03/30/26 🀄 Before You Study the 2026 Card, Read This

Author

The Mah Jongg Insider 🀄
March 30, 2026

🧨️ Happy Mah Jongg Monday!️

The new card is here.

Most players will do what they always do…
look at it and figure it out at the table.

Or you can do this instead:

✔️ Join 3 live Bonus Q&A sessions on the new card
✔️ Attend the comprehensive Card Review with Phyllis Drucker on April 9th
(Full replays available, so you don’t have to show up live.)

You’ll learn:

  • what to pass & keep in the Charleston this year

  • what are your best pivot hands

  • which hands looks strong… but will cost you games

Join now so you don’t miss the Card Review and the Q&A sessions that follow.
Join the Association →

Because here’s what actually happens:

You sit down to play.
People are flipping through the card.
Second guessing.
Feeling paralyzed mid-game.

Not you.

You’ll already know which hands you’re playing, when to pivot, and what to ignore.

Your friends will start to notice you’re winning more this year.

Only you’ll know why. 😉

7,000+ players are already members.
The 2026 season has started. This is your next step.

🏆 Already a member? Log into your dashboard to access the Zoom links.

Here’s a quick preview of today’s issue. Scroll down to read each section in full.

💡 Table Wisdom — How to learn the 2026 card without starting from scratch.

🖥️ Behind the Tiles — Watch real decisions, not second guesses. Join the Club.

🖐🏻 A Hand to Play — Which three tiles should you pass first?

🎁 Winning Picks — Simple picks to get you ready for spring.

🎥 Max’s Minute — Called tiles and Charleston decision-making.

🌟 In the News — Free Mah Jongg eBooks, one day only.

❓ Ask Auntie — Do experienced players avoid beginners?

📸 Spotlight — Family traditions and a rare Heavenly Mah Jongg.

🏁 Milestones — Progress inside TheWinningHand app.

🖐🏻 Free Practice Sessions — See if we called your name.

… and more!

💡 Table Wisdom

2026 Be a Pro: Learn the New Card Quickly

You want to be able to play with the new card, and that means learning the new hands so you can navigate the Charleston and win.

Here are a few tips to make it easier:

  • Sections: what’s new, what’s missing
    This year’s card has the same sections as last year's. This makes it easy to start the Charleston and to find the hands you need, accelerating your learning pace,

  • Patterns: your key to fast learning
    Patterns repeat, even when hands look new. A hand like 222 4444 666 8888 shows a Pung-Kong-Pung-Kong pattern. That same hand has returned this year as Pung-Pung-Kong-Kong (222 444 6666 8888). You’ll usually see these hands in the first two lines of the 2468, Consecutive Run, 13579, Winds and Dragons, and 369 Sections. Identify familiar patterns first, then note how tile types or order changed. 

  • New Hands: Learn the fine print
    New hands demand slow reading and practicing. Check the fine print to see the requirements for Flowers, Dragons, and Winds. Lay the tiles out, then rearrange them to see every variation. This prevents Charleston mistakes and missed calls later.

  • New Strategies: Use of Flowers and Dragons
    This year’s card offers numerous ways to use Dragons, with Singles, Doubles, Pungs, and Kongs. Flowers will get tricky, as some hands include two Pungs of Flowers and others have a Sextet of Flowers. A hand that uses six Flowers leaves few to complete Pairs, changing how you select hands. 

Included with your Association membership, The Charleston Challenge inside The Winning Hand App gives you a simple way to practice the new card. Start by viewing the possible hands, then transition to working through them on your own.

Key Takeaway: Start with Sections, then with patterns, then with the fine print. Focus on familiar hands and their variations, and expand from there. Make sure you have a Pair of Flowers before selecting hands using a Pair.

🖥️ Why Good Players Still Lose. And How to Fix It.

