the okey: points double — 2 for a normal hand, 4 on pairs. Risky, since you give up your most flexible tile.
First to 5 points wins the match.
Beginner strategy
- Don't spend the okey early. It is your most flexible tile; keep it for the last gap in your hand.
- Commit early. Decide in the first few turns whether you are building runs, sets or pairs; hands stuck in between finish late.
- Read your opponents. Watch which discards the next player picks up and avoid feeding similar tiles. The YOZGAMES bots read your discards too.
- Mind tiles near the indicator. Tiles adjacent to the okey are valuable to everyone.
- Decide on pairs early. With 5-6 pairs, switching to a pairs hand makes sense; forcing it with 3-4 drags the hand out.
Now put the rules into practice: play Okey free — against three bots on easy, normal or hard, with no download and no sign-up. The sort buttons arrange your rack automatically, ideal for beginners.