🧨️ Happy Mah Jongg Monday!️
AROUND THE TABLE by Dottie
A funny thing happened at our Wednesday game.
I'd been resolving all week not to go to the Mah Jongg World Championship in Vegas. I'd been very firm with myself. I'd cited many reasons. Number one: It's far. Number two: I'm old. Number three: I’m not a good enough player.
Then Marlene showed up with the matching outfits she'd ordered. She unzipped the garment bag in my dining room with the kind of ceremony you'd save for a reading of the will.
She said "We are wearing these." They were crochet jackets. Long and loose, with flowers and rainbow stripes, and a big crocheted Joker tile on the left shoulder. No doubt Marlene nailed the MahjStock theme.
Patty said "Oh," then bent down to her tote bag and produced a second garment bag. She unzipped it and revealed three more identical jackets. She said "I ordered them two weeks ago." We put them on. Hal came in. He looked at all three of us laughing so hard in matching crochet. He didn't say a word. He went and got coffee.
I’m seventy-four. I had been citing reasons but none of them was the real one. I was too comfortable in my routine. The jackets called my bluff. I'm not done yet. How could I say no?
Pour the coffee. Let's go to Vegas.
— Dottie
Here’s a quick preview of today’s issue. Scroll down to read each section in full.
⬇️ The Association is $25 a year until August. Join the Association.
💡 Table Wisdom — What the Red Dragon used to be.
🖐🏻 A Hand to Play — Which 3 tiles should you pass?
🛒 Winning Picks — Summer road trip finds.
🎥 Max's Minute — Can you exchange Jokers from a dead hand?
❓ It's Your Call — What's in your glass at the table?
🪑 At the Table — Win a New Orleans getaway.
🥠 Ask Auntie — When one player keeps score for everyone.
📸 Spotlight — Mahj groups from Tahiti to Texas.
🎂 Birthdays — This week's AMJA members.
🙋🏻♀️ Free Practice Sessions — See if we called your name.
🏁 Milestones — Progress inside The Winning Hand app.
… and more!
The Story Behind the Red Dragon
The Red Dragon has an interesting history because the tile did not start out as a dragon at all. The changes to the tile mirror how a Chinese game became an American one, and how the name changed along the way.
How the Red Dragon Got Its Name
In traditional Chinese mahjong, the three tiles that Americans call Dragons are not dragons at all.
When Joseph Babcock brought his own adapted version of the game to America in the early 1920s, presentation was part of the sell. Calling these tiles "Dragons" gave the set an exotic, marketable feel during the 1920s craze. A dragon sold better than a tile that meant "center" or "blank." The English name stuck, and it is the one the National Mah Jongg League still uses today.
What the Tiles Actually Meant
The original meanings were plainer than the grand ones often repeated today. The Red Dragon shows 中, meaning "center" or "middle." The Green Dragon comes from 發, which connects to 發財, prosperity or getting rich, so of the three, green's meaning is the one that carried over most faithfully. The White Dragon is simply the white or blank tile.
The bigger ideas sometimes attached to them, balance and harmony for red, purity for white, power and fortune all around, came with the Western retelling more than from the tiles themselves. That does not make the tiles less interesting. It just means the romance was added later.
Why It Matters at Your Table
None of this changes how you play. The Red Dragon is still one of the most well-known tiles. But knowing that "Dragon" was a marketing name laid over a tile that meant "center" tells you something true: American Mah Jongg grew out of Chinese mahjong and then became its own game, names and all.
Key Takeaway
The Red Dragon started as the Chinese character for "center" and picked up its dragon name, and most of its grander symbolism, when the game was sold to American players in the 1920s. The tile is real. Some of the legend around it is not.
Last Week’s 🖐🏻 Hand to Play Results:
6,530 Insiders played, 81% chose right.
👉 See the correct answer & explanation here.
Let’s talk about the start of the Charleston. It’s the opening move that can shape your Mah Jongg game! 🀄️
Choosing which three tiles to pass isn’t always as easy as it sounds.
This week’s challenge: Look at your starting hand and ask yourself, which tiles won’t help my hand, and won’t give someone else an advantage?
Pick the three least useful tiles to pass with confidence, but before you vote, make sure they don’t work together toward a hand. Then cast your vote.
Either way, you’ve got this. Let’s see how your Charleston skills measure up! 👏🧠
Which 3 tiles are the least valuable tiles in your hand, and which don’t give another player the start of a hand?
Road Trip
Long drive ahead? These smart, packable finds make your summer road trip smoother, cleaner, and a lot more comfortable, from the first mile to the last.
👜 Mah Jongg Travel Tote
Roomy enough for the snacks, the chargers, and the cardigan you always end up wanting, and it is unmistakably yours at every rest stop. Pack it up →
🧻 Car Tissue Holder
Cupholder-friendly and cute. Keeps tissues handy for spills, sneezes, and sticky fingers. Stay tidy →
🧼 Car Cleaning Gel
Dust in the vents, crumbs in the console. This jelly cleaner gets into every tight spot for an easy refresh before you go. No mess left behind →
🧊 Insulated Cooler Bag
Cold drinks and good snacks from the first mile to the last. This soft cooler slings over your shoulder, packs flat when it is empty, and keeps everything chilled the whole drive. Keep it cool →
💺 Seat Cushion
The cushion that makes a four-hour drive feel like two, with real support where your back needs it. Ride in comfort →
Packed and comfortable beats packed and frazzled every time. See you out there.
