LESSON 3 OF 6 · 5 MIN READ
Make friends with the mahjong card
Learn how to approach the annual card without memorizing it.
In this lesson +
Use the card for the year your group is playing
The National Mah Jongg League publishes an annual card. Everyone at the table should agree on the same edition. Obtain your own official card, read its instructions, and keep it beside your rack. Our lessons explain the concepts without reproducing the League’s annual hand patterns.
These three identical 2 dots form a pung. A winning hand must match a full permitted pattern on your official card.
Explore groups and jokers ↗Read a whole line before choosing it
A hand is more than a row of numbers. Pay attention to the arrangement of groups, suit requirements, flowers or other special tiles, and any note next to the line. Card colors show suit relationships: numbers in one color belong to one suit, while different colors require different suits. The exact printed color is not a requirement to find tiles in that ink color, and the colors do not permanently assign a particular color to dots, bams, or cracks.
Think in groups
A pair has two identical tiles; a pung has three; a kong has four. Other permitted group sizes depend on the selected pattern. Start by asking which tiles you already have in useful groups. Then check the full line. A beautiful cluster of tiles is only useful if it fits a legal hand.
Keep your options open
Beginners often pick one line immediately and refuse to change. Instead, identify one main possibility and a nearby alternative. Recheck your card when new tiles arrive. For concealed versus exposed hands and special instructions, follow the current card and the official rulebook. Bring questions to class; learning to read those details is part of learning the game.
A QUICK CONFIDENCE CHECK
Should you read the notes beside a hand before playing it?
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