Okey Rules: How to Play Turkish Rummy and Scoring

Updated: Oct 18, 2026 · 🔗 Online with a friend🤖 Vs computer🌍 Random opponent

Okey is a classic Turkish rummy game for four players using 106 numbered tiles. Your goal is to arrange your 14 tiles into sets (runs or groups) or seven pairs, then discard a 15th tile to finish before anyone else. In Zipi's version a match lasts three games and the highest total score wins.

▶ Play Okey (Turkish Rummy) nowFree, no download, no sign-up.

The tiles and the table

An Okey set has 106 tiles: numbers 1 to 13 in four colours (red, yellow, blue and black), two copies of each (104 tiles), plus two false jokers. Each player has a two-row rack to arrange tiles however they like.

• Indicator: a tile turned face up after the deal.
• Okey (joker): the tile one higher than the indicator in the same colour. If the indicator is yellow 7, the okey is yellow 8. If the indicator is a 13, the okey is the 1 of that colour.
• False joker: stands in for the okey tile itself, taking its colour and number. It is not wild.

The okey tiles are wild and can replace any tile. In Zipi they carry a gold star on your rack, so you always know which tiles are jokers.

Dealing and starting

The tiles are shuffled, the indicator is revealed and the tiles are dealt. The dealer receives 15 tiles and the other three players 14 each. The remaining tiles form a face-down draw pile in the middle.

The dealer, holding the extra tile, starts by discarding without drawing. The deal passes to the next player each game.

Indicator bonus: a player holding the indicator's twin (the other tile of the same colour and number) earns +1 point. In Zipi you do not need to show it manually; the game checks on that player's first turn and adds the point automatically.

Taking a turn

Play passes to the right. On your turn you do two things:

1. Draw: take the top tile of the face-down pile, or take the tile the player on your left just discarded.
2. Discard: place one tile face up next to you. That tile is now available to the player on your right.

You always end your turn with 14 tiles; you finish by drawing a 15th and discarding your final tile. In Zipi you tap or drag to draw, and double-tap a tile or drag it onto DISCARD to throw it.

Valid sets: runs and groups

To finish, every tile must belong to a valid set. There are two kinds:

• Run: three or more consecutive numbers in the same colour, such as blue 4-5-6 or red 9-10-11-12. 12-13-1 is allowed, but 13-1-2 is not: the 1 can only start a run or follow the 13.
• Group: three or four tiles of the same number in different colours, such as red 7, yellow 7 and black 7. A colour cannot repeat.

An okey can fill any gap in either kind of set. In Zipi, valid sets glow green underneath, and the Sort runs and Sort pairs buttons arrange your rack in one tap.

Finishing a game and going for pairs

When all 14 tiles fit into sets, discard the 15th and press Finish. There are two ways to finish:

• Sets: all 14 tiles are in runs and groups.
• Seven pairs: your 14 tiles form seven pairs. A pair is two identical tiles (same colour and number); an okey pairs with anything.

If the tile you discard to finish is an okey, you finish by discarding the okey and your score doubles. In Zipi the arrangement on your rack does not matter: when you press Finish the game checks whether a valid split exists, and the button glows as soon as you can finish.

If the draw pile runs out before anyone finishes, the game is a draw and nobody scores.

Okey scoring table

In Zipi's version points go to the player who finishes, and the highest total after the match wins:

Zipi variant: in many Turkish coffee houses everyone starts on 20 or 21 points and loses points when someone else finishes; the first to reach zero loses. In Zipi points are added up instead, and after three games the highest total wins. Players tied at the top all count as winners.

Common mistakes

• Misreading the joker: the okey is one above the indicator, not the indicator itself. A 13 indicator makes the 1 the joker.
• Treating 13-1-2 as a run: a run may end 12-13-1, but it cannot wrap around to 2.
• Repeating a colour in a group: red 5, red 5 and blue 5 is not a group.
• Using the false joker as a wild: it only replaces the okey tile.
• Feeding the next player: your discard goes to the player on your right, so avoid throwing what they are collecting.

Okey strategy tips for beginners

1. Keep your okeys: a joker fills any gap, and discarding it to finish doubles your score.
2. Track the discards: once both copies of a tile are gone, any set waiting for it is dead; switch plans early.
3. Hold flexible tiles: a tile that fits both a run and a group keeps more options open.
4. Throw isolated tiles first: tiles that are not near any set are your safest early discards.
5. Consider pairs early: if your opening hand already has four or five pairs, seven pairs is often the faster four-point finish.
6. Take discards with purpose: picking up from the left reveals your plan, so only do it when the tile really helps.
7. Play safe late: when the pile is low, avoid discarding tiles that obviously help the player on your right.

Play Okey online on Zipi

Okey runs in your browser on Zipi with no account or download. You can play three ways:

• Career vs the computer: face three bots and level up each time you win a match. Higher-level bots take useful discards, track thrown tiles, avoid feeding the next player and go for pairs when the hand suits it.
• Play with a friend: create a room and share the five-character code or invite link. You sit opposite each other and bots fill the other two seats.
• Find a world opponent: get matched with a random player who wants a game right now.

Online turns last 20 seconds. There is no chat, only quick reactions, and the game is played for points only.

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