Board Game Arena

What's with the values of gems being given in the rules? They don't affect the win condition (which is combinations of gems). Does it factor into our ratings or something?

Thanks for the answers! I feel like the FAQ could do with mentioning this detail... I was reading "open" in the context of "I've finished messing with the table settings, open it to those I've invited", but what you've both said makes more sense.

I have set up a new table for four players, restricted to my friends, have invited three friends, and two so far have accepted. On the table screen are the two buttons "Open table to other players" and "Start game": what is the functional difference between these two in this stat...

Is there an easy way to see what tables all of my friends have open? We often play as subsets of a specific group, but I can't see how to see what they are all trying to get players for.
Thanks!