Joker rules and tips

There are only two jokers, and they're the most powerful tiles in the game.

What a joker can do

A joker stands in for any tile you need to finish a set: 6☺8 is a red run with the joker as red 7, and 1111☺ is a group with the joker as red or orange 11.

Taking a joker from the table

If a joker is on the table and you hold the exact tile it stands for, you can swap your tile in and take the joker. In 6☺8, a player holding 7 can take the joker.

• You must use the joker again on the same turn, in a new or existing set, together with at least one tile from your rack.
• In a group of three, the joker could be either missing color. Players usually allow either one to take it.
• Many groups require you to have made your first meld before taking a joker.

The 30-point penalty

A joker left on your rack when someone else goes out costs you 30 points. Holding one until the very end is a gamble.

Smart joker play

• Play it where it's safe. A joker standing for a tile whose two copies are already on the table can't be taken.
• Don't waste it early. A joker that completes a big rearrangement later is worth more than one spent on an easy set now.
• Get rid of it when the round is ending. When someone is down to two or three tiles, play your joker before it costs you 30.

Jokers in the solver

Use the + buttons next to each grid to add jokers on the table and in your rack. The solver decides what each joker should stand for and shows it as ☺ in the answer. Try the joker puzzle.