🧨 Happy Mah Jongg Monday!
AROUND THE TABLE by Dottie
Hello. This is Marlene (Dottie's favorite cousin, currently aggrieved).
Dottie has given me the column again because I have something to say.
Wednesday's game. I picked my next tile and was bringing it down to my rack. The tile touched the bottom of the slope. Patty said "call."
I said "too late, I racked."
Dottie said: "You didn't rack. The tile has to be placed on the sloped part with your other tiles. Tapping doesn't count. It's in the rulebook."
I said: "What rulebook."
Dottie pulled up the Association’s rulebook on her phone. Right there at the table. We read it together.
"A racked tile is defined as a tile that has been placed on the sloped part of the rack along with the player's other tiles. Tapping or clicking the rack with the tile is not considered racking."
We have been playing the rule wrong for eleven years.
I called Patty that night. Then I called her Thursday. I called her Friday. I called her again Saturday. Each time I asked the same question, in a slightly different way. Each time she gave the same answer.
"Yes, I knew."
PATTY KNEW.
Patty has known. Patty has been watching me rack tiles incorrectly for over a decade and has chosen, every single time, to say nothing.
This is who Patty is. Patty does not correct. Patty does not fuss. Patty has been five minutes early to my house for fifty years and has never once told me my refrigerator is making a noise.
There’s a question I am not asking. The question is: why does Dottie suddenly know.
I’m not asking it.
I'm reading Mah Jongg Made Easy cover to cover this week. The NMJL puts it out. I've owned my copy since 1985 and the price tag is still on the back.
If you don't own it, the Association has the rules on their website for free (if you’re a member, you can download them to your phone). I’ve looked at it. It’s easier to read. Don't tell the League I said that, at least not until after they've replied to my recent letter.
Our Wednesday game will play strict rules from now on. I’ve already informed Hal.
WE ARE NOT AMATEURS.
Yours regardless,
Marlene
Here’s a quick preview of today’s issue. Scroll down to read each section in full.
⬇️ Lock in $25 Membership — Rate change on Aug 1st. Join the Association.
💡 Table Wisdom — Three fast clues a hand is dead.
🖐🏻 A Hand to Play — Which Section starts strongest?
🛒 Winning Picks — Beat the heat at game day.
🎥 Max’s Minute — Does a false Mah Jongg cost extra?
🎟️ Featured Events — A new film’s first screening.
🥠 Ask Auntie — The player who runs the whole table.
📸 Spotlight — Playing everywhere this summer.
🎂 Birthdays — This week’s AMJA members.
🙋🏻♀️ Free Practice Sessions — See if we called your name.
🏁 Milestones — Progress inside The Winning Hand app.
… and more!
Three Fast Clues That a Hand Is Dead
Most dead hands reveal themselves through tile count or exposures. If you know what to look for, you can spot problems quickly.
Clue #1: The Wrong Number of Tiles
Start by counting tiles. A player with too few or too many tiles cannot have a legal hand. This is often the fastest way to identify a dead hand. Before making a challenge, count carefully and make sure you have not missed an exposure.
Clue #2: An Invalid Exposure
Some exposures immediately create a problem. Examples include exposing a Pair or exposing Singles such as NEWS or 2026. These combinations cannot be called and exposed under normal play. If an exposure violates the rules, the hand may be dead.
Clue #3: The Exposures Don't Match Any Hand
Look at the Card and follow the exposures. If the exposures cannot fit any hand on the Card, or they indicate a concealed hand, the hand is dead. This requires careful analysis, so take your time before making a challenge and always compare the exposures to the Card before speaking up.
Before You Call A Hand Dead
A player cannot declare their own hand dead. They may continue playing and try to force a wall game.
If you believe a hand is dead, ask yourself two questions:
Am I certain?
Do I want to call it dead?
