Bam Good Time vs AMR Authority: Mahjong Club Management Compared

If you're looking for mahjong club software, Bam Good Time and AMR Authority are two names that come up frequently — but they approach the problem from completely different angles. One is built around scoring and competitive tracking. The other is built around running the full club operation.

Here's a straightforward comparison so you can figure out which one fits your club, or whether you need both.

Full disclosure: we built Bam Good Time. We'll be honest about what AMR Authority does well — it fills a real gap in the mahjong world, and a lot of clubs benefit from it.

What Is AMR Authority?

AMR Authority is a free iOS app focused on the competitive side of American Mahjong. It's built for players and organizers who care about tracking scores, rankings, and performance over time.

Here's what AMR Authority offers:

• Score tracking — Record game results with detailed scoring for each hand
• Real-time leaderboards — See standings update live during a session or tournament
• Tournament and event creation — Set up competitive events within the app
• Club communities — Create clubs and manage player profiles
• Player profiles and stats — Track individual performance history
• Multiple scoring formats — Support for NMJL and other scoring conventions

AMR Authority is free to download and use. It's available on iPhone and iPad only — no Android, no Mac, no web version.

What Is Bam Good Time?

Bam Good Time is a club management platform for mahjong clubs that meet in person. It handles the operational side of running a club — events, money, members, and communication.

Here's what Bam Good Time covers:

• Event creation and RSVPs — Create events with table capacity, collect RSVPs automatically
• Automatic waitlists — The system manages the queue and bumps players up when spots open
• Online payments — Accept payments through Stripe directly on event pages
• Roster management — Import your member list via CSV; everyone gets an account instantly
• Leagues and standings — Run structured leagues with seating rotations and tracked standings
• Series and punch cards — Sell multi-session passes or prepaid punch cards
• Club website — Every club gets a custom subdomain (like yourclub.bamgoodtime.com)
• Public directory — List your club in the club finder for discoverability
• QR check-in — Members check in at the door with their phone
• Email and SMS notifications — Automated reminders, confirmations, and updates
• Rating system — ELO-based player ratings powered by Mahjic.org

Bam Good Time has a free tier, with paid plans at $29/month (Starter) and $49/month (Pro). It's available on web, iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Feature Comparison: Bam Good Time vs AMR Authority

| Feature | Bam Good Time | AMR Authority | |---------|--------------|---------------| | Detailed per-hand scoring | No | Yes | | Real-time leaderboards | No | Yes | | Multiple scoring formats | No | Yes (NMJL, etc.) | | Event creation & RSVPs | Yes | Limited | | Online payments (Stripe) | Yes | No | | Automatic waitlists | Yes | No | | Member roster (CSV import) | Yes | No | | Leagues with standings | Yes | Yes (leaderboards) | | Series & punch cards | Yes | No | | Club website (subdomain) | Yes | No | | Public directory listing | Yes | No | | QR check-in | Yes | No | | Email/SMS notifications | Yes | No | | Player profiles | Yes | Yes | | Player ratings | Yes (ELO-based) | Yes (scoring-based) | | Platforms | iOS, Mac, Web | iOS only | | Price | Free / $29 / $49 per month | Free |

The pattern is clear: AMR Authority goes deep on scoring. Bam Good Time goes wide on club operations. There's some overlap in player tracking and event creation, but the core value propositions are different.

Where AMR Authority Wins

Detailed Scoring and Statistics

This is AMR Authority's home turf. If you want to know exactly how many Mahjs each player achieved, what their average score per session is, how they rank against everyone else in the club — AMR Authority tracks all of it with granularity that Bam Good Time doesn't attempt.

For competitive clubs where bragging rights matter, this level of scoring detail is genuinely valuable. Players can see their performance trends, compare themselves against the field, and track improvement over time.

Real-Time Leaderboards

During a tournament or game session, AMR Authority's leaderboards update in real time. Everyone can see where they stand as the event progresses. This adds energy to competitive play — players know the stakes at every table.

Multiple Scoring Format Support

Not every club scores the same way. AMR Authority supports multiple scoring conventions, including NMJL-standard scoring. If your club has specific scoring rules or plays formats beyond standard American Mahjong, this flexibility matters.

It's Free

No subscription, no paid tiers, no per-player cost. AMR Authority is completely free. For clubs operating on a tight budget, that's hard to beat. You get real scoring infrastructure without spending a dollar.

For a deeper dive into scoring tools, see our guide on mahjong tournament software vs paper scoring.

Where Bam Good Time Wins

Event Management and RSVPs

Running a club means running events — and running events means answering the same questions every week: Who's coming? How many tables do we need? Who's on the waitlist? Is there a sub available?

