101 Okey at a glance
- 106 tiles, 4 players. Two of each number 1–13 in four colours, plus two false Okeys.
- The indicator is turned up and names the Okey: the next number in the same colour. The Okey stands in for any tile.
- Each turn, draw one tile and discard one. Draw from the middle or take the tile the player on your left discarded.
- To open you need runs and sets worth at least 101 points or at least 5 pairs.
- The finisher scores −101, anyone who never opened pays 202, an opened player writes the sum of the tiles left in hand. Lowest score wins.
Tiles and the table
101 Okey is played by four people with 106 tiles. The tiles come in four colours (red, blue, black and green) and each colour has the numbers 1 to 13 twice. Two false Okeys are added to those 104 tiles.
- 7
- 7
- 7
- 7
Each player arranges their tiles on a rack. Play goes anticlockwise: on your turn you may take the tile discarded by the player on your left, and after playing you discard to the player on your right. The table seats four and is played individually or in partners, where the players sitting opposite each other form a team.
When you create a table in Okey Masters 101 you choose the type (Classic, Rising, Challenge, 51), individual or partners, penalty or no-penalty, and the number of hands (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 or 13).
Dealing, the indicator and the Okey
The tiles are shuffled and stacked on the table in piles. Dice decide who starts and the indicator tile is turned face up. The starting player receives 22 tiles, the other three 21; the remaining tiles are the draw pile in the middle.
Which tile is the Okey?
The Okey is the tile one number higher than the indicator, in the same colour. If the indicator is a blue 7, this hand's Okey is the blue 8; there are two of them and both are Okeys. If the indicator is a 13, the Okey is the 1. The Okey stands in for any tile you like in every run, set and pair; in the opening it counts as the tile it replaces.
- 7
- 8
What does the false Okey do?
The two false Okeys carry no number; in that hand they stand for the tile the real Okey replaces. If the Okey is the blue 8, a false Okey is played as a blue 8: it joins the blue 7-8-9 run or the set of 8s, but it cannot stand in for anything else the way an Okey can.
Runs, sets and pairs
To open and to finish you arrange your tiles into melds. There are three kinds:
Run
At least three consecutive numbers in the same colour, such as red 4-5-6. A run may stretch from 1 to 13; it does not wrap from 13 back to 1, so 12-13-1 is not a run.
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Set
Three or four tiles of the same number in different colours, such as red 9, blue 9, black 9. A colour cannot appear twice in a set.
- 9
- 9
- 9
Pair
Two tiles of the same colour and number, such as two green 11s. An Okey makes a pair with one tile; two Okeys on their own do not count as a pair. Pairs are used only in a pairs opening.
- 11
- 11
A tile is worth its number; an Okey is worth the tile it replaces. A meld's score is the sum of its tiles: the red 4-5-6-7 run is 22 points, the set of 9s is 27.
Your turn: draw, then discard
The starting player begins with 22 tiles and so discards without drawing. After that, on every turn you:
- 1
Draw a tile. Take a face-down tile from the middle, or take the last tile discarded by the player on your left.
- 2
Open or add if you want to. If your opening is ready, lay your melds on the table; if you have already opened, you may add tiles to melds on the table.
- 3
Discard one tile. At least one tile must stay in your hand; your discard goes to the player on your right.
Taking a discard
You may take the tile discarded by the player on your left only if you use it in a meld that same turn: in your opening, or added to a meld on the table. If you cannot, you put it back and draw from the middle. You may not simply discard a tile you took.
Adding to melds
Once you have opened, you may add a fitting tile to any player's meld: to the end of a run, to a set's missing colour. If you hold the real tile an Okey stands for in a meld on the table, you may swap it in and take the Okey; an Okey taken this way must be used the same turn. A player who opened with pairs cannot open runs later and only adds to pairs on the table.
Taking back
You may take back the melds you opened as long as you have not discarded yet. At a penalty table this costs 101 points.
Opening: 101 points or 5 pairs
Laying your tiles on the table for the first time is your opening. There are two ways:
- Melds opening: the runs and sets you lay down must add up to at least 101. 3-4-5-6-7 (25), 10-11-12-13 (46) and a set of 10s (30) make exactly 101.
- Pairs opening: you lay down at least 5 pairs. A player who opens with pairs cannot open runs in that hand and only adds to pairs.
The opening is made in one turn, as a whole; you cannot reach 101 over two turns. After opening at least one tile must remain in your hand. A meld built with an Okey taken from another meld does not count toward your opening.
In Rising, Challenge and 51 the opening floor changes: a first opening must beat the highest opening on the table by at least 1. Details in game types.
Finishing the hand
The hand ends when you have arranged every tile into melds and discard your last tile. To discard your last tile, every other tile must already be opened or added. How you finish decides the score:
| Finish | Meaning | Finisher | Everyone else |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | You discard your last tile. | −101 | Not opened 202; opened players write the sum of their remaining tiles |
| With an Okey | Your last discard is an Okey. | −202 | Not opened 404; opened players' remaining sum × 2 |
| Straight out | Nobody has opened and you open and finish in the same turn. | −202 | Everyone 404 |
| With pairs | You finish as a player who opened with pairs. | −202 | Not opened 404; opened players' remaining sum × 2 |
| Straight out + Okey | Straight out, and your last discard is an Okey. | −404 | Everyone 808 |
| Pairs + Okey | A pairs player whose last discard is an Okey. | −404 | Not opened 808; opened players' remaining sum × 4 |
| Draw pile empty | The middle ran out and nobody finished. | — | Not opened 202; opened players write the sum of their remaining tiles |
A player who opened with pairs always counts remaining tiles one step higher: × 2 on a normal finish, × 4 on an Okey or pairs finish, × 8 on a pairs-and-Okey finish.
