🧨️ Happy Mah Jongg Monday!️
AROUND THE TABLE by Dottie
My cousin Marlene took the column last week and I've heard about nothing else for seven days.
Your notes split right down the middle. Plenty of you have a cousin like Marlene, and a few of you wrote to tell me you ARE Marlene. But just as many of you came to the card's defense. You love this year's hands. You told me, kindly, that the wall games are on us and not the League. One of you reminded me that the plural of anecdote is not data. I have not shown Marlene that one.
She has not heard back from the League. She's checking the mailbox daily though.
Wednesday's game. Hal won three games. I don't want to talk about it. He played one where he discarded a tile I thought he needed and won on the next go-round anyway. He says he counts to three before every discard, to be sure he’s not throwing a tile someone needs. I have never once seen him count.
This Sunday is Father's Day. Hal has agreed to take the column on Monday. He won’t tell me a word about what he plans to write. So I’ll tell you this much myself: he learned the game from our daughter Kate in 1996. She was twelve. He was forty-six. The rest is his to tell.
Pour the coffee. See you next Monday with Hal.
— Dottie
Here’s a quick preview of today’s issue. Scroll down to read each section in full.
⬇️ Settle the Rule Debate Your Table Keeps Having — Join the Association.
💡 Table Wisdom — How to tell when it's time to pivot.
🦻🏻 Hear Every Tile Called: A hearing tip worth knowing about.
🖐🏻 A Hand to Play — What's this winning hand worth?
🎁 Winning Picks — Summer self-care to get you table-ready.
🎥 Max's Minute — Called Dead and you disagree. Now what?
🀄 Real Art — The One Bam bird, hand-painted for your wall.
❓ Ask Auntie — Do you have to separate jokers in your exposures?
📸 Spotlight — Night mahj and a Halifax leaderboard win.
🎂 Birthdays — This week's AMJA members.
🙋🏻♀️ Free Practice Sessions — See if we called your name.
🏁 Milestones — Progress inside TheWinningHand app.
… and more!
⬇️ Settle the Rule Question
Your Table Keeps Debating ⬇️
Open the Rulebook app on your phone, search for the rule, finish the game. It's included with Association membership, alongside the Winning Hand practice app, the Hand by Hand Cheat Sheet, the 2026 Card Reveal replay, and discounts on Practice Sessions.
$25 a year. About $2 a month.
💡 Table Wisdom
Pivoting: How to Know When Your Hand Is Done
Winning depends on committing to a hand while keeping a backup ready. The 2026 card makes this essential because so many hands rely on Singles and Pairs. Strong players watch for clear signals that it’s time to change direction.
If you think your hand is becoming impossible to win, watch for these signs and take these actions:
Watch the Singles and Pairs: If your hand needs a Single or a Pair, track every discard. When only one tile is left, pivot if you’re not set to call it for Mah Jongg.
Check Your Progress Mid‑Game: If you reach the second half of the call and discard phase without gaining tiles, reassess. Use exposures to see if you have a partner playing similar tiles. Keep collecting for both your primary and backup hands until you run out of safe discards. Then shift to the more mature hand.
Use Jokers to Change Direction: If another player calls a tile you need and you hold several of that tile, let them take it. Claim their Jokers on your next turn and use them to pivot to a hand that avoids conflict.
Play the More Mature Hand: Sometimes your backup hand matures more quickly than your intended hand. Choose the hand that is closest to winning. The goal is Mah Jongg, not loyalty to your first hand.
Also, remember, when the remaining picks are fewer than the tiles you need, you won’t win, so shift to defense and protect the table.
Beginner’s Takeaway: Pick two hands that work well together. For example, if you start with Consecutive Run on Line 5 and miss the Pairs, look at Line 4 or Line 7 based on your tiles.
Advanced Moves: Pivoting depends on reading the table. If you believe you’ll be able to call the last Single for Mah Jongg, take the risk. Stay alert and keep a backup ready.
🖐🏻 A Hand to Play
Last Week’s 🖐🏻 Hand to Play Results:
7,964 Insiders Played, 72% chose right.
👉 See the correct answer & explanation here.
You just picked your winning Mah Jongg tile from the wall and declared your win!
According to Mah Jongg Made Easy, “Players must announce the value of their own hand.” That means knowing your score isn’t just a flex 💪🏻, it’s a key part of the game!
Here is your challenge: You have a valid hand, and you know the Section and Line. You know if you’ve used Jokers and whether you picked your own winning tile. Based on that, you should be able to calculate your final score.
How much do you collect from the table in total?
Pick your best answer, commit to it, and then VOTE to see how your choice compares with other players.
🀄 Tile Spotlight: Today’s Hand to Play uses Mah Jongg Maven’s tiles.
How much do you collect from the table in total?
Summer Self-Care
Hot days call for cool routines. Five little upgrades to keep you refreshed, pampered, and ready for the table, because you have earned it.
