| 🧨️ Happy Mah Jongg Monday!️ | AROUND THE TABLE by Dottie | My granddaughter Lila wanted to quit on Saturday. | She’s nine. Kate has been bringing her over for games. Hal makes the fourth. Lila’s been losing for weeks. | After the third loss of the afternoon she slumped in her chair, looked at me, and said, “Grandma, I want to quit.” | My mother almost let me quit once. I was twenty-two, newly married, and had spent a good month at her Wednesday table losing to three older women who never let up. I told her I was done. She looked at me for a full ten seconds. Then she said, “One more.” | So I said “one more” to Lila. She didn’t argue. We played again. | She didn’t win it either. But she pushed in her tiles and said, “Okay. One more.” | My mother would have laughed.
— Dottie | | Here’s a quick preview of today’s issue. Scroll down to read each section in full. | ⬇️ Play anytime against 60+ bots. Join the Association. | 💡 Table Wisdom — What to say when tempers rise. | 🖐🏻 A Hand to Play — Can you read their exposures? | 🛒 Winning Picks — Comfort for a long afternoon. | 🎥 Max’s Minute — What the Flower numbers mean. | 🎟️ Featured Events — Compete or play social. | 🪑 At the Table — Fifteen years tracing the game. | 🥠 Ask Auntie — Nobody looks at the winner’s hand. | 📸 Spotlight — Muumuus and an overnight retreat. | 🎂 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 More You Play, the Better You Get ⬇️ | Association membership now includes bot play in the Winning Hand app, with 60+ computer bots to sit down against whenever you want, on your own. | Set them to Casual and they build toward a hand and make sensible calls, so you win more games just by playing more of them.
Turn them up to Challenging and they read your discards and exposures, weigh several hands at once, and defend the moment they know they can't win.
Beat a Challenging bot and you’ll be a better player when you sit down at your next weekly game.
Over 15,000 members are already playing against bots like Elvis Pungsley, Mahj Stewart, and Lucille Bam.
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Try it, and if it's not for you, just tell us and we'll refund you. | |
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| | | | | | Playing Nicely When the Table Gets Heated | Mah Jongg is a social game and it’s important to keep that in mind when disagreements pop up. Playing nicely doesn’t mean forgiving other players’ mistakes or giving in to strong-willed players when they voice an opinion. Rather, it means not escalating disagreements into fights when they occur. | Most Mah Jongg disagreements become easier when everyone knows the rules. A calm response usually resolves issues faster than a loud one. | Let the Rules Do the Work | Many common disputes already have clear answers in the rules. | A player racks a Joker just as another player calls the prior discard. Until the picked tile is fully racked, the discard is still up for grabs. So in a tie, the caller has priority. A player discards a tile, then tries to take it back for a Joker exchange. Once a tile is named or placed on the table, it is discarded. Down is down. A player calls a tile, places it on their rack, then changes their mind. Once the tile is racked, the player is committed to the call.
| Knowing these rules removes emotion from the discussion and keeps the game moving. | Handle Non-Rule Issues as a Group | Not every disagreement comes from the rules. | Maybe someone frequently checks their phone. Perhaps a player’s habits are slowing the game down. Before reacting, find out if there is a reason. They may be expecting an important call or managing a medical issue. If no special circumstances exist, discuss the issue as a table. Agree on a solution everyone can follow. | Group agreements often prevent future frustration. | Choose Your Words Carefully | How you say something is just as important as what you say. | Instead of saying, “You can’t do that,” try, “I believe that tile was fully discarded, so you can’t take it back.” | Instead of declaring, “Your hand is dead,” try, “I think your hand may be dead based on these exposures.” | A respectful approach keeps the conversation focused on the game instead of the person. | When Tempers Rise | If voices start getting louder, pause the discussion. | Check whether a rule clearly applies. If it does, follow it and continue play. If nobody knows the answer, let the play stand and move on. Research the rule after the game. | This means you may need to let the issue go even when you believe you are right. That’s okay. You’ll gain more by preserving the relationship than by winning the argument. | Sometimes preserving the atmosphere through this simple act of generosity is more important than winning an argument. | Key Takeaway | Know the rules, speak respectfully, and keep disagreements focused on the game. A friendly table is one where everyone wants to come back next week. |
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| | | | | | Last Week’s 🖐🏻 Hand to Play Results:
3,372 Insiders played, 42% chose right.
