There is a reason this game is commonly referred to the Manipulation version of Rummikub. Manipulating or “playing the table” is the important and most difficult feature of Sabra.
In this game, the melds on the table are not permanent and can be changed throughout the game. That means they can be broken up, rearranged, and added in ways which enable you to get rid of as many tiles as possible from your rack during the two minutes allowed for your turn. In manipulating the table, you can break up existing melds and combining them with one or more tiles from your own rack to make new patterns of runs and groups. During your turn you can make multiple plays, using tiles from several sets at a time, continuing to manipulate till your two minutes are over. You then call out “over” and the play passes to the person seated on your right side.
There are many ways to manipulate the tiles using any of the following combinations of these ways, or any other rearrangement that you may find, as long as there are only legitimate sets on the table at the end of your turn with absolutely no loose tiles left over. They include:
The only exception to these rules is that the joker may not be manipulated in any way. You can of course retrieve the joker for a new meld, but you may never take a tile away from a meld which includes the joker.
As you can clearly see, the combinations and rearrangements in Sabra are essentially endless. As the game progresses the manipulation gets even wilder as opposed to the beginning of a round that may seem slow, especially if your initial meld is hard to put up at first. The table fills up fast though and when that happens, the possibilities multiply and the opportunities to get rid of all the tiles in your rack multiply significantly. You have to think fast, and in most cases, you have to rethink as the plays you have in your mind simply disappear before you when other players get their hands on the tiles. In the early part of the game it is often a good idea to hold back and let the other player’s open up the table so to speak, so that you can play off of their tiles.
When melding in the early part of the game, before the table is very full, it is also wise to hold back the fourth tile of a group or run and meld only three. That way, on your next turn you will have a meld to make and won’t have to draw for a tile. Of course, someone else might have the same tile or manipulate the tiles in a way that prevents you from using the tile you are holding on to, but for the most part you will be able to manipulate something else to fit it in later. This works especially well if you meld with a joker and know that no one else can manipulate that particular set or run. That way you can feel safe in holding on to it, but you do have to watch out for someone replacing it.