- + How To Play
Strategy Tips
The following set of tips were composed to provide you with guidelines to help you acquire a general perception of the game's strategy. We advise you bear these tips in mind and apply them according to your discretion, considering the specific situation you are confronted with. Please note the tips are ordered in an arbitrary manner.
Deck - In Kalooki the deck consists of 2 full packs of cards, plus 2 jokers for a total of 106 cards, in Kalooki you have the chance to receive all the cards twice, even the jokers!
Drawing - Drawing the right cards when playing online Kalooki (Kaluki) is the number one skill to affect the outcome of the game the most. When drawing a card at the beginning of the game, it is advisable that you pick a card from the stock pile rather then the discard pile. This way, your online Kalooki (Kaluki) opponents will find it difficult to keep track of the cards in your hand. Keeping your hand a secret as long possible will be worth your while down the road. In addition, since the cards on top of the discard pile are cards that your online Kalooki (Kaluki) opponents do not need, when drawing a card from the stock pile, you might be preventing them from forming melds.
Discard – Discard the right cards is not a matter to be taken lightly also. When throwing away cards your first priority is to get rid of cards that are of no use to you. Secondly, you want to throw away cards that are of no use to your online Kalooki (Kaluki) opponent. To do so, simply note which cards your opponents discard.
Pay Attention To - One of the keynotes in online Kalooki (Kaluki) is constant vigilance. Be alert to the cards your online Kalooki (Kaluki) opponents discard and pick. This gives you the benefit of knowing which cards their hands consist of.
High\ Low Draws – The Kalooki (Kaluki) rules require your melds' total count reaches 51 or more before going down for the first time. Therefore, you might want to form melds of high-valued cards so you can reach 51.
Building – You may want to pick up cards from the discard pile that may be added to the melds on the table, and get rid of them by building onto the melds on the table. Be careful not to throw builders to your opponents.
Melding – Try to draw and discard cards in a manner that will provide you with a lot of opportunities to complete pairs into melds. For example: the un-melded cards in your hand are 
Discarding the will leave you with more opportunities to meld the rest of cards.
When melding a Joker, you want to use it in a run rather than a set. Since it will be more difficult for your opponents to come up with the relevant card and replace it.
Going Kalooki (Kaluki) – The main advantage of “Going Kalooki” is surprise! Not to mention the fact that your opponents will be penalized with an extra 25 points. You need to pay close attention to your opponents' moves, the cards they are drawing and discarding. Make your decision to go for a Kalooki (Kaluki) based on the information you can get during the first couple of turns.
Going down – If all players have already laid down melds at the "Meld Area", waiting for a Kalooki is too risky – go down as soon as you can.