💄 Mah Jongg Cosmetic Bag
The cutest way to corral your sunscreen, your mists, and your touch-up kit, and it tells the whole table whose bag that is. Grab yours →
🚿 Shower Steamers
Drop one in and your shower turns into a spa, eucalyptus and all. The five-minute reset for a hot afternoon. Steam and unwind →
👁️ Cooling Under-Eye Gels
Keep them in the fridge and press on a pair after too much sun or too little sleep. Puffiness down, eyes awake, in about fifteen minutes. Cool your eyes →
🌙 Mulberry Silk Pillowcase Set
A pair of 22-momme silk cases for cooler, smoother sleep that is kinder to your skin and your hair every night. One for you, one to gift. Sleep cool →
✨ LED Light Therapy Mask
Ten quiet minutes a few nights a week, and a summer of sun meets its match. The glow tool that used to live only at the spa. Treat yourself →
Protect a little, pamper a little, and keep your cool all summer. You have earned the whole routine.
(As an Amazon Associate, The Mah Jongg Insider earns from qualifying purchases.)
This week’s top questions:
1️⃣ Are you allowed to exchange for more than one Joker during your turn?
2️⃣ If a player calls your hand Dead and you disagree, what should you do since you don’t wanna expose your hand to prove they’re wrong?
Max’s 1-minute answer is ready.
🎥 [Click to watch]
Have a question for Max?
🎤 [Click to leave a voicemail]
️🀄 Real Art for the Room Where You Play
The bird on the One Bam is the tile every player has a soft spot for, and Deb Baker paints it by hand.
She's the artist behind Trail East Studio in Michigan, where she makes original paintings and fine art prints, no mass-produced posters.
The Bird Bam canvas is a fine art print of her work, ready to hang, the kind of piece that gives a game room real character instead of just filling the space.
She paints a whole Mah Jongg line too, from mats to hand-painted gifts, and takes commissions in custom sizes.
Free shipping.
Click here to see more prints →
⬅️ Last Week’s Question
Auntie, One woman loudly cheers for herself when she wins. No one else does. Is it rude?
- Judy M.
🥠 Auntie’s Advice 🥠
🗨 My friend, it is not quite clear whether you think the winner is rude for cheering, or whether the rest of the table is rude for not joining in. So I will answer both.
Mah Jongg is a game, and games have winners and losers. You cannot control how others in your group respond, but you can decide who you want to be at the table. Do you want to be the person who celebrates another player’s win, or the one quietly replaying how close you came yourself?
If you are asking whether I would cheer loudly for myself, probably not. But honestly, if no one else was celebrating me, I just might.
📢 Readers’ Responses 📢
🗨 Heck no, it ain't rude! Why aren't you cheering with her? And when someone else wins, cheer for them! Compliment winners on their winning hands. Be part of the team.
- Debbie P.
🗨 Not only is it rude, it's uncouth and obnoxious. A person with class is gracious in winning as well as in losing.
- Nadine D.
🗨 I have this situation. We have a very small group (8 at the most). One woman has been playing for 40 years and really laughs and celebrates when she wins, which is often, but she goes silent when someone else wins. She seems to enjoy her wins in closed hands in particular. It makes me and others feel small. To offset this feeling, I often go play with a fun group at the senior center.
- Judith M.
Whose response do you like best?
➡️ This Week’s Question
As a new player, I hide jokers within my exposures, but experienced players tell me to separate them. Must I?
- Adelaide M.
🤗 Want to share your advice?
🤔 Have a Mah Jongg manners or table moment dilemma?
📩 Send it to Auntie: [email protected]
📸 Get in the Spotlight
We usually play Mah Jongg on Mondays when our kids are at school, but every once in a while we get to do a “night mahj”!
- Etana K.
We have a great group in Halifax, Nova Scotia! We play twice a week at the Nines, an apartment where many of us live. Here we are celebrating a member's rise to the top of the Ilovemahj leaderboard. I enjoy your newsletter! Thanks!!
- Gail H.
📸 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 15
Beverly M. (CA), Pat H. (MN), Renee R. (TX), Susanne C. (NH)
June 16
Diane Z. (ME), Helen C. (TX), Jackie M. (NJ), Janett E. (FL), Lisa B. (IN)
June 17
JoAnn S. (CA), Julie D. (WA), Julie S. (TN), Mary S. (AZ)
June 18
Cat C. (WI), Debbie F. (TX), Kathleen G. (MI), Nancy P. (WI)
June 19
Andrea N. (IN), Jose S. (TX), Krista B. (LA), Stephanie N. (ME), Brenlee C-T. (MB)
June 20
Barb P. (NC), Brooke C. (LA), Brooke B. (LA), Dawn M. (CA), Krista G. (ID), Linda M. (AZ), Merna G. (FL), Sandee M. (NC), Susan D. (NC)
June 21
Alison H. (NC), Amy G. (MA), Donna H. (AZ), John C. (NJ), Mary W. (TX), Sue J. (IL)
If your name is Valerie , 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
Angela Maragos
🔥🔥🔥🔥 400 games played
Kenni Eberlin
Sandra Johnson
Julie Holmes
🔥🔥🔥 300 games played
Donna H.
🔥🔥 200 games played
Debra Visnov
Barbara Kruger
🔥 100 games played
Linda Nuber
Patricia Lee
Sheila Hall
Kathy Isop
Bobette Enderson
👏 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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