How to Play Okey: Rules of the Turkish Tile Game
Okey is a Turkish tile game for four players with 106 tiles: the numbers 1 to 13 in four colours, two of each, plus two false jokers. Each player gets 14 tiles (the starter 15). On your turn you take a tile from the middle or the one your left-hand neighbour just threw, then throw one. The first player to arrange 14 tiles into runs and groups, or into seven pairs, wins the hand. The okey, the tile one higher than the face-up indicator, is wild.
The tiles
An Okey set has 106 tiles: the numbers 1 to 13 in four colours (red, yellow, blue and black), two of each, which makes 104, plus two false jokers (sahte okey). Players sit round a table with a rack (ıstaka) each.
The indicator and the okey
After the deal, one tile is turned face up: the indicator (gösterge). The tile one higher in the same colour is the okey for this hand, and both copies of it are wild: they can stand for any tile you need. After 13 comes 1, so if the indicator is a black 13, the okey is the black 1.
The two false jokers are not wild: each one stands for the okey's own number and colour. With a yellow 8 as the okey, a false joker is simply a yellow 8.
The deal
All tiles are shuffled face down and built into stacks. The starting player gets 15 tiles and everyone else 14. The remaining tiles form the middle stack. The starter begins by throwing one tile, so they also have 14.
A turn: take one, throw one
- Take a tile: either the top tile of the middle stack, or the tile the player on your left has just thrown.
- Arrange your rack. Group your tiles into sets as you go.
- Throw one tile face up to your right. The next player may take it.
Play goes round to the right (counter-clockwise), as is the custom in Turkey. You always end your turn with 14 tiles.
Runs, groups and pairs
- Run (seri): 3 or more tiles of one colour in a row, like red 4-5-6. A 1 may follow a 13 (12-13-1), but a run can't go round the corner (13-1-2 isn't allowed).
- Group (per): 3 or 4 tiles of the same number in different colours, like red 9, blue 9, black 9. Two tiles of the same colour can't be in one group.
- Seven pairs (çift): instead of runs and groups, you may finish with seven pairs of identical tiles.
Finishing the hand
When, after taking a tile, your 14 tiles all fit into sets (or seven pairs), lay your 15th tile face down on the middle stack and show your rack: you've finished (bitirmek) and won the hand.
If the middle stack runs out before anyone finishes, the hand is a draw and nobody loses points.
Scoring
Okey is scored in many ways in different cafés. The common points game, used on GameLake, works like this:
| What happened | Every other player loses |
|---|---|
| A normal finish | 2 points |
| Finishing by throwing the okey | 4 points |
| Finishing with seven pairs | 4 points |
| Seven pairs and throwing the okey | 8 points |
| Showing the indicator's twin on your first turn | 1 point |
The game ends when someone reaches 0, and the player with the highest score wins.
Showing the indicator
If you hold the other copy of the indicator tile, you may show it on your first turn, and every other player loses 1 point. After your first turn it's too late.
Play Okey online
Okey on GameLake puts you at a table with Hops the frog and his pond friends Pip and Shelly, at three levels. Tap Runs, Groups or Pairs to sort your rack, drag tiles to arrange them, and press Teach me to have Hops point at the tile to take or throw. You can also invite up to three friends online. Our Okey strategy guide covers how to win more hands.
Frequently asked questions
How many tiles are in Okey?
106: the numbers 1 to 13 in four colours, two of each (104), plus two false jokers.
How do you find the okey tile?
Look at the face-up indicator. The okey is the tile one higher in the same colour; after 13 comes 1. Both copies of the okey are wild.
What is the false joker in Okey?
A tile with a star or clover that stands for the okey's own number and colour. It is not wild.
Can 13 and 1 be in the same run?
Yes, 12-13-1 is a run. But a run can't wrap round: 13-1-2 is not allowed.
How many tiles do you need to finish in Okey?
Fourteen tiles in runs and groups (or seven pairs), plus a fifteenth tile that you lay on the middle to finish.
Is Okey the same as 101 Okey?
No. In 101 Okey you lay sets on the table once they add up to 101 points. Standard Okey is won by completing your whole rack.