🧨️ Happy Mah Jongg Monday!️
AROUND THE TABLE by Dottie
Marlene called twice yesterday. Both calls were about wall games on the 2026 NMJL card.
She has a theory. She thinks this year’s card is producing more wall games than any card we’ve played, and she wants us to write a letter to the National Mah Jongg League. A letter. With a self-addressed stamped envelope folded inside, because that is still how this works in the year 2026. I told her I'd think about it. She said "What's there to think about?" I said "Marlene." She said "fine."
This is week three of Marlene having opinions about the 2026 card. I’ve been deflecting. The problem is, my inbox agrees with her. One of you wrote in: "Six years playing. This is my LEAST favorite card. People want to win, not have a wall game. Whoever created it gets an F-minus." I had to read it twice.
At Wednesday's game Hal played a hand I wouldn't have. He won it before I'd finished my coffee. He said nothing about it. He never does. Patty noticed. Patty notices everything.
This week's issue includes the history of the card. My grandmother played before there was one. My mother learned just as it was being figured out. I learned it the way most of you did.
Pour the coffee.
— Dottie
Here’s a quick preview of today’s issue. Scroll down to read each section in full.
🏆 Winning while dead on two hands. Join the Club.
💡 Table Wisdom — The 1956 hand you couldn't play on today's card.
🖐🏻 A Hand to Play — Which exposures match a valid hand?
🎁 Winning Picks — Father's Day finds he'll actually use.
🎥 Max's Minute — Reclaiming a misnamed tile, and the Charleston courtesy pass.
🌟 Featured Events — Bonus payouts up for grabs.
❓ Ask Auntie — How to handle a player who scolds beginners.
📸 Spotlight — A welcome back, a growing group, and a fundraiser.
🎂 Birthdays — This week's AMJA members.
🙋🏻♀️ Free Practice Sessions — See if we called your name.
🏁 Milestones — Progress inside TheWinningHand app.
… and more!
🏆 The World Champion Was Called Dead on Two Hands, and Still Won 🏆
Shelley Hoffman won the Mah Jongg World Championship last year. She'll tell you she wasn't lucky at the table, and that she was even called dead on two hands during the tournament.
She still won, by putting up a good score round after round, the way a runner paces a whole race.
👇 Click HERE to watch the full interview with Shelley.
That's the kind of decision-making you watch each week inside Behind the Tiles, our weekly series for Mahj Insiders Club members.
A winning player plays a game while narrating what they're noticing in real time. You'll hear why they keep certain tiles, why they let others go, when they pivot, and when they decide to stay the course. You won't find this kind of narrated play anywhere else.
If you join in the next two days, you'll be ready when Shelley's first episode drops on Wednesday morning.
Club members also get Unlimited Practice Sessions with Phyllis and Max, live on Zoom, twice a week.
👉 Join the Mahj Insiders Club
💡 Table Wisdom
The First American Mah Jongg Card (and What's Changed Since)
Did you ever see a hand like this? 666666 + 777777 = 13
This is a hand from the 1956 NMJL Mah Jongg Card. At this point in time, Mah Jongg sets had no Jokers and 24 Flowers. Flowers were wild. Here’s how this hand would have been played:
Chinese mahjong was first brought to the US by Joseph Babcock in the ‘20s and, in addition to being played in Chinatown in San Francisco, was also played at parties hosted by elite Flappers who dressed in Chinese-style clothing. About this time, Parker Brothers (now Hasbro) began manufacturing mahjong sets for more mainstream use.
The origins of American Mah Jongg date to the late 1930s, and it evolved into today’s game when Dorothy Meyerson and her associates streamlined and standardized it, forming the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) in 1937. The game continued to grow in popularity after World War II, and became a mainstay in Brooklyn and the Catskills in the 1950s.
Along with its formation, the National Mah Jongg League introduced a printed card listing approved hands for all players. Players had to match a hand to a line on the card, but could still choose suits like Crak, Bam, or Dot, within the fixed structure. This shift created consistency across tables, cities, and skill levels.
