SLOPER ON MAH-JONGG

By Tom Sloper
May 19, 2026
Column #817

American Mah Jongg (NMJL rules). This is a review of books, but it isn't a "best new books" column. AI has become ubiquitous, and AI-written books have already misled new learners of mah-jongg, so this is an "AI hunt" through new books by unknown authors. As I discussed in column 813, several unscrupulous authors have even usurped the title of the National Mah Jongg League's official rulebook, Mah Jongg Made Easy. Another of those heads up today's list.

American Mah Jongg Made Easy in just 30 min a day!, by Susan Collins. Attractive large-format book with pretty color illustrations. AI has a hard time depicting mah-jongg tiles - see examples on the cover of this book. Inside, multiple factual errors. In the section on preliminaries, it says in the text that players take turns counterclockwise around the table, yet the illustration shows the flow going clockwise (p. 37). An illustration in the joker exchange section shows a quint of 4D with only one joker, and another player holding the fifth 4D for exchange (p.45). There's bad strategy advice: do not discard any winds if an opponent is showing NEWS atop her rack. First off, there are no NEWS hands with other winds besides those singles. Secondly, if someone has NEWS atop the rack, call her hand dead! Definitely AI. A definite "do not buy."

How to Play Mahjongg (subtitle omitted), by Miranda Murray. I didn't find any factual inaccuracies in my casual scan. The second half of the book is advice: strategy, etiquette, philosophy. One thing I noted was the author's total commitment to the notion that discarding a joker may be legal, but it's stupid, immoral, and fattening. Okay, so I'm not exactly quoting. This book is OK to buy. The author appears to be human!

Learn American Mah Jongg in 7 Days | Beginner Edition, by... no name on the cover, but inside is found the name Grace J. Mitchell. This one is probably AI-written. Non-traditional tile designs are used throughout the book. Normal craks, bams, dots, dragons, and winds are not seen anywhere in the book! Inaccuracies: East deals tiles to the other players (p. 34, repeated on p. 36). There allegedly is a strategic trap that all experienced players call "feeding the wall," defined as discarding new tiles late in the game (p. 65). I never heard this phrase before, and I don't see how the wall is affected in any way by risky plays. And it might surprise you to learn that a 4-bam can fit into a 13579 hand, and exposing is an option after picking from the wall (p. 76). Another earmark of AI writing: many chapters end with a fluff paragraph to the effect that "understanding this concept will lead you to mastery and joy," stuff like that. Do not buy.

The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to American Mah Jongg | 2025 / 2026 Edition, by Linda Moore. Another that's probably written by AI. Numerous factual errors and poor descriptions. Descriptions of the Consecutive Run section of the card suggest that chows are a good way to build a hand (p. 26). Consec hands in one suit are preferred over two-suit versions (p. 27). After breaking the wall, East pushes the right side of the wall toward the center (p. 38). Discard orderly, not randomly, so everyone can track the game's progress (p. 54). I could find nothing in the book about death challenges, how they work. There is advice to keep kongs concealed. Just kongs. Apparently pungs are okay to expose willy-nilly (p. 80). American games consist of four rounds, one for each wind (p. 93). Somebody's got their American mah-jongg mixed up with other mah-jongg variants! I put this one in the "do not buy" category.

Winning at American Mah Jongg | 2025 edition, by Grace Laurent. I noted these inaccuracies: The card specifies suits (p. 22). Consecutive Runs are composed of what are essentially chows (p. 22). If you keep tiles passed to you in the Charleston, you must then discard them (p. 32). You don't say "call" or "hold," you say "pung" or "kong" or "chow" (p.35). And did you know Thirteen Orphans is a hand in American mah-jongg (p. 73)? The Practice chapter strategizes Asian-style hands, not NMJL card hands. AI through and through. Do not buy. Thirteen Orphans?!

麻雀

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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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