American Mahjong is a distinct variant of Mahjong that developed in the United States over the 20th century through the National Mah Jongg League. It uses the same tiles as other variants but plays quite differently: winning hands come from an annual card, jokers are central mechanics, and chows (sequences) do not exist.
This is the complete rules guide for American Mahjong.
What Makes American Mahjong Unique
Three things fundamentally distinguish American Mahjong from other variants:
- The NMJL card — The only valid winning hands are listed on the annual card. No card, no valid standard hands.
- Jokers — Eight wildcard tiles substitute for any tile in a group of three or more.
- No chows — American Mahjong hands contain only pungs (3), kongs (4), quints (5), and pairs (2). Sequences of consecutive tiles do not appear.
The Tile Set
American Mahjong uses approximately 152 tiles:
- 144 standard tiles (108 suit tiles + 16 winds + 12 dragons + 8 flowers/seasons)
- 8 joker tiles
Jokers are not labelled with a specific tile — they are wildcards by design and are typically decorated differently from the standard tiles to make them visually distinct.
The NMJL Card
The National Mah Jongg League card is published annually, typically in the spring. It lists every legal winning hand for that year, organised into categories and assigned point values. The card changes every year — hands that were valid last year may not appear this year, and new hand types are introduced.
Categories on the card typically include:
- 2025 (year-themed hands)
- Like Numbers (pungs/kongs of the same number across suits)
- Consecutive Run (hands using runs of numbers)
- 13579 (odd-number patterns)
- 2468 (even-number patterns)
- Winds and Dragons
- Singles and Pairs
- Addition Hands (numbers that sum to specific values)
- And others
Each category lists specific hand patterns with specific suits, winds, or dragons in specified arrangements. The suit designations on the card use abbreviations: B (Bamboo), C (Characters/Crak), D (Dots/Circles), F (Flowers), N/S/E/W (wind tiles), G/R/Wh (Green/Red/White dragons), J (Joker).
A hand on the card might look like:
FF NNNN SSSS EEEE (Two flowers, kongs of three winds) — worth 30 points
To win, your hand must match one of these exactly, including the suit assignments where specified.
Setting Up
The same as Hong Kong Mahjong: four players, 144 + 8 = 152 tiles total, shuffled and built into walls. The dealer (East) breaks the wall with dice.
Dealing: The dealer takes 14 tiles; all other players take 13. Players immediately set aside any Flower/Season tiles and draw replacements.
Unlike in Hong Kong Mahjong, bonus tile replacements can be more impactful in American Mahjong because Flower tiles sometimes appear explicitly in NMJL card hands.
Turns
Turn structure is the same as standard Mahjong: draw one tile, assess, discard one tile. Play moves counter-clockwise.
Flowers and Seasons: If you draw a Flower or Season, you may either set it aside (drawing a replacement, same as other variants) or keep it if it fits your target hand from the card.
Claim Rules
American Mahjong has the same basic claim structure as other variants, with one critical difference: there are no chow claims.
| Claim | What You Need | Who Can Claim |
|---|---|---|
| Pung | Two matching tiles in hand + discard = three | Any player |
| Kong | Three matching in hand + discard = four | Any player |
| Quint | Four matching in hand + discard = five | Any player |
| Mahjong | Discard completes the hand | Any player |
| Chow | Not available in American Mahjong | — |
When multiple players call simultaneously, Mahjong takes priority over pung/kong/quint. If two players both call Mahjong, the player closest to the discarder in turn order wins.
Jokers
Jokers are wildcards that can substitute for any tile in a group of three or more identical tiles.
Where jokers can be used:
- In a pung (to make 2 real tiles + 1 joker count as three)
- In a kong (e.g., 3 real tiles + 1 joker)
- In a quint (e.g., 2 real tiles + 3 jokers)
Where jokers cannot be used:
- In a pair — jokers cannot form or be part of a pair
- As a singleton
Joker Exchange
A joker in an exposed (melded) set can be claimed by any player who holds the real tile the joker represents. The exchange is called and executed immediately:
- You call “joker exchange” and show the tile
- The joker is transferred to your hand
- The real tile takes its place in the meld
This is a core strategic mechanic: exposing a joker-heavy meld invites other players to take your jokers. Experienced players minimise exposed jokers and actively seek joker exchanges from opponents.
Jokers cannot be exchanged from your own hand (only from exposed melds on the table). And you cannot exchange a joker if the exchange would break the meld — you can only swap in the exact tile the joker represents.
Building Your Hand
Unlike other Mahjong variants where you construct a hand freely within the rules, American Mahjong requires you to choose a target hand from the card and work toward it from the start.
Typical process:
- After dealing, examine your 13–14 tiles
- Compare against the current card — which hands are you closest to?
- Choose two or three candidate hands as targets
- Discard tiles that do not fit any of your candidates
- Narrow to one target as the hand progresses
Because the card lists hands by specific suits and values, you often cannot switch targets mid-hand without discarding too many tiles. The puzzle-like quality of working toward a fixed target is a defining feature of American Mahjong strategy.
Winning
When your hand is complete and matches a hand on the current NMJL card, you declare Mahjong and show your full hand.
Self-draw win: You draw the winning tile from the wall. All three other players each pay you double the card value.
Discard win: Another player discards the tile that completes your hand. That player alone pays you the card value.
Invalid declaration (false Mahjong): If you declare Mahjong with an invalid hand, you pay each other player the highest value on the card. This penalty discourages guessing.
Scoring
American Mahjong uses flat scoring — the NMJL card assigns each hand a fixed value. Common values range from 25 cents to $1 per hand (or the point equivalent in games not played for money). Winning by self-draw typically pays double.
There is no calculation based on hand composition, suit purity, or bonus tiles — the value is entirely determined by which row on the card your hand matches.
Key Strategic Concepts
Joker management is central. Acquiring jokers gives you flexibility; losing jokers to exchanges hurts. Track who is exposing joker-heavy melds — those are targets for exchange.
The card is your constraint and your roadmap. At the start of each hand, quickly identify your two or three strongest candidate hands from the card given your tiles. Do not try to hold all options open — you will end up with a muddled, winless hand.
Singles and Pairs hands are safety nets. Most NMJL cards include a “Singles and Pairs” category where winning hands consist only of pairs. These hands are achievable from almost any starting position and serve as a fallback when your primary target hand is not developing.
Flower tiles have value. Unlike in Hong Kong Mahjong where flowers are only bonus tiles, certain card hands require specific flower tiles. Know which card hands include flowers and whether your bonus tiles are useful.
American Mahjong has a warm, social culture around it — find a local club or group if you want to get started. For online play with the classic rule set, Mahjo plays Hong Kong-style Mahjong — a great foundation for understanding the game before tackling the card-based American variant.