How to play
Fifty-One (51, “Elli Bir”) is a Turkish rummy game played with two 52-card decks and two jokers, 106 cards in all. It plays like 101 Okey with cards instead of tiles and a lower opening target. You play at the bottom against three computer players; play goes counterclockwise.
The deal. The dealer gets 15 cards, everyone else 14. The dealer starts by discarding one card.
Your turn.
- Draw a card from the stock. You may take the left player’s last discard instead, but only if you can use it on the table this turn; that card must go on the table before you discard.
- Play cards to the table (see below).
- Discard one card to your right.
Melds. A run is three or more consecutive cards of one suit. The ace is high only: Q-K-A is a run, A-2-3 isn’t. A set is three or four cards of the same rank in different suits. A joker can stand in for any card.
Opening. Before you can put anything on the table you must open: lay down melds worth at least 51 points in total. Cards 2 to 10 count their face value, jacks, queens and kings 10, aces 11, and a joker counts as the card it replaces. Or open with five pairs of identical cards (same rank and suit). On screen, select the cards of a meld and tap Set aside; when your melds reach 51, tap Open.
After opening. From your next turn you can lay new melds (pairs only, if you opened with pairs) and lay off cards on any meld on the table: select a card and tap the meld, which glows when the card fits. You must always keep one card to discard. The first player to discard their last card goes out and finishes the round.
Scoring
51 is scored in penalty points: the lowest total wins.
| At the end of a round | Points |
|---|---|
| The player who goes out | -100 (-200 if the last card discarded is a joker) |
| A player who hasn’t opened | +100 |
| A player who opened | the value of the cards left in hand (joker 25, ace 11, pictures 10) |
| A player who opened with pairs | twice that value |
If the stock runs out, nobody goes out and the others are scored as above. Choose 3, 5 or 9 rounds at the top; the choice applies to the next match.
Tips
- Open early. Until you open you risk 100 points. Pictures and aces get you to 51 fast: K-K-K and 10-J-Q of one suit together are 60.
- Don’t get caught with a joker. It’s the most useful card while you play and costs 25 if it’s still in your hand when someone goes out.
- Lay off high cards. After opening, every card left in your hand counts against you, so put your aces and pictures on melds on the table.
- Pairs are a shortcut to open, but everything left in your hand then counts double.
If you enjoy Fifty-One, try Forty Thieves Solitaire or FreeCell next.
