The Mahj 101 Finale — what happens when you win mahjong!
Declaring Mahjong: Exclaim “Mahj!” to claim victory.
Reveal Your Winning Hand: Place all 14 tiles on top of your rack to show your hand.
Verification: Opponents check your declared mahjong line against the NMJL Card.
How to Score: Use the card’s point values (difficulty = higher points). Jokerless and Self-Picked mahjong wins get bonus points. If the win was from a discarded tile, the player who threw the winning tile has a penalty.
Betting: You can set Optional table stakes (pennies or chips) and payouts. Most folks bet with coins/quarters. All Players will pay the value of the hand, with a double payout for the winner if the winning tile is drawn from the wall and another double payout if the win has no Jokers (except for Singles & Pairs hands). If the win was from a discarded tile, the player who threw the winning tile pays double.
Etiquette: Be clear and consistent when declaring mahjong and scoring. Other players should not expose tiles until the win has been verified, in case of false mahj.
By the end of this episode, you’ve learned how to play American Mahjong start to finish! Now, get out there and start playing!
If you missed any episodes of our Beginners' Mahjong Lesson Series, Mahj 101, you can catch up here. We recommend watching them in order for the best results:
- Episode 1: What is American Mahjong
- Episode 2: The Tiles Explained
- Episode 3: How to Read and Play the NMJL Card
- Episode 4: How to Set Up a Game of Mahjong & How to Deal
- Episode 5: How to Organize Your Tiles & Choose a Section of the NMJL Card
- Episode 6: The Charleston & Courtesy Pass
- Episode 7: Mahjong Gameplay Basics
- Episode 8: How to Win Mahjong & Scoring/Betting (This is the one you're watching now!)