Section 3: Setup
- Place all 106 tiles face down and mix them thoroughly to form the pool.
- Give each player a rack.
- Determine the first player by any fair method. A common method is for each player to draw one tile; the player drawing the highest number begins. Treat a joker as the lowest draw for this purpose. Return the drawn tiles and remix the pool.
- Each player draws 14 tiles and arranges them privately on their rack.
- Leave the remaining tiles face down as the draw pool.
- Play proceeds clockwise from the starting player.
Before the First Turn
Players may sort their racks by color, number, or possible combinations. Sorting has no rules effect. Once everyone has 14 tiles, players should agree on whether the game will be a single round or a scored series and whether any optional time limit or house rule will be used.
The Opening-Meld Requirement
Each player must make an initial meld before manipulating combinations already on the table. The initial meld consists of one or more valid groups or runs placed from that player’s rack during a single turn. The printed or represented values of those tiles must total at least 30 points.
For example, a run of blue 9-10-11 totals 30 and qualifies. A group of three 10s also totals 30. A player may combine several new combinations to reach the requirement, such as a group of three 6s plus a run of 3-4-5, for a total of 30.
Only tiles from the player’s rack count toward the initial meld. The player may not add to, split, borrow from, or rearrange combinations already on the table while satisfying it. A joker may be included and counts as the tile it represents.