Okey 101, called yüzbir okey in Turkish, is the points-threshold member of the Okey family and one of the most popular ways to play Okey across Turkey, Iraq and the wider Middle East. It uses the same 106 tiles as every Okey game, but instead of hiding your hand until you win, Okey 101 lets you lay melds on the table during the deal and add tiles to other players' melds. The catch: your first lay-down must be worth at least 101 points.
That 101 bar makes Okey 101 a slow, tense builder. Most players spend the early turns collecting tiles, and being shut out of a deal is expensive, because a player who never opens takes a heavy flat penalty. Two twists add depth: you can open with five pairs instead of 101 points, and any tile you take from the discard pile must be melded that same turn. Finish in one move without ever opening, or finish by discarding the okey, and the whole deal is doubled.
You can play Okey 101 online free on Dananeer, on iPhone, Android or in the browser at play.dananeer.io. Set up a private room and play with friends over live voice and video chat, join a public table, or practise 101 Okey offline against bots. Dananeer is free to play and has no real-money gambling.
Okey 101 tiles and the okey joker
Okey 101 is played with the standard 106-tile Okey set: 104 numbered tiles in four colours, thirteen ranks per colour, two identical copies of each, plus two false-joker tiles.
After the deal a tile is turned face up as the indicator. It stays visible all deal and is removed from play. The indicator sets the okey: the tile of the indicator's colour next to it in rank. Both copies of the okey are wild and can stand in for any tile in a meld.
Setup and deal
Okey 101 is a free-for-all: there are no partnerships and every player scores individually. Play goes clockwise.
- Shuffle the tiles and deal the hands. The first player (the one after the dealer) gets one extra tile.
- Turn up the indicator to set the okey for the deal.
- The remaining tiles form the face-down draw pile.
- Each player has their own discard pile, empty at the start.
- Because the first player holds the extra tile, they skip the draw and start by melding (if they wish) and discarding.
Objective of Okey 101
Be the first player to empty your hand, with every tile melded on the table or added to a meld and your last tile discarded. The winner takes a negative score, every loser takes a penalty, and after the last deal the player with the lowest total wins the match.
How to play a turn
Each turn you draw one tile, may meld or add to melds, and then discard one tile to the next player.
- Draw one tile: from the central draw pile, or the top tile of your own discard pile (the tile the previous player threw to you).
- Optionally open, lay down more melds, or add tiles to melds already on the table.
- Discard one tile onto the next player's discard pile. You must always keep at least one tile to throw, unless you are laying down your whole hand to win.
The discard lock: you take it, you meld it
Taking a tile from your discard pile is a commitment. That tile must go into a meld on the same turn, either in melds you lay down or added to a meld already on the table.
- While the taken tile is still in your hand, you cannot discard anything.
- The only way out is to give it back: discarding the exact tile you took returns it to your pile, and you draw again.
- If you have not opened yet, the taken tile has to be part of an opening worth 101 points (or a pairs opening), so only pick up a tile you can really use.
Runs, sets and pairs
- Run: 3 to 13 tiles of the same colour in consecutive order, such as 3-4-5 in blue.
- Set: 3 or 4 tiles of the same rank, each in a different colour.
- A run laid from your hand may be at most 5 tiles long; longer runs go down in parts, and can grow to 13 once on the table.
- The okey can fill any gap, but a meld cannot start with two wilds; it needs enough real tiles to show what it is.
- Pair: two non-wild tiles of the same rank. Pairs only count as part of a pairs opening.
Opening with 101 points (or 5 pairs)
Your first lay-down of the deal is your opening, and in Okey 101 there are three ways to do it.
- Points opening: lay down runs and sets worth at least 101 points in total. The bar is fixed at 101 for everyone, all deal.
- Pairs opening: lay down at least 5 pairs instead. This ignores the 101 bar, but it raises the stakes: lose the deal and your penalty doubles; win it and the deal doubles.
- Finish-hand opening: lay down your entire hand as valid melds at once, whatever its value.
