Common mistakes in 101 Okey include failing to open and taking the plus 202 penalty, opening too greedily, and planning illegal ace-high runs.

Beginners often chase a huge opening and never reach the table, when a simpler 101-point lay-down would have avoided the penalty. Others open early but strand themselves with unplayable tiles. Forgetting that the ace is low-only leads to invalid runs like 12-13-1. Discarding tiles opponents need is another costly error. Focusing on a clean, legal opening and watching the discards fixes most of these.