A place for the tile-curious

A good game starts with a little know-how.

Four players. A rack of tiles. Plenty of possibilities. Get comfortable with Okey, one thoughtful move at a time.

An independent guide to the game. No stakes, no downloads.

Ivory Okey tiles arranged on a wooden rack beside a glass of tea on a green game table
THE TABLE IS OPENTake a seat. Get curious.
4Players at a classic table
106Tiles in a standard set
1–13Numbers in each color
One more?The best kind of table talk

Your first hand

Less mystery.
More making connections.

Classic Okey is a draw-and-discard tile game. The aim is to organize your hand into valid combinations, then discard the extra tile to finish.

01 / THE SETUP

Find your starting point.

The standard set contains two copies of numbers 1–13 in four colors, plus two false-joker tiles. One player starts with 15 tiles; the others have 14. The player with 15 makes the opening discard.

02 / THE PATTERNS

Think runs and groups.

A run uses at least three consecutive numbers in the same color. A group uses the same number in three or four different colors. Every tile needs a place in a completed hand.

03 / THE RHYTHM

Draw. Consider. Discard.

After the opening discard, a turn usually means taking the previous player’s discard or drawing a face-down tile, then discarding one. Look for moves that leave more than one useful option.

One color. Three connections.

5●6●7●

A simple run. A useful place to begin.

Good habits, better games

Make room for the next move.

Before you discard, take a second look. A tile that seems unhelpful in one arrangement might connect two others in a different one.

  • Keep promising combinations easy to see on your rack.
  • Notice discards, without treating them as a complete picture of another hand.
  • Agree on scoring, special finishes, and house rules before starting.

These basics cover classic Okey. Related games such as 101 Okey use different rules.

Stay at the table

There is always another angle to explore.

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