Bam Good Time automates all of this. Create an event, set your capacity, share the link. Members RSVP on their own. When tables fill up, a waitlist forms automatically. If someone cancels, the next person gets notified and bumped up. No group texts, no phone calls, no spreadsheet tracking.

Read more about how to manage a mahjong club waitlist.

Payment Collection

This is the feature most organizers didn't know they needed until they had it. Bam Good Time integrates Stripe so members can pay when they RSVP — entry fees, league dues, series passes, whatever your club charges. The money goes directly to your connected bank account.

No more awkward "did you pay?" conversations. No more tracking cash in an envelope. No more Venmo request chasing.

Our guide on collecting payments for mahjong events covers the details.

Club Website and Public Directory

Every Bam Good Time club gets a public-facing page on a custom subdomain with your club info, upcoming events, and a way for new players to sign up. You can also list your club in the public directory so anyone searching for mahjong near them can discover your group.

AMR Authority has club communities within the app, but there's no public web presence or discoverability for people who aren't already using the platform.

Learn how to create your mahjong club website.

Cross-Platform Access

Bam Good Time works on iPhone, iPad, Mac (native app), and any web browser. Your members don't need to download anything — they can RSVP and pay from a link on any device.

AMR Authority is iOS only. If any of your members use Android phones or want to access things from a computer, they can't use AMR Authority at all. For clubs with a mix of devices, this can be a real limitation.

Leagues, Series, and Punch Cards

Bam Good Time supports structured leagues with seating rotations and tracked standings, multi-session series where players pay once for a block of events, and punch cards for prepaid sessions. These features turn casual game nights into committed, recurring communities.

Check out our guides on running a multi-week mahjong series and setting up a mahjong league with online scoring.

Communication Tools

Bam Good Time sends automated email and SMS notifications — event reminders, RSVP confirmations, waitlist updates, and more. Your members stay informed without you having to send individual messages.

Read more about mahjong club communication with email and SMS.

Why Many Clubs Use Both

Here's something we see regularly: clubs that use Bam Good Time for operations and AMR Authority for scoring. And honestly, that makes a lot of sense.

The workflow looks like this:

1. Bam Good Time handles the before: event creation, RSVPs, waitlists, payment collection, reminders
2. AMR Authority handles the during: score tracking, real-time leaderboards, hand-by-hand recording
3. Bam Good Time handles the after: league standings updates, member communication, next event setup

Neither platform tries to do what the other does best. They're complementary tools, not competing ones.

If your club has both competitive players who want scoring depth and an organizer who needs operational tools, using both platforms gives you the best of each world.

Pricing Comparison

AMR Authority: Free. No paid tiers, no subscriptions.

Bam Good Time:

• Free tier: Event creation, RSVPs, waitlists, roster, public club page
• Starter ($29/mo): Higher limits, additional features
• Pro ($49/mo): Leagues, analytics, full feature set

View the full breakdown on our pricing page.

AMR Authority's free pricing is a genuine advantage if scoring is your primary need. Bam Good Time's cost is justified if you need the full club management toolkit — especially payment processing, which saves organizers significant time and removes the friction of collecting money manually.

Who Should Use Which?

Use AMR Authority if:

• Detailed scoring and statistics are your club's top priority
• You want real-time leaderboards during sessions
• Everyone in your club uses iPhones or iPads
• You don't need to collect payments online
• You don't need event RSVPs, waitlists, or automated communication
• Budget is the primary concern

Use Bam Good Time if:

• You need to manage events, RSVPs, and waitlists
• You want to collect payments online
• You want a public club website and directory listing
• You have members on different devices (not just iOS)
• You run leagues or series with multi-session passes
• You want automated email/SMS communication

Use Both if:

• Your club values both competitive scoring depth and operational efficiency
• You want AMR Authority's scoring detail alongside Bam Good Time's event management
• You're running tournaments that need both registration logistics and score tracking

Getting Started

If you're currently using AMR Authority and finding that you need more on the operations side — or if you're managing events through group texts and spreadsheets alongside AMR Authority — adding Bam Good Time to your toolkit is straightforward:

1. Create your free club — takes about two minutes
2. Import your roster via CSV — everyone gets an account automatically
3. Create your first event — set the date, table capacity, and price
4. Keep using AMR Authority for scoring during your sessions

There's no need to choose one over the other. Use each tool for what it does best.

The Bottom Line

AMR Authority and Bam Good Time are built for different parts of the mahjong club experience. AMR Authority is the best free tool for tracking scores and competitive standings. Bam Good Time is the best platform for running the full club operation — events, payments, members, and growth.

If you're spending too much time organizing and not enough time playing, create your free club on Bam Good Time and let the software handle the logistics. Then fire up AMR Authority when it's time to keep score.

For a full comparison of all mahjong club software options, check out our complete guide to the best mahjong club management software in 2026.