This guide summarises the rules used on public tables in North Sultan: 101 Okey. The rules are enforced automatically and equally for everyone by our server; illegal moves cannot be made. The Game is for entertainment only: virtual chips have no monetary value and nothing of real-world value can be won.
1. Tiles, indicator and okey
- There are 106 tiles: 4 colours (red, yellow, blue, black) × numbers 1 to 13 × 2 copies = 104 tiles, plus 2 false jokers.
- After the deal one tile is turned up as the indicator and is out of play. In 101 the indicator has no other function.
- The okey is the tile of the indicator's colour one number higher (if the indicator is 13, the okey is the 1 of that colour). Both okeys are wild and can stand for any tile.
- A false joker is not wild; it stands for the okey tile itself (its colour and number).
- The starting player receives 22 tiles, the others 21; the rest form the deck. The starting player discards on the first turn without drawing. The start seat moves on every round.
2. Your turn
- Draw: take a tile from the deck or take the tile just discarded by the player on your left (the previous player).
- Play to the table (optional): open your hand, lay new melds, lay off tiles onto melds on the table or retrieve an okey.
- Discard: discard one tile.
You have 45 seconds per turn.
Taking the discard: a player who has not opened yet may only take the discarded tile if they open in the same turn using that tile (or an identical tile from their hand). Players who have opened may take it freely.
3. Melds and pairs
- Run: at least 3 consecutive tiles of the same colour (e.g. red 4-5-6). 1-2-3 is valid. 12-13-1 is valid in this game (house rule; the 1 counts 1 point in that position). 13-1-2 is never valid.
- Set: 3 or 4 tiles of the same number in different colours (e.g. red 9, blue 9, black 9).
- Pair: two identical tiles (same colour and number). An okey pairs with any tile.
- An okey can be used in any meld and takes the value of the tile it replaces.
4. Opening your hand
You can open in one of two ways:
- Opening with 101: the runs and sets you lay down must add up to at least 101. An okey counts as the tile it replaces. The opening is made in a single move.
- Opening with pairs: lay down at least 5 pairs. Runs/sets and pairs cannot be mixed in one opening.
A player who opened with pairs cannot later lay their own runs or sets, but may lay off up to 2 tiles per turn onto melds on the table. A player who opened with runs/sets may also lay pairs once someone at the table has opened with pairs. After opening there is no minimum for new melds.
5. Laying off and retrieving the okey
- Laying off: a player who has opened may add tiles to any player's run (at either end) or add the missing fourth colour to a 3-tile set. Lay-offs do not count towards the opening.
- You may lay off and retrieve an okey in the same turn you open, but then the round cannot count as a "hand finish".
- Retrieving the okey: a player who has opened may take an okey from the table by putting down the real tile it represents. If it is ambiguous which tile the okey represents (e.g. in a 3-tile set) it cannot be taken; it can be taken from runs, 4-tile sets and pairs.
6. Penalties
- Discarding a playable tile (işlek): discarding a tile that could be laid off onto a run or set on the table gives the discarder 101 penalty points (even before opening).
- Discarding an okey: 101 penalty points.
- The final discard that finishes the round is exempt.
- The next player may still take a discarded playable tile or okey; the penalty stands.
7. End of the round
- Finishing: a player who has opened finishes by discarding their last tile. A final tile to discard is required.
- Hand finish: a player who has not opened before may open their entire hand in one turn (without lay-offs or okey retrievals) and discard the last tile; the 101 / 5-pair requirement is then waived.
- Finishing with the okey: if the final discard is an okey, all scores are doubled.
- Deck exhausted: if the deck runs out and the next player does not take the discard, the round ends without a winner and remaining tiles are scored.
- All four players opened with pairs: the round is void, nobody scores and the tiles are re-dealt.
8. Scoring
101 uses penalty points: lower is better.
| Situation | Points |
|---|---|
| Player who finishes | −101 (−202 when finishing with the okey or after opening with pairs; −404 for both) |
| Opened with runs/sets | sum of the tiles left in hand (an okey left in hand counts 101) |
| Opened with pairs | twice the sum of the tiles left in hand |
| Never opened | 202 |
| Hand finish | all of the above are doubled again |
Multipliers for okey or pair finishes apply to the other players as well (capped at 4× for players who never opened, e.g. 808). Discard penalties are added to the player's score.
Match: on public tables a match lasts 11 rounds. The player with the lowest total wins; ties share. On staked tables the pot (virtual chips) goes to the winner(s) after the table fee. Virtual chips have no monetary value.
9. Bots
- On public tables, empty seats may be filled with computer-controlled players ("bots") so that you do not have to wait long. A bot may also take over the seat of a player who leaves a match.
- To keep the atmosphere of the table, bots are not individually labelled.
- Bots play by the same rules; they cannot see or influence the deal and do not know other players' tiles.
- Bots never win anything of real value; chips won by a bot are not passed on to any real person but leave the game. Bots are not used to push you towards purchases.
- In private salons you set up with friends, empty seats are only filled with bots if you choose so.
10. Fair play
Tiles are shuffled and dealt randomly on our servers; no player or staff member can influence the outcome. Cheating, collusion and chip dumping are prohibited: Terms of Use, Community Guidelines.
Questions: [email protected] · Support
