Lesson 2 - Reading the Card

Lesson 2 - Reading the Card

Being able to read the National Mah Jongg League Card is the Key to playing (and winning) Mahjong!

Key:

F = Flower | D = Dragon 0 = Soap / White Dragon

N= North Wind | E = East Wind | W = West Wind | S = South Wind

Pung = 3 of a kind | Kong = 4 of a kind

Card History

  • The National Mah Jongg League publishes a new card with standard hands and rules every year around March/April.
  • The purpose is to level the playing field between new and seasoned players.
  • You can buy one from the National Mah Jongg League site, or through their Amazon account. Be careful, there are a lot of counterfeit cards being sold on Amazon! 

Categories

  • Year - Always the current year
  • 2468 - Even numbers
  • Any Like Numbers - the same number across multiple suits
  • Quints - 5 of a Kind
  • Consecutive Run
  • 13579 - Odd numbers
  • Winds & Dragons
  • 369
  • Singles and Pairs

Lines

  • Each category has a number of lines underneath it - these are the winning hands in the category. 
  • When there are two hands listed on one line, it means there are two acceptable variations
  • The variations tend to be related to suits (either all in the same suit or in multiple suits) or numbers (either low numbers or high numbers). 
    • Suit variation: 11 333 55 777 9999-or-11 333 55 777 9999; the first option is all in the same suit, the second option is 3 different suits. 
    • Number variation: FF 11 33 55 DDDD-or-FF 55 77 999 DDDD. Another example is: 11 33 111 333 5555-or-55 77 555 777 9999
  • When first racking your tiles, look for which categories the tiles belong to rather than any specific hand
    • Have a lot of the same number across multiple suits? You might consider a hand in "Any Like Numbers" or "Quints" 
    • Have a lot of even numbers? Consider a hand in the 2468 category

Colors

  • The different colors on the card indicate whether a hand is all in the same suit, or different suits.
  • The colors don’t indicate any specific suit. If you see two colors, the comments will say “any two suits”.
  • If you see three colors, you need all three suits in the hand.
  • There are no suits associated with flowers (and remember, the numbers on flowers / seasons have no significance).

The Fine Print

Pay attention to the comments AFTER the hand, such as:

  • Any Dragon
  • Matching Dragons
  • Opposing Dragons
  • These Numbers Only
  • Any 4 Consecutive Numbers
  • Any Like Odd/Even Numbers
  • Kongs Match Pair
Category 2458 Example:

2468 2222 D 2222 D (Any 3 suits, Like Kongs 2,4,6 or 8 w Matching Dragon)

  • You start with 2468 in one suit
  • The two Kongs (remember that's 4 of a kind) have to be "like" (the same tile number) in different suits, either Kongs of 2, 4, 6, or 8. 
  • Since it's "Any 3 suits, Like Kongs 2, 4, 6 or 8 with Matching Dragon), the following tile numbers would work:
    • 2468 2222 D 2222 D
    • 2468 4444 D 4444 D
    • 2468 6666 D 6666 D
    • 2468 8888 D 8888 D

Category 13579 Example: 

113579 1111 1111 (Any 3 suits, Pair Any Odd No., Kongs Match Pair)

  • You start with 13579 in any one suit. You need one of those numbers to have a match so you have a pair, then the 2 Kongs that follow need to match the pair. 
  • For this hand, these tiles would work:
    • 113579 1111 1111
    • 133579 3333 3333
    • 135579 5555 5555
    • 135779 7777 7777
    • 135799 9999 9999

Category Consecutive Run Example: 

FFF 1111 2222 3333-or-FF 1111 2222 3333 (Any 1 or 3 suits, Any 3 Consecutive Nos.) 

  • Flower tiles are always shown as blue - they have no suit, so they can go with any suit. 
  • Since it's "Any 1 or 3 suits, Any 3 Consecutive Numbers", the following tiles would work:
    • FFF 1111 2222 3333-or-FF 1111 2222 3333
    • FFF 2222 3333 4444-or-FF 2222 3333 4444 
    • FFF 3333 4444 5555-or-FF 3333 4444 5555 
    • FFF 4444 5555 6666-or-FF 4444 5555 6666 
    • FFF 5555 6666 7777-or-FF 5555 6666 7777 
    • FFF 6666 7777 8888-or-FF 6666 7777 8888 
    • FFF 7777 8888 9999-or-FF 7777 8888 9999 

Exposed vs Concealed Hands

  • Most of the hands in the card are Exposed (signified by the X) indicating that you can expose completed sets when you call a just-discarded tile
  • The last 1-2 hands in a section are often concealed hands, indicated by a C. This means you can only obtain tiles by drawing them from the wall, NOT calling them. The one exception is you can call the final tile you need to declare Mahjong.
  • The number next to the X or C is the point value the hand is worth. Because they're harder to win, concealed hands are worth more points. 

Pivoting

  • There are times during the game you will realize the hand you are going for is not likely to happen. The ability to pivot to a different hand will make a significant difference in how often you win.
  • If you accidentally expose a set when going for a concealed hand, you will need to pivot to an exposed hand that has you’ve exposed, otherwise your hand is considered dead.

How Are You Doing?

Have I lost you yet? I know this all seems very complicated, and if you're feeling overwhelmed, join the club! It can feel like you'll never get the hang of reading the card, but through practice and patience, it will become easier and easier. The card is what makes American Mahjong so challenging. And remember, they've added 8 Jokers which makes it easier (not easy, but easier) to achieve Mahjong. 

For the next lesson, click here: Lesson 3 - Setting the Table, Dealing, and the Charleston – Mahjong for Makindu

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