It’s often smart to avoid playing your jokers immediately; they are flexible cards, and you can often save them for a larger or more advantageous meld after a few turns. However, be aware that jokers are the highest-scoring cards in the game, so you should prioritize playing them if you suspect that an opponent will go out soon.

You also want to minimize your opponents’ chances of swapping a joker. Playing the joker early, when your opponents have a full hand of cards, will make it more likely that they can swap the joker. Similarly, using a joker to replace a low-value card (like a 2 or 3) will make it more likely to be swapped near the end of a round, since your opponents are likely to be holding low-value cards.