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SLOPER ON MAH-JONGG

By Tom Sloper
December 5, 2014
No. 590

American Mah Jongg (NMJL rules). Is it a real rule? Is it a myth? Is it an ex-rule?

1. You can earn a jokerless bonus if you make a quints hand (the minimum possible number of jokers counts as "jokerless").
    a. Real rule
    b. Apocryphal (not a rule)
    c. Deprecated (used to be a real rule)
2. You must have a natural tile (a non-joker) in a concealed set of identical tiles (pung, kong, quint).
    a. Real rule
    b. Apocryphal (not a rule)
    c. Deprecated (used to be a real rule)
3. You must have a natural tile (a non-joker) in an exposed set of identical tiles (pung, kong, quint).
    a. Real rule
    b. Apocryphal (not a rule)
    c. Deprecated (used to be a real rule)
4. You can pick up the most recent natural tile when the most recent discarder said "same" when discarding a joker.
    a. Real rule
    b. Apocryphal (not a rule)
    c. Deprecated (used to be a real rule)
5. The player who speaks the claim first gets the disputed discard.
    a. Real rule
    b. Apocryphal (not a rule)
    c. Deprecated (used to be a real rule)
6. The dealer is the one who distributes the tiles to each player during the deal.
    a. Real rule
    b. Apocryphal (not a rule)
    c. Deprecated (used to be a real rule)
7. The fifth player, if there is one, replaces the player who dealt the previous hand.
    a. Rule
    b. Optional rule
    c. Table rule
8. The dealer wins instantly if she has a complete hand before she passes any tiles in the Charleston.
    a. Rule
    b. Optional rule
    c. Table rule
9. You can keep playing after a death challenge, if you're positive you are playing a valid hand.
    a. Rule
    b. Optional rule
    c. Table rule

Answers:
1: b. 2: b. 3: a*. 4: c. 5: b. 6: b. 7: a. 8: a**. 9: a.
*You cannot claim a discarded joker - you can only claim a discarded natural. So there must be at least one natural in an exposed set.
**I requested and received the rule direct from League president Ruth Unger, since the rule is not published in print anywhere from the League. See FAQ 19 -- it's Frequently Asked Question 19.BJ.

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Question or comment about this column? Email and the discussion will be posted on the Mah-Jongg Q&A Bulletin Board. Like this, for instance...

Column 590

>From: Dennis
>Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2014 9:56 PM
>Subject: Confused
>Hello again Tom
>Here I am again... Confused
>Looking at Strategies 590 question 3 you indicate that you must have a natural tile in a pung, kong or quint.
>and yes I did see the * note at the bottom.
>But when I researche the rules I find that L. Fishers "Rule for Modern American Mah Jongg" at
>https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxtYWhqcnVsZX
>N8Z3g6NDEzZjEwNTU1MWZjNDlmNQ
>says in paragraph 9 Jokers that a pung, kong or quint may be entirely composed of jokers.
>Please straighten me out... again.
>Thanks Tom

Hi, Dennis.
I think the reason you're confused by the answer is that you didn't read the question carefully. You understand the difference between question #2 and question #3, right? My #2 agrees with Linda Fisher's paragraph 9. But there's a big difference between a concealed kong and an exposed kong. Think about how an exposed set is created. You'll see that it's not possible to make a lone exposed kong made of all jokers (without a natural tile in the finished exposure). If you can find a way to do it, I'd be glad to hear about it.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper

Creator of the weekly Mah-Jongg column and the Mah-Jongg FAQs -- donations appreciated.
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on Mah-Jongg East & West.
Los Angeles, California, USA
January 15, 2014

Column 590, part 2

> From: Dennis
> Sent: Thursday, January 16, 2014 3:05 PM
> Subject: Question on Wednesday
> Tom.. please disregard my question on Wednesday. If the NMJL says you need
> a natural tile for a Pung, Kong or Quint then that's the rules. I'm just wondering
> when that changed. Oh well...
> Thanks
> May the tiles be with you.

Dennis,
The rule is that you can never claim a discarded joker!!!
There is no change in the rule!
I guess I have to draw you a picture. Here's what you have concealed in your hand, let's say:

Now a player discards a joker, and you claim it for a kong exposure:

I hope you agree that that is a well-established illegal move! (That the NMJL says you can never claim a discarded joker.) I hope you see that I'm not making up new rules.
And do you agree that there is no other way to make an exposure with nothing but jokers (and no naturals)?
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper

Creator of the weekly Mah-Jongg column and the Mah-Jongg FAQs -- donations appreciated.
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on Mah-Jongg East & West.
Los Angeles, California, USA
January 16, 2014

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Need rules for American mah-jongg? Tom Sloper's book, The Red Dragon & The West Wind, is the most comprehensive book in existence about the American game. AND see FAQ 19 for fine points of the American rules (and commonly misunderstood rules). AND get the official rulebook from the NMJL (see FAQ 3). Linda Fisher's website is the only website that describes American rules: http://sites.google.com/site/mahjrules/.