GamesSnug Table

Games of the World › Turkey

Play the games of Turkey

Turkish rules4 players · Tiles OkeyThe tile game of the coffeehouse Four players, 106 tiles and one wild tile, the okey. Build sets and runs, finish first, and finish with the okey to score double. Play Okey → Turkish rules2 players · Dice Tavla Turkish backgammonBackgammon, the Turkish way No doubling cube, and a mars (a gammon) counts two. Opens on an İznik tile board; you can switch boards in settings. Play Tavla → Turkish rules4 players · Cards BatakBid for trump, every player alone A cousin of Spades. The high bidder names trump, and you must beat the winning card whenever you can, so every trick is a fight. Play Batak → Turkish rules2 players · Board Dama Turkish checkersStraight lines, not diagonals Pieces move forward and sideways on every square of the board. A crowned dama flies any distance along rows and columns. Play Dama → Turkish rules2 players · Board Mangala Turkish mancalaMake it even, take it all Keep one seed back, sow the rest, and capture an opponent pit by making its count even. The version played in Turkish championships. Play Mangala →

Full rules: Okey · Tavla · Batak · Dama · Mangala. Prefer the American rules? Switch any game back in its settings.

Turkish words at the table

The games keep their Turkish terms. Tap a term inside a game and the coach explains it in one sentence.

Okey

The wild tile: one higher than the indicator, in the same color. It stands in for any tile.

Gösterge (indicator)

The tile turned face up at the start of the hand. The tile one above it is the okey.

Sahte okey (false joker)

The two starred tiles. They don’t act as wild; they stand in only for the okey tile itself.

Çift (pairs)

Finishing an okey hand with seven pairs instead of sets and runs. It scores double.

Mars

In tavla, winning before your opponent bears off a single checker. The game counts two points.

İhale (bid)

In batak, the number of tricks you promise to take. The highest bid wins the right to name trump.

Koz (trump)

The suit that beats all others. In batak the high bidder picks it.

Batmak (to be set)

Falling short of your bid. It is where the game gets its name.

Dama

Both the game and the crowned piece. A dama moves any distance along a row or column.

Hazine (store)

The big bowl on your right in mangala. The fuller hazine wins.

Kuyu (pit)

One of the six small cups on each side of the mangala board.

Questions