When a hand is declared dead, Jokers may be exchanged only if they were exposed before the action that caused the hand to become dead. If you don’t declare the hand dead, the player can continue to play and may redeem their own Joker to prevent others from taking it, or perform other defensive actions that result in a wall game. Calling their hand dead takes that player out of the action and gives you more picks from the wall.
However, if you challenge a hand and are wrong, the dispute is settled between the two players involved. Play continues, and the issue is resolved at the end of the game.
Dead vs. Unwinnable
A hand can also become unwinnable during play and may be called dead.
This often happens with hands that have Singles or Pairs. If every tile needed for a required Single or Pair is already visible, the hand can no longer be completed.
For Pungs, Kongs, Quints, and Sextets, remember to include Jokers in your analysis. Unless you can account for the required natural tile and all eight Jokers, the player may still have a path to Mah Jongg.
Key Takeaway
Before calling a hand dead, verify the tile count, check the exposures, and confirm the hand against the Card. A careful review protects you from costly mistakes and strengthens your table awareness.
If you call a hand dead in error and this is challenged, you will have to pay the player 50 cents, in addition to any and all payouts to the winner of the game.
Last Week’s 🖐🏻 Hand to Play Results:
4,213 Insiders played, 69% chose right.
👉 See the correct answer & explanation here.
Many players find the hardest part of Mah Jongg comes right after the deal. With no exposures to guide you and only the tiles in your rack, which direction would you choose?
Take a close look at the tiles below. Based on the tiles as dealt, which Section offers the strongest opportunity for building a hand?
As you evaluate the rack, think about the fundamentals:
• Which tiles already work together?
• Where are your pairs?
• Which numbers or tile groups appear most often?
• Which tiles would be easy to pass in the Charleston?
• Which Section gives you the most flexibility moving forward?
There may be several possible directions, but one Section stands out as the strongest starting point.
Study the tiles, make your choice, and vote. Then see how your answer compares with other players.
Which of these hands is correct?
Keep It Cool
Hot afternoons call for cold drinks and good ice, so this week keeps you and your guests comfortable from the first tile to the last.
🀄 Mah Jongg Insulated Tumbler Your iced coffee stays cold through three rounds, and the tiles on the side tell everyone whose cup it is. Function you will use daily, personality you will smile at. Fill it with something cold →
🧊 Collapsible Cooler Bag Drinks and snacks travel to any table and then the whole thing folds flat when you are done, so it tucks away instead of taking over a shelf. Roomy when you need it, gone when you don't. Pack it for game day →
🍹 Insulated Beverage Dispenser Iced tea or lemonade stays cold for the whole group all afternoon, no refills, no watering down. The drink station that runs itself. Pour for the table →
❄️ Nugget Ice Maker The soft, chewable ice everyone secretly loves, made fresh on your counter in minutes instead of hauling bags from the store. This is the upgrade that makes you the house everyone wants to play at. Keep the good ice coming →
🌬️ Rechargeable Neck Fan Hands-free cooling that rides on your shoulders while you deal, so the heat stops pulling your focus off the card. Quiet, light, and charged by USB. Stay cool anywhere →
Cold drinks, good ice, and a breeze. Comfort is the whole game this week.
(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 3, can you use any Dragon in the pair?
2️⃣ I got a Mah Jongg in error. Do I need to pay an additional penalty to the other players for this?
Max’s answer is ready.
🎥 [Click to watch]
Have a question for Max?
🎤 [Click to leave a voicemail]
The First Screening of "Mahjong: A Game For Life"
Kenji Baba's Riichi Mahjong Central started International Mahjong Day in 2018, and this year Andrew Keeler of Mister Mahjong has stretched it into a full week, July 26 through August 1.
Date: Wednesday, July 29
Time: Noon PT
➡️ Click HERE to Join the Zoom
Join us for the first online screening of a new short film exploring the enduring human connection built through the mahjong community and across styles played around the world and throughout Los Angeles.
The screening will be followed by a live Q&A with producer Sara Linden, founder of Mahj Club, Kenji Baba, and Andrew Keeler.