Behind the Tiles continues this month for Mahj Insiders Club members, where you watch experienced players make real decisions in real time. This month features Caryn Fagan, a longtime player and instructor who plays with clarity and direction, choosing a path, adjusting when needed, and avoiding the overthinking that costs most players games. It’s a simple shift, but it’s what separates players who “almost had it” from the ones who consistently win.

⬇️ Ready to Join Us? ⬇️

🖐🏻 A Hand to Play

Last Week’s 🖐🏻 Hand to Play Results:
1,178 Insiders Played, 39% chose right.
👉 See the correct answer & explanation here.

This one is specially crafted to work with both the 2025 or the new 2026 NMJL card. 

Here’s why this works on any NMJL Card: Your first pass should get rid of tiles that don’t match the others, or that don’t work together to make a hand. At this point, you’re still working at the Section level. 

For example:

  • If most of your tiles are threes, sixes, and nines, any tiles that don’t fit this pattern can be passed (remember to hold Flowers and Dragons until you’re sure of your hand).

  • If your tiles are mostly even, eliminate odd tiles first.

Make your choice, then VOTE and see how your decisions compare with those of other Mah Jongg players.

🀄 Tile Spotlight: Today’s Hand to Play uses Mah Jongg Maven’s tiles.

Which Three Tiles to Pass (on the first Charleston pass)?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

🌱 Winning Picks: Ready for Garden Season
As the weather shifts, it’s time to get outside again. These simple picks help you stay comfortable while you dig, plant, and plan your spring.

🤧 Car Kleenex
Keep tissues close for pollen-heavy days. Handy in the car or garden tote. Keep it nearby →

👐 Hand Lotion
After a day in the dirt, this brings moisture back to hardworking hands. Hydrate here →

🌻 Gardening Gloves
Durable, flexible, and protective — so you can plant and prune without worry. Dig in →

🧢 Sun Hat
Lightweight protection for long afternoons outdoors. Practical and flattering. Shade yourself →

📚 Canning & Preserving Book
Ideas for turning your harvest into jams, pickles, and pantry staples you’ll enjoy later. Preserve the season →

(**As an Amazon Associate, The Mah Jongg Insider earns from qualifying purchases.)

This week’s top questions:
1️⃣ Can a player still get a tile for Mah Jongg even if the called tile was called by another player for an exposure and that player already discarded?
2️⃣ What should you do if you’re stuck between two hands during the Charleston?

Watch Max’s 1-minute video answer.
🎥 [Click here to watch]

Have a question for Max?
🎤 Leave him a [voicemail]

🌟 No Foolin’ — Free Mah Jongg eBooks
In a little April Fool’s twist, Cris Bonser is making all of her Mah Jongg eBooks free for one day only on April 1. From table wisdom to lighthearted takes on the game, it’s a fun chance to grab a few new reads at no cost. If you’ve been curious about her books, this is the day to take a look.

⬅️ Last Week’s Question

Hi Auntie, I have a group that comes to my home once a month to play Mah Jongg. They are newer players, though they are well aware of the rules. One person truly wants to learn. The other two can be somewhat defiant, but they still come.

My dilemma: one player often just “messes” (her words, not mine), collecting tiles that aren’t connected to a hand on the card. For example, she tries to collect 1–9 in a single suit. More often than not, it results in wall games.

Is this considered a defensive strategy, or should it be addressed? If so, how? Thank you,
- Nancy

🥠 Auntie’s Advice 🥠

🗨 My friend, this sounds like a simple misalignment. She may enjoy experimenting and collecting tiles freely, while you are hosting a card-driven game. When players want different styles of play, frustration naturally follows.

You have three choices. You can accept the group as it is and let the style stand. You can define the game more clearly by saying, “At my table, we play hands from the card,” and see who wishes to stay. Or you can step away and find a group that matches how you prefer to play.

📢 Readers’ Responses 📢

🗨  It sounds as if she has dementia. Either that, or she is one of those people who will never "get" Mah Jongg. If she is doing it as a defensive strategy, then she only understands the second of the two goals of Mah Jongg, (1) win  and (2) do your best to keep others from winning.
- Carol D.

