🧨️ Happy Mah Jongg Monday!️
AROUND THE TABLE by Dottie
America turned two hundred and fifty over the weekend. We celebrated.
Everyone was at our house. All ten grandkids, ranging in age from seven to nineteen, ranging in volume from too loud to even louder.
Hal was at the grill all afternoon. He’s been the grill master in this family since before our children were born.
I made an apple pie. (The secret is par-baking the crust so it doesn't get soggy.) I have not made one in two years. The youngest grandchild asked me what apple pie was for. I said, "to celebrate America." She accepted that.
The flag was out. The corn was on. The sky was the color blue you only get on certain days in July. My oldest grandson, who is starting college in the fall, looked at me at the end of dinner and said "Grandma, this is a really good pie." He has never said anything like that in his life. I am keeping that one.
At sundown we watched the fireworks from the deck. Hal put his hand on mine. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to.
Two hundred and fifty years. That is a long time. I do not take it for granted. I love this country.
This week we go back to our normal lives. I will be at the mahj table on Wednesday. Marlene will be there. Hal will be there. Patty will be 5 minutes early.
Pour the coffee. Let's go.
— Dottie
Here’s a quick preview of today’s issue. Scroll down to read each section in full.
🏆 Behind the Tiles — Karen's riskiest hand. Join the Club.
💡 Table Wisdom — The Joker swap that costs you.
🖐🏻 A Hand to Play — Which hand is valid?
🛒 Winning Picks — Backyard finds for summer.
🎥 Max's Minute — Call a tile for a Joker swap?
🪑 At the Table — A podcast for mahj talk.
🥠 Ask Auntie — The uninvited scorekeeper.
📸 Spotlight — A 100th birthday at the table.
🎂 Birthdays — This week's AMJA members.
🙋🏻♀️ Free Practice Sessions — See if we called your name.
🏁 Milestones — Progress inside The Winning Hand app.
… and more!
🏆 Karen Gooen Reaches for the Hand She Knows She Shouldn't 🏆
Ask most strong players why they made a move and you get a shrug and a good instinct. Ask Karen and you get the odds. She has tracked hundreds of her own games, so she knows which hands pay off, which ones quietly cost her, and the one she admits she is drawn to even when the numbers say walk away.
You can watch that thinking happen inside Behind the Tiles, and nowhere else. Every month a different winning player plays a full round, four games start to finish, and says out loud what they are seeing while the outcome is still in doubt. It's the reasoning most players never show anyone.
This month, the author of Searching for Bubbe Fischer plays her four and thinks out loud through all of them.
👇 Catch the interview here to hear how she thinks before a game.
If you join in the next two days, you'll be ready when Karen's first episode drops Wednesday.
The Polite Way to Make a Joker Exchange
The correct way to make a Joker exchange is simple, consistent, and protects everyone’s hand.
According to Mah Jongg Made Easy, here is the proper way to exchange a Joker:
“It is recommended that a player never touch another player’s tiles. The player should first announce that a Joker exchange is to be made. The replacement tile should be handed to the player … and that player makes the exchange and hands the Joker to the other player. If no announcement is made and the symbol tile touches the table, it is considered discarded, and the Joker may not be redeemed.”
Let’s break that down into three easy steps:
Step 1: Announce the exchange before doing anything. Say clearly, “May I please have your Joker?” This alerts the table to your intention.
Step 2: Hand the replacement tile directly to the player. Hold the symbol tile out so they can take it. Do not place it on their rack or on the table.
Step 3: Let the other player make the exchange. They remove the Joker from their exposure, place it in your hand, take the symbol tile, and the exchange is complete.
Why the other methods cause trouble
A tile tossed onto the table becomes a discard. Once it hits the table, the Joker is no longer available.
If you are playing at a large table and cannot reach the other player, create a table rule to allow a tile to be passed across the table after announcing the exchange.A tile placed on someone else’s rack can create a dead hand if it’s the wrong tile and no one notices quickly.
