2026 American Mahjong Official Rule Card (Printable A4)
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2026 AMERICAN MAHJONG OFFICIAL RULES
National Mah Jongg League Standard Hands · Printable A4 Version
American Mahjong is a strategic tile-matching game played with 152 tiles. Players form valid hands following official NMJL 2026 rules. Only published combinations are eligible for winning.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Pair | 2 identical tiles |
| Pung | 3 identical tiles |
| Kong | 4 identical tiles |
| Quint | 5 identical tiles (joker required) |
| Sextet | 6 identical tiles |
| Suits | Dots · Bams · Cracks · Winds · Dragons |
All players must finish the tile exchange before gameplay starts:
| Pass | Direction |
|---|---|
| First pass | 3 tiles to the right |
| Second pass | 3 tiles to the left |
| Third pass | 3 tiles across |
Players can claim discarded tiles to form exposed sets (Pung, Kong, Quint, Sextet).
All claimed tiles must be displayed openly on the rack and cannot be modified afterward.
- Jokers can fill gaps for Pung, Kong, Quint and Sextet sets
- Strict rule: Jokers cannot be used for winning hand pairs
- Replace exposed-set jokers with real tiles during your turn
- Jokers are non-discardable tiles
A hand is confirmed dead if tile quantity is wrong, patterns are invalid or rules are breached. Dead hands cannot claim tiles or win in the current round.
Players who falsely declare Mahjong with invalid hands must compensate all active players. The game continues normally for other participants.
7. 2026 Valid Winning Hands & Multipliers
| 2026 PATTERNS | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| 222 000 2222 6666 | Any 2 Suits | X25 |
| 2026 DDD 2222 DDD | Any 2 Suits w/ Matching Dragons | X25 |
| FFF 2026 222 6666 | Any 3 Suits | X25 |
| 22 00 222 666 NEWS | Any 2 Suits | X30 |
| 2468 EVEN PATTERNS | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| 222 444 6666 8888 | 1–2 Suits | X25 |
| FF 2222 44 66 8888 | Any 2 Suits | X30 |
| EE 22 444 666 88 WW | East & West Only | X30 |
| FFF 22 44 666 8888 | Any 1 Suit | X25 |
| 13579 ODD PATTERNS | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 333 555 777 9999 | 1–3 Suits | X25 |
| NN 111 333 5555 SS | North & South Only | X25 |
| FFF 11 33 555 DDDD | Matching Dragon | X25 |
| 369 PATTERNS | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| 333 666 9999 | 2–3 Suits | X25 |
| FFF 33 666 99 DDDD | Any 3 Suits | X25 |
| WIND & DRAGON SETS | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| NNNN EEE WWW SSSS / NNN EEEE WWWW SSS | Winds combination | X25 |
| FFF NNNN FFF DDDD | Any Wind + Any Dragon | X25 |
| QUINT & CONSECUTIVE RUNS | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| 11111 4444 DDDD | Quint run | X40 |
| 1111 22 3333 | Consecutive run | X40 |
| FFF 1111 234 5555 | Consecutive run + Quint | X45 |
| HIGH-SCORE SINGLES & PAIRS | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| NN EE WW SS 1D 1D 1D | Singles & Pairs | C50 |
| 2 4 66 88 2 4 66 88 | Singles & Pairs | C50 |
| FF 2026 2026 | Any 3 Suits | C75 |
