SLOPER ON MAH-JONGG

By Tom Sloper
January 29, 2024
Column #798

American Mah Jongg (2023 NMJL rules). Concluding my observations and commentary on the new 2023 edition of Mah Jongg Made Easy, the official rules of the National Mah Jongg League. Herein I shorten that to "MJME2023." All new rules and clarifications will be added to FAQ 19 and the errata file for The Red Dragon & The West Wind (RDWW).

Error on page 24 rule 18, and the League is already aware of it. It should say (capital letters by me) "Jokers in that exposure ARE STILL available for redemption, until the hand has been called 'dead.'" This rule answers a question that has been asked before: "what if nobody called her dead but somebody had already redeemed a joker from her erroneous exposure?" That answer is now clear: no penalty to the exchanger. And nobody has to try to "undo" a joker exchange in this case.
New rule? Or just a misstatement? Page 25, rule 9 (b): "The declarer shares their winnings with the Bettor." That sounds like the winner collects, then splits their winnings in half and gives half to the Bettor. But I think this is just a case of a misstated rule. As I understood the rules prior to MJME2023, the Bettor and the winner collect equal amounts from all non-winners at the table. If a winner in a Bettor game would only collect half what they're due, a lot of players would not want to play with a bettor.
Another change in the description of five-player mah jongg: in previous editions, it sounded like the fifth player must act as Bettor. Now it's clear that betting is an option, not a requirement.
The six-player rules were poorly described in prior editions of MJME. Page 28 fixes that, with a clear description of how six players can enjoy playing together.
Page 30, "Reminders and Helpful Hints." This section necessarily repeats some important or frequently misunderstood rules, as Reminders. As mentioned in the previous column, "finessing" is a legal play described on page 23. A description of finessing is repeated on page 30, but without mentioning that it's called "finessing."

I hope you, dear reader, forgive me for my obsessive attention to detail. And I hope the League forgives me too! I firmly believe every table (if not every player) ought to have the printed rulebook available during any game.

In closing: I've seen negative comments about the League, and about the rules, on social media. I just want to say that I don't agree with that trashtalk. We need clear rules, and it's hard work to document the rules, and it's underappreciated. Yes, I spotted some flaws, but it's easy to pencil them into one's copy of MJME2023.

麻雀

QUESTIONS about the 2023 NMJL card? See FAQ 16.

COMMENTS
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Issuing a correction/clarification. From the NMJL's FAQs page:

If the Bettor bets on a player who Mah Jonggs on a tile discarded by another player, the winner and Bettor each receive double value from the discarder.
Both the winner and Bettor receive single value from other players.
If the winner picks their own Mah Jongg, double is paid by the other three people at the table, to both the declarer and to the Bettor.
Please note that the League recommends that all monies due are given to the declarer, in the event that one or more players may be Pie or short of the payment required.
The declarer now gives half of all they have collected to the Bettor.

So it seems "Pie" is a recognized table rule, and this also recognizes that many players play for real money (coins, rather than points or chips), possibly with a limited purse. Out of that comes the main point of the rule: to cover the eventuality that one or more non-winners/non-bettors have insufficient funds in their purse(s).

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. Note that every owner of the book also needs the errata, which are updated ongoing, as needed. 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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