(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 If a hand is called dead, are you still allowed to exchange Jokers from it?
2️⃣ Under 13579 Line 4, can you call for 113579 as an exposure?
Max’s answer is ready.
🎥 [Click to watch]
Have a question for Max?
🎤 [Click to leave a voicemail]
What Are You Drinking During Your Game?
Enter to Win a New Orleans Mah Jongg Getaway
Here’s one worth jumping on. For just $40, you can enter to win a trip to the sold-out New Orleans Mahjong Classic on October 24th, complete with VIP access to Sips & Sweets with Mahjong Molly and a two-night stay at the historic Hotel Monteleone in the heart of the French Quarter.
Even better, every ticket benefits Trinity Loaves & Fishes, which provides more than 55,000 meals a year to families and seniors across Greater New Orleans. Only 1,000 tickets will be sold, and the raffle closes September 15th.
🎫 Get your raffle ticket here
⬅️ Last Week’s Question
Auntie, 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
🥠 Auntie’s Advice 🥠
🗨 My friend, she is saying out loud what most players are already quietly tracking. Mah Jongg is a game, and games have wins and losses. There is no shame in that.
The better question is, why does hearing the number bother you? What are you making it mean when you don’t win?
If winning matters to you, that is useful information. There are many ways to improve. Let the score point you toward practice, not embarrassment.
📢 Readers’ Responses 📢
🗨 The scorekeeper surely means well, but she's turned a casual game into a tournament nobody entered, no wonder a no-win day is a downer.
The fix: play for a penny a point, as Mah Jongg has traditionally been played. It's low-risk, each game settles itself on the spot, everyone tracks their own fortunes, and there's nothing left to announce. If the tallying continues anyway, a light word, "Could we skip the scoreboard?" should do it.
- Veronica H.
🗨 When the game totals are announced, if I were a winner, I might comment, "I haven't won that hand before," or "That win was a long shot," etc. If/when I am not a winner, I would say something like, "Good games, everyone," and add, "I didn't Mahj today, but had a great time. Maybe next week." It's always a good feeling to win, but either way, I'm there to see friends and try to learn something new.
- Debby G.
🗨 So many issues in Mah Jongg, as in life, could be avoided by simple communication. "Sue, please stop announcing the wins and losses. We know how we did. It's discouraging enough to be in one of those losing periods that we all seem to have without having it broadcast." Just talk. Communicate. There is nothing wrong with telling her how it feels.
- Debbie G.
Whose response do you like best?
➡️ This Week’s Question
Hi Auntie,
This past week, as four of us played our regular Mah Jongg game, we came across an unusual event. Four times in a row the wall beat us! None of us declared Mah Jongg. Does that indicate anything, like we are terrible players, very good players, or know each other too well? Thanks for your insight.
- Nancy C.
🤗 Want to share your advice?
🤔 Have a Mah Jongg manners or table moment dilemma?
📩 Send it to Auntie: [email protected]
We played most sea days aboard Seabourn Cruise from Tahiti to Chile!
- LeAnne L.
This is a photo of our fabulous group of Mah Jongg players. There are nine of us. We are in Odessa, Texas, and play every other Wednesday. We so enjoy our time together learning new skills.
- Janice Y.
We had a great party celebrating at our Tucker Mah Jongg Club in Tucker, Georgia. In the center between two Lady Liberties is our very own Miss Fourth of July! Cookies, cupcakes, watermelon and Fourth of July themed prizes added to the day's excitement at our Open Play!!
- Paula K.
📸 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 8
Nita B. (CA)
July 13
Cathie M. (ND), Corinne A. (CA), Dana L. (GA), Dawn B. (UT), Karen W. (TX), Lisa H-C. (NM), Michal J. (AZ), Pat T. (PA)
July 14
Alice H. (VA), Carol H. (NC), Caryl S. (CT), Jebby P. (NY)
July 15
Gayle G. (CA), Heather L. (NY), Patricia H. (NY), Sue B. (WY), Susan H. (AZ)
July 16
Brigid O. (OH), Jennifer J. (CA), JoAnne B. (FL), Lisa M. (FL)
July 17
Carol M. (NJ), Linda Z. (KS), Lisa C. (CA), Pam W. (IA)
July 18
Steph J. (NE)
July 19
Dave H. (DE), Jean T. (CA), Kaela M. (CO), Marsha Z. (MD)
If your name is Phyllis, 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.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 500 games played
Lizzie S.
🔥🔥🔥🔥 400 games played
Cindy Thompson
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Heidi Spitzer
Amy Podhurst
Sugie Poteet
🔥🔥🔥 300 games played
Erin Crockett
Kate Clark
Pam B.
Cece Crabb
🔥🔥 200 games played
Mary McCoy
🔥 100 games played
Amy Hawks
Barb Illi
Debbie Hart
Gisela Miller
Ann Reinhart
👏 The more you play, the better your game gets.
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