Mah Jongg
Mah Jongg is the name of the game and the word you call when your 14 tiles match a hand on the NMJL card. Calling it with a correct hand wins that hand.
Definition
Mah Jongg (also spelled Mahjong or Mahjongg) is both the name of the tile game and the word you call when you complete a winning hand. In American Mahjong, a player declares "Mah Jongg" when their 14 tiles match one of the hands on the current year's NMJL card. That player wins the hand and is paid by the other players.
How It Works in Gameplay
To win, your tiles must match a hand on the NMJL card exactly. You can complete your hand either by drawing the last tile you need from the wall yourself or by calling another player's discard. When you declare Mah Jongg, you lay out your whole hand so everyone can check it against the card.
Each other player pays you the value printed on the card for that hand. If you won on a discard, the player who threw it pays double. If you drew the winning tile yourself, everyone pays double. A hand with no Jokers doubles the value again, except Singles and Pairs hands, which never use Jokers, and Quints hands, where the League does not apply the bonus. If you declare Mah Jongg by mistake, your hand can be ruled dead, so check your tiles against the card before you call.
Example
You need one more Green Dragon to complete a hand on the card. The player across discards a Green Dragon. You call "Mah Jongg!" and lay out all 14 tiles so the table can check them against the card.
Ready to put your knowledge to the test? Track your games with Bam Good Time →