Reaching for another player’s tiles breaks etiquette and can cause confusion about whose action it is.
These shortcuts feel faster, but they create real risk. The official method avoids all of it.
Key Takeaway
Announce the exchange, hand over the tile, and let the other player complete the swap. This keeps the exchange valid and the table calm.
Last Week’s 🖐🏻 Hand to Play Results:
5,731 Insiders played, 42% chose right.
👉 See the correct answer & explanation here.
Recognizing a valid hand is a core Mah Jongg skill. Some combinations look close, but only one will match a real Section and Line on the Card. Your job is to read the structure, check the pattern, and decide which option follows the rules.
Look at the hands shown and ask one clear question: Which of these matches an actual Section and Line on the Card?
Check the tile pattern carefully against the 2026 Card. Read the fine print and look for the required pair, Pung, Kong, or run. Make sure the Flowers, Winds, and Dragons fit the structure. If anything breaks the pattern, that hand is not valid.
Your task is to choose the one hand that follows the correct combination.
Pick your answer, cast your vote, and see how your read compares with other players.👇
Backyard Upgrade
No full makeover needed. A few smart finds turn your backyard into the favorite summer hangout, just in time for long evenings outside.
🀄 Mah Jongg Cocktail Napkins The little detail that makes patio happy hour feel like your table. Cute, handy, and a wink to anyone who knows the game. Set the table →
💡 Solar Lights Easy glow, no wires. Soft, warm light that charges all day and welcomes you out at dusk. Light it up →
🪻 Hammock Chair Swing into summer. The cozy spot for reading, resting, or doing gloriously nothing in the shade. Lounge in style →
🌳 Smart Bird Feeder with Camera Watch your visitors up close. This feeder films every cardinal and chickadee and sends the clips to your phone. Pure backyard joy. See who stops by →
🕯️ Citronella Candles Soft flicker, fresh scent, and fewer bugs. Ambiance and pest control in one little tin. Set the mood →
Small upgrades, big payoff. Your yard just became the place everyone wants to be.
(As an Amazon Associate, The Mah Jongg Insider earns from qualifying purchases.)
Max takes two questions from Insiders and answers both in a quick 60-second video.
🕔 This week’s questions:
1️⃣ Under Any Like Numbers Line 1, do all the six Flowers have to be called at the same time?
2️⃣ Can you call for a tile in order to use it for a Joker Exchange?
Max’s answer is ready.
🎥 [Click to watch]
Have a question for Max?
🎤 [Click to leave a voicemail]
The Mahj Salon Podcast
If you have ever finished a game and immediately wanted to rehash every discard, every questionable shuffle, and every quiet table dispute, there is finally a podcast made for you.
Presented by Mahjong Meets Moxie, it is well worth a listen.
➡️ On Spotify
➡️ On Apple Podcasts
➡️ On YouTube
The Mahj Salon, hosted by Jennifer Hohman, also known as Lady Whistling Sparrow, and Cathy Hale, is where players come for the stories and stay for the opinions.
Each episode digs into the good stuff we usually only talk about in the parking lot afterward: pet peeves, tile choices, money at the table, and the unwritten rules every group seems to have.
It is fast, funny, and frank, and it sounds a lot like the table talk you wish someone had recorded.
⬅️ Last Week’s Question
I am the organizer of a Mah Jongg Program at a Library where players come to learn the game or enhance their skills. I have begun using a “stand up discard” to help players learn to look at & listen for the stated discard & to underscore that the discard is available until a player calls the tile & displays it OR the next player picks from the wall & racks the picked tile in the slope of the rack before the stand up discarded tile comes down & placed face up and no longer available.
When practiced regularly the “stand up discard” effectively requires players to quickly call or the next player to quickly pick & rack. It also keeps the discard visible until no longer available & does not allow the discard tile to get lost in the mix of tiles on the table until it is no longer available. Some players like this style of discard, others do not. I would be interested in your thoughts.