Come be part of the film's very first audience.
⬅️ Last Week’s Question
Auntie, We have one player who is constantly telling each player "it's your turn," "you dealt so you throw out," etc. Basically directing the entire game verbally. It is to the point that it takes the fun out of playing. What is the best way to deal with this?
- Debbie D.
🥠 Auntie’s Advice 🥠
🗨 My friend, it sounds like everyone at the table is trying to avoid hurting her feelings, but in doing so, you are quietly sacrificing your own enjoyment of the game.
At some point, you have to decide which discomfort is smaller. A brief moment of honesty, or ongoing frustration every time you play.
A calm, direct comment is enough: “I know you’re trying to help, but the constant directing is taking some of the fun out of the game for us.”
Clear words may sting for a moment, but unspoken resentment lasts much longer. That keeps the harmony.
📢 Readers’ Responses 📢
🗨 I think it depends on the group. We play a slow, unserious, friendly game. Some of the ladies are older and get distracted easily and lose their place. This group needs gentle reminders of whose turn it is, etc., otherwise it can devolve into a “Who’s On First?” situation, so someone needs to keep track of what’s happening in the game. This probably would not be needed or appreciated for another group. Like many situations, it depends on the individual dynamic of the group.
- Betsy B.
🗨 We have someone like that in my group. She told me where to put my tiles during Charleston, when to pick up tiles, etc. I calmly said to her once: “It’s okay. I’ve got this.” Speak up in a nice way.
- Judith M.
🗨 There is a player in our group who does this. It was very irritating to everyone she played with. I also noticed other behaviors that lead me to believe she may be in the first stages of dementia. I spoke to her privately and she confirmed she had been noticing her symptoms as well and thought the same. She allowed me to share this with the rest of the group, and we will continue to welcome her to the table for as long as she is able to play.
- Anonymous
Whose response do you like best?
➡️ This Week’s Question
One person from our group always stops after the first Charleston. She argues she never gets anything better after the first three passes. Some of us want to keep going but she always stops it. How can we encourage her to continue? She always stops.
- Christine
🤗 Want to share your advice?
🤔 Have a Mah Jongg manners or table moment dilemma?
📩 Send it to Auntie: [email protected]
Riverdale, NY ladies being taught by Steven Toro in the art of Mah Jongg.
- Steven
My friends and I spent a week at the beach in Florida. We set up a tent each morning and played Mah Jongg on the beach all day long all week! It was the most fun venue for a day of Mah Jongg!
- Susi R.
Our Louisiana Mah Jongg Club "The Bayou Bamboos" attended a Mah Jongg Social on the Mississippi Coast in Bay St. Louis and ended the night as "Mrs. Roper plays Mah Jongg"!
- Tracie
📸 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 26
Allison F. (CA)
July 27
Jane M. (OR), Linda G. (AZ), Susan T. (KY)
July 28
Barb L. (AZ), Judy K. (PA), Lisa M. (NC), Sharon G. (AL)
July 29
Barb B. (OH), Cathi B. (WA), Joan D. (CA), Luann D. (FL), Marguerite H. (TX), Molly S. (AZ)
July 30
Beth B. (LA)
July 31
Gail R. (MA), Maureen A. (IL)
August 1
Ruth R. (FL), Linda Z. (PA), Greg C. (AZ), Michelle W. (TX), Rosie E. (TX), Jean-Marie H. (CO)
August 2
Carole G. (TX/OK), Laurie G. (MI), Cathy M. (AZ), Carol M. (CA), Jane M. (OH)
If your name is Tina, enjoy a FREE Practice Session 🙋🏻♀️ on us!*
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These milestones come from players using The Winning Hand, the practice app included with membership in the American Mah Jongg Association. [Join Here]
13,000+ members use it in different ways: To warm up. To stay sharp. Or simply to spend more time with the game you already love.
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