SLOPER ON MAH-JONGG

By Tom Sloper
March 30, 2025
Column #812

American Mah Jongg (2025 NMJL card).

Analysis of the new 2025 card. I always like to start by comparing it with the previous card. 17 hands are variations on hands of previous cards going back as far as 2001. 10 hands are the same as hands on previous cards. 5 hands are what I call biannuals; they alternate with a slight variation (for example, see Consecutive Run #2 this year), which is shaped pung-kong-pung-kong this year; it usually flips to pung-pung-kong-kong on even-numbered years. There's only one hand on this year's card that is the same as it was on the 2024 card (Winds-Dragons #1). But the biggest part of the pie chart is the 22 hands that are new; that's a lot of innovation.

Some people may well arrive at different counts, especially as regards to what constitutes a "variation."

I like to look at the usual biannuals. Consec #2 is "most powerful hand on the card," as I've said before, because its 2 pungs and 2 kongs pattern lends itself to mimicking other 2 pungs and 2 kongs pattern hands on the card. Evens #1, Odds #2, and 369 #1. It often happens that a pair of exposures in Consec #2 can mislead an opponent to thinking you are making one of the latter 3 hands instead of Consec #2.

I also look for telltale single exposures. In past years, there have been single dragon pungs that were a dead giveaway when exposed. This year's card is loaded with exposable dragon pungs and not so many exposable dragon kongs.

Flower pungs are abundant this year. No flower quints.

Of course, a lot of attention is being paid to the printing errors. Facebook has been abuzz all weekend about these:

Evens #4 shows a 3-suit hand. On the Standard card, it was printed in just one color.

Consecutive Run #3 shows a 1-suit and a 3-suit version. On the Large card, the 3-suit version is printed in just one color.

There were also reports of an error in Evens #6 (the Standard card allegedly required 15 tiles, and an error in Odds #5 (the 3-suit version allegedly shown in just one color), but these reports have not been repeated.

The League is going to reprint the cards and mail them as soon as possible.

麻雀

COMMENTS
Email . Hit me with your best shot!

Column #812

On Tuesday, April 1, 2025 at 01:38:08 PM EDT, Catherine F wrote:
Subject: Column #812 (2025 NMJL card)
Hi Tom,
Thank you for the breakdown of the 2025 card!
You mention only one hand repeats from the 2024 card, but I believe 369 #2 on the 2025 card is the same as 369 #3 on the 2024 card.
They added a “+” and “=“ in the line, but otherwise identical as far as I can see.
Thanks,
Catherine

囧 You are right, Catherine! The pie chart should show 2 instead of 1 in that slice.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
Rochester, New York, USA
April 1, 2025
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind"

Questions about the 2025 NMJL card? See FAQ 16

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! You'll thank me later.

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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