With shared hands, the game became standardized, enabling greater strategic play. Players could track discards and exposures to identify likely hands, so defense became just as important as building your own hand.
As the game matured, Flowers were replaced with Jokers until the current format, played with 8 Flowers and 8 Jokers.
The NMJL still releases a new card each year with updated patterns. With each release, sections shift, some hands get harder, and others become more flexible. This keeps the game fresh and levels the field across experience levels. It also creates a shared rhythm, as players learn the card together.
With Mah Jongg’s current resurgence, we’re now seeing several different cards used in play. We’ve also seen controversial variations, like blanks, added to the game (house rules).
Note: The historical information presented here originated in Annelise Heinz’s book, Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture, and was found here.
🖐🏻 A Hand to Play
Last Week’s 🖐🏻 Hand to Play Results:
6,946 Insiders Played, 65% chose right.
👉 See the correct answer & explanation here.
Figuring out what your opponents are playing is an essential part of strategic Mah Jongg. It requires you to know the card well enough to recognize patterns quickly so you can identify the hand without slowing down play.
How strong is your knowledge of the card?
Put it to the test by reviewing the exposures below. Only one set of exposures matches a valid hand on the 2026 card. The others are close but incorrect, which means the hand would be dead.
Your mission: study the exposures and choose the one that is valid. Cast your vote, then see how your choice compares with other players.
🀄 Tile Spotlight: Today’s Hand to Play uses Mah Jongg Maven’s tiles.
🎁 Father’s Day Finds
A good gift doesn’t need to be complicated. These are the kinds of things he’ll use every day: practical, well-made, and easy to appreciate.
⛳ Golf Cart Phone Holder
Clips right onto the cart so his phone stays in view for GPS, music, or quick calls. One of those things he’ll wonder how he played without. See it here →
🌡️ Wireless Meat Thermometer
Takes the guesswork out of grilling. He can check temps from a distance and focus on everything else. Grill with confidence →
🪑 Wood Phone Docking Station
A simple spot for his phone, keys, wallet, and watch. Keeps everything in one place without clutter. Keep it organized →
🕶️ Car Sunglass Holder
Clips onto the visor so his sunglasses are always within reach — no more searching or scratched lenses. Clip it in →
(As an Amazon Associate, The Mah Jongg Insider earns from qualifying purchases.)
This week’s top questions:
1️⃣ If a player misnamed a tile and we don’t realize until after the next player cracked, can we go back to claim the tile?
2️⃣ Are you allowed to do a courtesy pass even if you stopped the Charleston?
Max’s 1-minute answer is ready.
🎥 [Click to watch]
Have a question for Max?
🎤 [Click to leave a voicemail]
🌟 This weekend’s Destination Mah Jongg San Diego tournament has been selected as a 2026 Featured Tournament. That means, if the first-place winner is also a member of the American Mah Jongg Association, they’ll get an extra $500 Bonus Payout.
All Association members at the tournament will also get a collectible limited-edition keepsake (while supplies last), so members, stop by the table to say hello and pick up your souvenir.
Of course, we’ll have plenty of Joker tattoos for everyone!
🌟 The Bambird Scramble Summer League kicks off next week, and the Association is awarding a Bonus Payout to the overall national winner if they’re a member of the American Mah Jongg Association before league play begins on June 8th.
All Bambird Scramble league winners who are Association members will be named in a full-width winners feature inside this newsletter.
🌟 LA LA Mahjong League has also been selected by the American Mah Jongg Association as a featured event. If the winner’s an Association member at the start of league play (you have until the end of the day today, June 1st), a Bonus Payout will be awarded!
⬅️ Last Week’s Question
Auntie,
We’re a group of mid-level and new players. Someone has joined who is a seasoned player who plays with multiple groups and tournaments. When anyone makes a mistake, she scolds them instead of gently correcting them. At one point, she reduced a new player to tears. How would you handle this person, while acknowledging that she is correct but without making the other person feel bad?
- Cecile
🥠 Auntie’s Advice 🥠
🗨 My friend, the issue is that her tone is discouraging others.
