Eşli 101: how to keep score in pairs
Two teams, one total per hand: how Eşli 101 is scored, what happens when your partner finishes, and how to track it on your phone.
Eşli 101: how to keep score in pairs
Eşli 101 is 101 Okey played in two teams of two. It is the format most tournaments use, and in many cafés it is simply how 101 is played. The tiles and the opening rule stay the same; what changes is the score. Two partners share one total, and that changes the maths at the end of every hand. This article explains how an Eşli 101 hand is scored and how to keep it on okey101.app.
The table
Four players form two teams, and partners usually sit opposite each other. Everyone gets 21 tiles, the player who starts gets 22. You still need 101 points in runs and groups to open, or five pairs if you open with pairs. Many tournaments play three games of 11 hands each; the team that wins two games wins the match.
How a hand is scored
At the end of a hand every team gets one total, not two player scores:
| What happens | Team total for the hand |
|---|---|
| A partner finishes normally | -101 for the finishing team |
| A partner finishes with the okey or with pairs | -202, and the other team's penalties double |
| A player who opened | the sum of the tiles left in hand |
| A player who never opened | 202 |
| An okey left in hand | 101 on top |
The rule that makes Eşli different: when one partner finishes, the other partner's penalty is cancelled. Even a partner who never opened costs the team nothing that hand. The losing team adds up both partners' penalties.
Tournaments add their own penalties, for example 101 for a wrong opening or for discarding a tile that fits a set on the table. Agree on these before the first deal; the house rules vary more than the core scoring.
Tracking it with okey101.app
- Create the game: on the home page choose "Okey 101", then "Eşli (2 vs 2)". Enter one name per team, for example "Ali & Sami".
- Rounds or a target: 11 hands is the default. Under Options you can also play to a target instead.
- After every hand: enter one number per team. The finishing team taps Win (-101), or types -202 after an okey or pairs finish. The other team gets the sum of both partners' penalties; the +101 button adds a standard penalty.
- The end: after the last hand, or when a team reaches the target, the game names the winning team: the lowest total.
With the PIN all four players follow the score on their own phones, and the result can go to the group as an image. The general rules of 101 are in the how to play 101 Okey guide.
Why a shared score helps in pairs
In Eşli, arguments are rarely about the tiles and often about the totals: did the partner's penalty count, was that a doubled hand, who is ahead after seven hands? One visible score, entered once per team, answers that before it turns into a discussion.