The most common beginner mistakes in Okey are discarding useful tiles too early, ignoring opponents' pickups, and mismanaging the okey.

New players often keep tiles that never fit any group while throwing away pieces that would have completed a run. Others discard tiles an opponent clearly needs, handing them the win. Some waste the okey joker instead of using it to finish for double. To improve, plan your runs and sets a few turns ahead, watch the discard pile, and protect your joker until you have a clear path to finish.