-Valerie K.
🥠 Auntie’s Advice 🥠
🗨 My friend, as the organizer/teacher, ask yourself a simpler question: is the stand up discard accomplishing the result you want?
If the answer is yes, and beginners are learning faster, paying better attention, and understanding tile availability more clearly, then the opinions of experienced players become much less important.
You do not need consensus to lead effectively. You only need clarity about why you are doing it.
📢 Readers’ Responses 📢
🗨 It has been my experience that it's best not to teach something that has to be 'un-taught' later. It's also important to stress the looking and listening aspects of the game from the start. Imagine highlighting a discard or game piece in any other game! Watching the discards is just another one of the skills being developed.
- Nancy S.
🗨 I like your stand up idea. I am about to start teaching/playing at our library and this sounds like a good idea.
- Debbie S.
🗨 There's no rule about this, but it is yet another instance of "dumbing" down the game. Experienced players know how to keep an eye on the discarded tile as it's placed in the mess of tiles on the table. Beginners need to learn how to do that.
- Carol D.
Whose response do you like best?
➡️ This Week’s Question
One player in our group keeps count of the number of games each player has won and announces the totals at the end of our session. No one has asked this player to do this and I, for one, feel sort of down and almost embarrassed when I haven't won any games on a particular day. Any thoughts on whether or how to handle this situation?
- Irene
🤗 Want to share your advice?
🤔 Have a Mah Jongg manners or table moment dilemma?
📩 Send it to Auntie: [email protected]
This year was my 20th anniversary of breast cancer survivorship. I decided to celebrate by hosting a “Think Pink & Mah Jongg On!” mini tournament fundraising event to benefit the non-profit organization, West Cancer Foundation here in Memphis, TN.
This was my first time to do such an event and I was thrilled to have 35 ladies participate and I raised $1,100.
- Vicki
We celebrated June's 100th birthday on the 23rd of June. Her grandmother taught her to play. This is our group in Coeur d’Alene, ID.
- Ronda V.
Our group meets once a week in Fayetteville, Arkansas, to enjoy a fabulous lunch followed by several games. This week we celebrated our friend’s birthday using the card from her birthday, 1947! It was fairly simplistic using Flowers and Jokers for wild tiles. Fun!!
- Linda Faye, Linda Lou, Teresa, and Donna
📸 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]
The American Mah Jongg Association would like to wish these members a very Happy Birthday!
July 6
Anuja H. (India), Elisabeth V. (KY), Joyce G. (TX), Kim K. (TX), Laraine L. (TX), Mary R. (GA), Susan T. (CA)
July 7
Amelia R. (AZ), Charlene T. (VA), Ferlicia H. (PA), Krista B. (MA), Lola M. (FL), Robin H. (PA), Rosa A. (CA)
July 8
Julie S. (MO), Phyllis R. (CA)
July 9
Carol S. (MI), Debbie P. (NC), Patricia W. (NY)
July 10
Margarita F. (NY), Maureen R. (CO), Nancy V. (CT), Sue G. (CA), Tana Odean O. (IA)
July 11
Shirley W. (TN), Tammy B. (FL)
July 12
Elmertha M. (MS), Greta M. (TX), Kristin W. (MA), Linda L. (LA), Tom O. (VA)
If your name is Doreen, enjoy a FREE Practice Session 🙋🏻♀️ on us!*
*Just reply to this email by this Friday at midnight—your email name must match!
These milestones come from players using The Winning Hand, 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.
🔥🔥🔥🔥 400 games played
Lizzie Stillman
🔥🔥🔥 300 games played
Linda Nuber
Cindy Thompson
🔥🔥 200 games played
Dana Levitsky
🔥 100 games played
SL Pacleb
Amy Podhurst
👏 The more you play, the better your game gets.
🎥 New to The Winning Hand app?
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