FAQ 16. Frequently-Asked Questions about the 2009 National Mah Jongg League card
(American-style mah-jongg)

Where do I get the latest NMJL card?
Read FAQ 7i (click here).

FF 333 666 999 999 (Any 3 Suits) ....... c 35
(369 #7)

What's the significance of the red "C" in the bottom 369 hand? Shouldn't it be blue? [The regular-sized 2009 card.]
Yes, it should be blue. It's just a typo. Big deal! (Yawn.)

So can that hand be exposed? Or does it have to be concealed?
It's a C!

But it's the wrong color!
So if you saw a newspaper and it said "New York Times," but the "Times" was in some color other than black, you'd think it said "New York Post"? Sheesh!

SEVEN HANDS

The left pane, bottom section. Why does it say Seven Hands? It's all Eleven Hands! [The regular-sized 2009 card.]
It's a typo. It's obviously supposed to say Eleven Hands. Let's not make a mountain out of another fershlugginer typo, already. Okay??

FF GGGG 2009 RRRR (Kong Green & Red Dr. Only. Any 2 & 9 Same Suit)
(2009 #3)

Does the 2009 have to be in dots?
No. Firstly, zeroes are suitless (read the back of the card). Secondly, read the parenthetical. It says "Any 2 & 9 Same Suit." That means the 2 and 9 can be from any suit (but they both have to be from the same suit). The word "any" always means "any." You can read FAQ 19J if you're still confused about what "any" means (or look up the word "any" in... (ahem) any... dictionary of the English language).

FFFF 4444 6666 24
(2468 #6a)

If somebody has a jokerless kong of fours, and a kong of sixes in the same suit, and a kong of flowers, can I call her dead?
Yes. There is no other hand on the card she could be making except this one, and everybody knows (because it says so on the card) that a joker may never be used for a single. Since she's used all of the fours in her kong, she can't possibly get another four for the 24. She's dead. Dead, dead, dead. Read FAQ 19AA (click here). And read column 357, too.

FFFF 6666 8888 48
(2468 #6b)

If somebody has a jokerless kong of sixes, and a kong of eights in the same suit, and a kong of flowers, can I call her dead?
Yes. There is no other hand on the card she could be making except this one, and everybody knows (because it says so on the card) that a joker may never be used for a single (as part of the 48). She's dead, just as in the example above this one (2468 #6a). Read FAQ 19AA (click here). And read column 357, too.

222 44 666 888 888 (Any 3 Suits, Pung 8s only)
(2468 #7)

Does "Pung 8s only" mean that you may not use Jokers in the Pungs of 8s, but that you may use them in the Pungs of 2s and 6s?
No. Read FAQ 19AO (click here) to find out what "only" means.

1123 11111 11111 (Any 3 Consec. Nos.; Pr. Any No. in Run; Pr. & Quints Match)
(Quints #1)

Do the quints and the pair have to be the first number in the run?
No. They can be the second or third number in the run, not only the first. Read the parenthetical very carefully. The phrase "Pr. Any No. in Run" means that the pair can be any number in the run (not only the first number in the run). The word "any" always means "any." "Any 3 Consec. Nos." means that you don't have to make this hand only with 1s, 2s, and 3s -- you can use "any" numbers as long as they're consecutive. The phrase "Pr. & Quints Match" means that the paired number must be the same number used in the quints. See, it says it all right there on the card. Read the Tom Sloper philosophy of how to read the card, in Read FAQ 19J (click here). - and read column 357.
1123 11111 11111
1223 22222 22222
1233 33333 33333

Do the quints have to be in craks and dots, since they're red and blue?
No. The colors are symbolic - they are not to be taken literally. Read FAQ 19AK (click here).
5567 55555 55555
7889 88888 88888
2344 44444 44444

Can I use a joker in the 1123?
No, of course not. A 1123 is the same thing as a 2008 or a NEWS. Read FAQ 19E (click here) and read the back of your NMJL card.

Can I call a discard to make the 1123?
Not unless it's for mah-jongg. Read FAQ 19E (click here).

11111 2222 33333 (Any 3 Consecutive Nos.)
(Quints #2)

Is Quints #2 a one-suit hand, or can it be two suits, or three suits?
Let me turn the question back to you: How many colors do you see? Read the back of the card to see how the color-coding works.