- After opening, you may meld with no minimum and add tiles to any opened player's melds, including opponents'. A player who has not opened may never add to melds.
- Joker steal: if a meld on the table uses the okey in place of a tile you hold, swap your tile in and take the okey. Careful, a loose okey in hand is expensive at the end of the deal.
| Tile | Points |
|---|---|
| 2 to 9 | Face value (2–9) |
| 10, J, Q, K, A | 10 each |
| Okey inside a meld | Value of the tile it replaces |
Special finishes: elden and the okey discard
- Elden (finishing from the hand): if you go out in a single move without having opened earlier in the deal, the deal's scoring doubles.
- Finishing on the okey: if the tile you discard to win is the okey, the deal's scoring doubles.
- Do both at once, an elden finish ending with the okey discard, and the deal is worth four times as much.
Okey 101 scoring
The winner scores −101. A loser who never opened takes a flat 202. A loser who opened pays the points of the tiles left in hand, plus 101 for every okey still loose in hand. A loser who opened with pairs has that penalty doubled. The winner's finish can then multiply everything.
| How the deal ended | Winner | Loser who never opened | Loser who opened (tiles left = S) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain finish | −101 | +202 | +S |
| Winner finished on the okey | −202 | +404 | +2S |
| Winner finished elden | −202 | +404 | +2S |
| Winner opened with pairs | −202 | +404 | +2S |
| Elden and finished on the okey | −404 | +808 | +4S |
Winning the match
A standard Okey 101 match is 11 deals. The winner of each deal plays first in the next. Scores from every deal are added up, and after the last deal the player with the lowest total wins; players tied at the lowest total share the win.
How Okey 101 differs from Kurdish Okey
| Kurdish Okey | Okey 101 | |
|---|---|---|
| Teams | Two partnerships at 4 players | Everyone plays alone |
| Opening | 81 points, changing as players open | 101 points flat, or 5 pairs |
| Discard pile | One shared pile | One pile per player |
| Taking a discard | Allowed; throwing without opening means Konkan | The tile must be melded that turn |
| Konkan and elimination | Yes | No |
| Never-opened penalty | 100 | 202 |
| Match length | 5 rounds plus a Determine round | 11 deals |
Strategy tips
- Count before you pick up. A discard you cannot meld this turn is useless and must be handed back.
- Keep an eye on pairs from the start: 5 pairs can open when your runs and sets are stuck short of 101, but remember a pairs opener pays double if they lose.
- High tiles (10 through A) are worth 10 each, so building runs and sets with them reaches 101 far faster.
- Open as soon as you can. The flat 202 for never opening, multiplied by a big finish, is the most expensive result in the game.
- Do not hoard a stolen okey late in the deal: every loose okey in your hand costs 101 when someone goes out.
- If your hand is nearly complete and you have not opened, consider waiting to go out elden in one move, which doubles the deal.
Frequently asked questions
How many points do you need to open in Okey 101?
You need at least 101 points in runs and sets for your first lay-down. Alternatively you can open with at least 5 pairs.
How are tiles counted in Okey 101?
Tiles 2 to 9 count their face value, while 10, J, Q, K and A count 10 each. An okey inside a meld counts as the tile it replaces.
What is the penalty for not opening in Okey 101?
A player who never opens takes a flat 202 points, which is doubled or quadrupled if the winner finished with a special finish.
Can you take a tile from the discard pile in Okey 101?
Yes, from your own discard pile, but you must use it in a meld that same turn. If you cannot, you have to give it back and draw from the pile.
What does elden mean in Okey 101?
Elden means finishing from the hand: going out in a single move without having opened earlier. It doubles the deal's scoring.
How many deals are in an Okey 101 match?
A standard Okey 101 match on Dananeer is 11 deals, and the lowest total at the end wins.
Can I play Okey 101 offline?
Yes. Dananeer lets you play Okey 101 offline against bots, or online with friends in private rooms with voice and video chat.
