How to play okey

Updated: October 1, 2026

Okey, often called Turkish rummy, is one of Turkey's best-loved table games: four players, 106 tiles and plenty of chat. This guide explains the basic rules so that even a complete beginner can start playing in a few minutes. Once you've read it, try a hand at an online okey table on Boombala.

The tiles

An okey set has four colours: red, black, blue and yellow. Each colour has the numbers 1 to 13, two of each, for 104 tiles. Add two fake okeys and you have 106.

The indicator and the okey

After the tiles are shuffled, one tile is turned face up: the indicator. The tile one higher in the same colour is that hand's okey. 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.

The okey is a joker: it can stand in for any tile to complete a meld or a pair.
A fake okey plays as the okey's own face. With a yellow 7 indicator, the fake okey counts as yellow 8.

Dealing and turns

The player after the dealer gets 15 tiles and the other three get 14 each. The rest stay in the middle as the draw pile.
The player with 15 tiles starts by throwing one tile without drawing.
Turns pass to the right. On your turn, draw from the pile or take the tile the player on your left just threw.
Then throw a tile you don't need to your right, so you always keep 14 tiles.

Melds: runs and sets

The aim is to arrange all 14 tiles into melds. There are two kinds:

Run: at least 3 consecutive numbers of the same colour, e.g. red 4-5-6. 12-13-1 is allowed, but 13-1-2 is not.
Set: 3 or 4 tiles of the same number in different colours, e.g. black 9, blue 9, yellow 9.

The okey can fill a gap in a meld: red 10, okey, red 12 is a valid run.

Finishing with pairs

Instead of melds you can also collect 7 pairs: seven pairs of identical tiles (same colour, same number). The okey can pair with any single tile. Pairs are harder to complete, so finishing with them doubles the penalty.

Finishing a hand

After drawing you hold 15 tiles. If 14 of them form melds or 7 pairs, lay the 15th down (on Boombala, onto the green ring) to finish your hand. Throwing the okey as your finishing tile is the most valuable finish.

Scoring

Okey has several scoring styles. On Boombala, classic okey is scored like this:

Everyone starts with the table's target score (10, 20 or 30).
When someone finishes, everyone else loses 2 points.
Finishing with pairs doubles the penalty; finishing by throwing the okey doubles it again.
A player holding the indicator tile can show it on their first turn to make everyone else lose 1 point.
The player who reaches zero blows up and the game ends; the most points left wins.

Tips for beginners

Sort your tiles by colour and number; on Boombala the "Sort runs" and "Sort pairs" buttons do it in one tap.
Only take the tile on your left if it completes a meld; otherwise you show the next player what you're collecting.
Hold on to the okey for as long as you can: it keeps you flexible and finishing with it doubles the penalty.
Watch which tiles the player on your right takes, and avoid throwing them what they need.

Curious about the version where melds go on the table? Read the 101 okey rules. To play with friends over voice, see how to set up voice and video okey.