How to Use Jokers

 

In American Mahjong, following the rules set out by the National Mah Jongg League, a Joker can be used as a wild card tile in exposures of 3+ like tiles.

A Joker can be used to complete any section of a player's hand as long as the section is a grouping of three or more like tiles. A Joker cannot be used to replace a tile in a single, pair, or group of singles; a group of singles is NEWS or the year (ie. 2025).

Allowed groupings with a Joker:

  • Pung (group of 3 like tiles): 
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  • Kong (group of 4 like tiles): 
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  • Quint (group of 5 like tiles): 

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When calling a tile for an exposure, a player can complete the section of their hand using any combination of the required tile and Jokers. Once a Joker is exposed, any player can exchange the represented tile to reclaim that Joker, including the player who exposed the Joker.

A player can even use all Jokers for a section of their hand. You do not have to have any of the represented tiles, as long as the grouping is 3+ (a pung, kong, or quint).

To exchange for an exposed Joker, a player should begin their turn by drawing and racking a tile from the wall, then hand the represented tile to the player who has exposed the Joker, then add the Joker to the rack and discard a tile to end the turn. A player can make as many Joker exchanges as they have tiles for during their turn.

If a player accidentally misses an opportunity to exchange for an exposed Joker and discards the tile needed for a Joker swap, that tile cannot be called by another player for a Joker swap. The discarded tile may be called for a separate exposure by another player.

Sometimes, a player must discard a Joker. Typically, this occurs when the player has all tiles needed for the sections of their hand that are 3+ tiles and all that is left to complete are singles, pairs, or groups of singles. If a Joker is discarded, that Joker is then Dead for good and cannot be called or recovered using a Blank. 

Mahjong Tile Sets from Southern Sparrow include 10 Jokers. NMJL and Tournament Rules allow for the use of 8 Jokers. If you're playing tourney rules, you will want to remove 2 Jokers before playing.