This doesn’t need to be handled delicately. She doesn’t sound like someone who needs tiptoeing. A direct, matter-of-fact conversation is often the most respectful approach: “Your corrections are coming across a bit sharp. We want this to be a place where people can learn comfortably.”
Clear, calm, and said once is enough. You’re not criticizing her knowledge. You’re pointing out the effect.
📢 Readers’ Responses 📢
🗨 I would call her out immediately, as it's happening. One call out at the
table should curb her. If not, pull her aside and put her on notice. Let
her know - kindly, but in no uncertain terms - that this sort of behavior
is unacceptable. Your group sounds as if it is welcoming and encouraging to
less experienced players, and you want to keep it that way. Good luck!
- Beth E.
🗨 I would wait until a game is over and speak to the person who is constantly scolding players and let him/her know that they are disrupting the game and, most importantly, the fun. If they disagree I would tell them to find another game with more seasoned players.
- Gerard G.
🗨 Since the person doing the scolding is new to the group, someone from the group should take the initiative to speak up at the beginning of play. That person could say something like "We have players at different levels here. If we notice mistakes are made, we just remind each other of the specific rule so everyone can learn from it and then we move on." If that doesn't work, someone needs to tell her privately that her scolding is not acceptable in the group and that it needs to stop.
- Joanie M.
Whose response do you like best?
➡️ This Week’s Question
I enjoy my group except for two women: one still does not know rules after years, the other refuses to chat and only names tiles. I try not to sit with them. Any advice?
- Lynn
🤗 Want to share your advice?
🤔 Have a Mah Jongg manners or table moment dilemma?
📩 Send it to Auntie: [email protected]
📸 Get in the Spotlight
WELCOME BACK MOLLY!!!
Lit the crowded room,
delight of all made smiles boom!
We laughed and shuffled, great happy cheer,
we really missed her, and we're glad she's here.
- Annie, Carol, Linda and Molly.
Since our first group gathering at Deep Springs Country Club in Stoneville, NC in January 2023, almost 100 players have joined us at the tables in Rockingham County. 2 years later we continue to play 3 times a week across the county and once a month travel to Gioia dell'Amore Cellars at Autumn Creek Vineyards in Mayodan for "Mahj in the Vines." Shelby Rhyne is our fearless organizer and teacher.
Our weekly group met up for an evening fundraiser. We had door prizes, food, drinks, and lots of Mah Jongg while raising $1,100 for Breast Cancer Recovery's Infinite Boundaries Retreats.
-Julie
📸 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 Association would like to wish these members a very Happy Birthday!
June 1
Cindy T. (CA), Judi P. (OH), Laura B. (NC), Shelly D. (FL)
June 2
June Z. (NC), Kelly F. (MI), Sharon R. (WA)
June 3
Carol R. (NY), Cindy M. (VA), Joyce B. (CO), Laura E. (TX), Lisa W. (GA), Nancy P. (NC), Pat M. (TX), Shelby R. (NC), Melissa T. (TN)
June 4
Erica J. (TX), Gail S. (FL), Jay H. (CA), Sharon Z. (TX)
June 5
Bev B. (FL), Jennifer Y. (BM), Loralee M. (UT), Natalie S. (CO), Terry G. (CA), Vicki B. (AZ)
June 6
Carol B. (TX), Ellen B. (FL), Karen M. (MD)
June 7
Flo S. (TN), Karen A. (FL), Kathy D. (PA), Yvonne B. (WI)
If your name is Rita , 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 TheWinningHand, the practice app included with membership in the American Mah Jongg Association. [Join Here]
10,000+ members use it in different ways: To warm up. To stay sharp. Or simply to spend more time with the game you already love.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 500 games played
Ronni Craig
🔥🔥🔥🔥 400 games played
Angela Maragos
Michele Murphy
🔥🔥🔥 300 games played
Kenni Eberlin
Karen Dora
Sugie Poteet
Heidi Spitzer
🔥🔥 200 games played
Donna Fisher
Cindy Jackson
🔥 100 games played
Barbara Kruger
👏 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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