🗨  We had a similar situation where one friend kept questioning everything and would continually complain about the rules. She started to understand the game but then after a small hiatus when the next year came she lost her card and made excuses. Finally we just gave up on her even though she would say she wanted to play. We moved on and now play weekly with a small group that we enjoy.

It sounds to me like you are having a similar situation with the lady who is "messing around". I would gently talk to the "messing" player about the need to follow the rules. She may be having a hard time remembering or understanding the rules. If there is no change, I would move on with the players who are genuinely interested and perhaps find other players.

If these are your friends it can be difficult to leave one behind and you don't want to cause hurt feelings. However, not everyone is suited to the game and the "messing" person can't be totally clueless to the disruption she is causing. It is unfair for her to hold the group hostage by not following the rules. Good luck!
- Joanne B.

Whose response do you like best?

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➡️ This Week’s Question
A woman refused to play at our table once she learned I was a beginner. Is this common among experienced players?
- Barbara

🤗 Want to share your advice?
🤔 Have a Mah Jongg manners or table moment dilemma?

📩 Send it to Auntie: [email protected]

📸 Get In the Spotlight

My family and I play an annual “Easter Mah Jongg Classic” when we gather over the Easter weekend at the family ranch in Brenham, TX. We play 5 scored rounds and the winner takes home the golden bunny trophy. Pictures here are my mother-in-law Elizabeth Labanowski, mom Kathy Colvard (the big winner!), myself, and my sisters-in-law Mary Labanowski and Timmy Labanowski. It’s such a fun tradition!!
- Aubrey L.

A huge round of applause for Penny, who scored the rare and dazzling Heavenly Mah Jongg! 🌟 Your winning hand was nothing short of spectacular—what a way to shine at the table.
- Lynne C.

📸 Share your Mah Jongg moments!
Send us a photo and a quick note — big wins, themed nights, or fun group shots — for a chance to be featured.

📩 Email: [email protected]

🎂 This Week’s Birthdays

The American Mah Jongg Associaion would like to wish these members a very Happy Birthday!

Mar 30
Adelaide M. (CA), Leora E. (TN), Lynda A. (FL), Rhonda T. (FL), Vijaya J. (CA)

Mar 31
Andrea T. (NY), Carol B. (CA), Joey A. (QUEBEC)

Apr 02
Cathy P. (TX), Kathy K. (GA), Lana T. (NC) 

Apr 03
Anna A. (TX), Barbara L. (MS), Chris W. (ND), Kathy A. (CA), Maria K. (TX), Myra A. (AZ)

Apr 04
Adele H. (IL), Dianne C. (FL), Valerie R. (CA) 

Apr 05
Ellen K. (MD), JoAnn R. (FL), Lisa G. (VA), Liz M. (MT), Marian B. (AZ), Robbie N. (NC), Sheri U. (TX), Terri K. (FL)

If your name is Pamela , enjoy a FREE Practice Session 🖐🏻 on us!*

*Just reply to this email by this Friday at midnight—your email name must match!

🏁 Milestones

These milestones come from players using The Winning Hand, the practice app included with membership in the American Mah Jongg Association. [Join Here]

Members use it in different ways. To warm up. To stay sharp. Or simply to spend more time with the game you already love.

200 games played
🔥🔥 SANDY D.
🔥🔥 PAM C.

100 games played
🔥 HOF
🔥 CINDY H.
🔥 YVONNE L.
🔥 LIZZIE S.
🔥 GAIL R.
🔥 DONNA M.

👏 The more you play, the better your game gets.

🎥 New to TheWinningHand app?
Short videos walk through each game mode:
➕ Hand Builder | ☑️ Finish the Hand | 🔃 Scrambled Hand | 💃🏻 Charleston

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As a reminder, we’re not the National Mah Jongg League so for questions about your card, it’s best to reach out to them directly. ☎️ 212-246-3052

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