SLOPER ON MAH-JONGG

American Mah Jongg. Continuing from the previous column, about the January 2024 bulletin/newsletter from the National Mah Jongg League.

Specifically, I was interested in checking out some of the Q&As in the "You Asked Us" section.

Q&A#11. Someone already emailed me about this one, and I answered on the Sloperama Mah-Jongg Q&A bulletin board. The "new" rule says that a called discard must be placed atop the rack. Just like the writer in the newsletter, my writer asked me how that's a new rule. I answered on the BB: "This rule was 'new' last year, when it was introduced in the January 2023 newsletter. Many players pick up the discard, bring it back to the sloping front of the rack, and then put up the whole exposure or the whole hand to the top of the rack. This "new rule" just says you shouldn't do that. You should put the discard atop the rack, without any detours to, or layovers in, the sloping front of the rack first. Go directly to the top of the rack, do not pass Go. (If that Monopoly reference helps.)" See FAQ 19-K.

Q&A #12. The writer asked if it's okay to call the second discard of a tile "same." I was interested in the League's answer, since an exchange of emails last April and May on the Sloperama Mah-Jongg Q&A bulletin board listed some conflicting rulings from the League. (The Monday, May 15, 2023 post from Sue Z cited numerous League rulings in newsletters from before 1984, suggesting that one should not say "same" in any circumstances.) The League's 2024 answer is:

1. A player can say "same" when discarding the same tile as the tile thrown by the previous player;
2. The player can also say the tile's actual name;
3. When discarding a joker, you can say:
       3.a. the name of the previous discard, or
       3.b. "same," or
       3.c. "joker."

Q&A #13. Writer asked what should happen if a Charleston player is holding 15 tiles and another has 12. The League answered that the hand should be thrown in and redealt. MJME's rules 9 and 10 (page 19 of MJME2020) only covered incorrect tile counts before and after the Charleston, not during. So this clarification is welcome. I've added it to FAQ 19-DB

QUESTIONS about the 2023 NMJL card? See FAQ 16.

COMMENTS
Email . Hit me with your best shot!

Join Johni Levene's popular Facebook group, "Mah Jongg, That's It!" for lively conversations about American mah-jongg and all things mah-jongg.

Where to order the yearly NMJL card: Read FAQ 7i. But you're missing a bet if you don't order your NMJL card directly from the National Mah Jongg League!

Need rules for American mah-jongg? Tom Sloper's book, The Red Dragon & The West Wind, is the most comprehensive book about the American game, a good supplement to the League's official rulebook. AND see FAQ 19 for fine points of the American rules (and commonly misunderstood rules). AND every player should have a copy of Mah Jongg Made Easy, the official rulebook of the National Mah Jongg League (see FAQ 3 for info on mah-jongg books).

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