Scoring and penalties
In 101 Okey points are penalty points: the player with the fewest points at the end of the match wins. Everyone is scored at the end of each hand and the hands add up.
At the end of the hand
- The finisher takes off 101, 202 or 404 depending on the finish.
- A player who did not open writes 202 on a normal finish, 404 on an Okey, straight-out or pairs finish, 808 on a pairs-and-Okey finish.
- A player who opened writes the sum of the tiles left in hand, multiplied by 2 or 4 depending on the finish. A false Okey counts as the tile the Okey replaces.
- A real Okey left in hand costs 101 at a penalty table (for an opened player, on top of the remaining sum).
During the hand (penalty table)
| Situation | Points |
|---|---|
| Discarding an Okey (other than to finish) | +101 |
| Discarding a playable tile: one that fits a meld on the table | +101 |
| Taking back the melds you opened | +101 |
| Another player taking an Okey you added (no penalty if your partner takes it) | +101 |
At a no-penalty table these four penalties and the 101 for an Okey left in hand are not written; opening rules and end-of-hand scoring stay the same.
Classic, Rising, Challenge and 51
The draw-and-discard turn, the melds, finishing and the score arithmetic are the same in all four game types. They differ in the opening floor, in whether the opening rises, and in the penalties unique to Challenge.
| Rule | Classic | Rising | Challenge | 51 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiles dealt | 21 (starter 22) | 21 (22) | 21 (22) | 14 (starter 15) |
| Melds opening floor | 101 | 101 | 101 | 51 |
| Melds opening rises | No | Yes, +1 | Yes, +1 | Yes, +1 |
| Pairs opening floor | 5 pairs | 5 pairs | 5 pairs | 4 pairs |
| Pairs opening rises | No | Yes, +1 pair | Yes, +1 pair | No |
| Big opening bonus | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Discard penalty, Going Pairs | No | No | Yes | No |
Classic
The basic 101 described above: everyone opens with 101 points or 5 pairs and the floor never changes during the match.
Rising
Every first opening must beat the highest opening on the table by at least 1. If someone opened with 102, you open with at least 103; if the highest pairs opening is 6 pairs, you need at least 7. Melds and pairs rise separately: a 120-point melds opening does not bind a player opening with pairs. If nobody has opened, the floor is 101 and 5 pairs.
Big opening bonus: if your first opening is 150 or more in melds, or 7 or more pairs, 101 comes off your score; at 180 or more, or 9 or more pairs, 202 comes off.
Challenge
Challenge uses every rule of Rising and adds three of its own:
- You pay for your discard. If the player on your right takes your discard and uses it in a meld, you pay the tile's value × 10; × 20 if it went into a pair. A discarded Okey that gets used costs × 20, or × 40 in a pair. (Penalty tables only.)
- Going Pairs: you declare that you will open only with pairs this hand. After declaring you cannot open melds; if the hand ends before you open, the not-opened penalty doubles (404 instead of 202, 808 instead of 404).
- Pairs-path tiles are protected. A tile discarded by a player who is Going Pairs may be taken only to open pairs or add to a pair; while Going Pairs you cannot discard a tile you took, you must use it in your pairs opening.
51
Fewer tiles, faster hands: the starter gets 15 tiles, the others 14. The first melds opening needs at least 51, and every later first opening beats the highest melds opening on the table by at least 1. 4 pairs are enough to open with pairs and the pairs floor does not rise. There is no big opening bonus and no Challenge rule in 51; the scoring is the same as Classic.
Partners table
At a partners table the players sitting opposite each other are a team (1 with 3, 2 with 4). Scores are added per team; the team with the lower total wins.
- In Rising, Challenge and 51 your opening floor is set by the opposing team's highest opening; your partner's opening does not bind you. If an opponent opened with 120 you need at least 121, and your partner's 135 does not change your threshold.
- Taking an Okey your partner added is not a penalty; if you take an opponent's Okey, the penalty goes to the player who placed it.
- The finisher's partner writes no points for that hand.
Frequently asked questions
How many points do you need to open in 101 Okey?
The tiles in your runs and sets must add up to at least 101, or you open with at least 5 pairs. An Okey counts as the tile it stands for. In Rising and Challenge every later first opening must beat the highest opening on the table by at least 1; in 51 the run floor is 51 and the pairs floor is 4.
How is the Okey tile decided?
The indicator tile is turned face up; the Okey is the tile one number higher in the same colour. If the indicator is a 13, the Okey is the 1. The false Okey stands for the tile the real Okey replaces.
How many points does a player who did not open get?
202 on a normal finish; 404 when the hand is finished with an Okey, straight out or with pairs; 808 on a pairs-and-Okey finish. On a straight-out finish everyone else gets 404 whether they opened or not, 808 if it was straight out with an Okey.
How many points does the finisher get?
The finisher's score drops by 101. Finishing with an Okey, straight out or with pairs takes off 202; straight out with an Okey or pairs with an Okey takes off 404. The lowest score at the end of the match wins.
What is the difference between Rising and Challenge?
In both, every first opening must beat the highest opening on the table and there is a big opening bonus. Challenge adds two things: if an opponent takes and uses your discard you pay for it, and you can declare Going Pairs.
Can I discard a tile I took from the discard?
No. You take the tile discarded by the player on your left only to use it in a meld that same turn: in your opening or added to a meld on the table. If you cannot use it, you put it back and draw from the middle.
What is a playable tile?
A tile that fits a meld on the table: with a 5-6-7 run on the table, the 8 you discard is playable. Discarding a playable tile at a penalty table costs 101. You can tell whether your discard is playable by looking at the melds on the table.
Learn the rules at the table
In Okey Masters 101 the first practice and the Rising and Challenge tutorial tables teach the rules while you play. The free table costs nothing; play as much as you like with no entry limit.