👉 See the correct answer & explanation here.
One of the most important skills in Mah Jongg is learning to read hands. The better you are at identifying what your opponents are building, the better your chances of avoiding dangerous discards and making stronger decisions throughout the game. | Hand reading starts with exposures, but it also includes watching discards, tracking calls, and paying attention to how the table is developing. | In this challenge, your opponent has already made two exposures, shown below. | Based on those exposures, what do you think they are playing? | Study the exposed tiles carefully. Look for clues in the tile pattern, the numbers, the Suits, and any special tiles. Then check your Card and decide which answer best completes the hand. | | Choose your answer, then vote and see how your hand-reading skills compare with other players. | | Which of these exposures belongs with your opponent’s hand? | |
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| | | | | | Comfort for the Long Game
You sit and host for hours, so this week takes care of the body doing the work, from your hands to your back to the chair underneath you. | 🀄 Mah Jongg Dish Towels The kitchen detail that makes your guests smile before the tiles even come out, and they hold up wash after wash. Useful every single day, on-theme all year. Dress up the kitchen → | 🫙 Easy-Grip Jar Opener That stubborn lid gives way with almost no effort, so your hands stop paying for the pickles. A small tool that saves a real daily aggravation. Open it easily → | 🤲 Hand Cream Set Rich, fast-sinking cream that leaves your hands soft instead of greasy, ready to handle tiles right after. The hands that shuffle all night deserve this. Treat your hands → | 💆 Shiatsu Neck and Back Massager Deep kneading with soothing heat that reaches the exact spot between your shoulders that aches after a long sit. Made for people who stay at the table for hours. Melt the tension → | 🪑 Seat Cushion Pressure-relief support that turns a hard dining chair into somewhere you can happily play all afternoon. Your lower back will thank you by the third round. Sit comfortably → | Take care of the body doing the playing. Comfort is not a luxury when the game runs long. | (As an Amazon Associate, The Mah Jongg Insider earns from qualifying purchases.) |
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| | | | | | Max takes two questions from Insiders and answers both in a quick 60-second video. | 🕔 This week’s questions:
1️⃣ What should be done if a player picks a tile, looks at it, and then tries to call for the previously discarded tile?
2️⃣ What does the numerical value and the season on the Flower tiles mean?
🎥 [Click to watch] | Have a question for Max?
🎤 [Click to leave a voicemail] |
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| | | | | | | Every Mah Jongg group has one woman who wants to compete and one who absolutely does not. MahjCon figured that out. January 6 to 8 at the Mission Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, you each pick your own track.
Four mini tournaments with cash prizes if you want the pressure, unlimited social games at your own pace if you don’t. Everything else you do together: the workshops, the breakfasts, the silent auction, the 50/50 raffles, and the part where you meet back at the resort at the end of the day and compare notes. Proceeds benefit Alzheimer’s research. Click here to explore registration options. |
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| | | | | | Annelise Heinz, a historian at the University of Oregon, spent fifteen years tracing how a game from China ended up in Shanghai expat clubs, Chinese American neighborhoods, and the living rooms of Jewish American mothers in the suburbs. | | She’s teaching a free one-hour class on Zoom on Tuesday, August 25 at 3:00 PM Eastern through Roundtable by the 92nd Street Y, with live Q&A at the end.
Enroll even if you can’t make it, because everyone who signs up gets the recording. Click here to enroll for free.
You’ve played this game for years. Do you know how it got to your table? |
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| | | | | | ⬅️ Last Week’s Question
Auntie, I have an etiquette question. I was playing yesterday at the church with a small group of ladies, maybe 20 of us, who get together every Friday. I was taught that we could pick up our tiles during the Charleston as soon as we have passed our own.
Two players, one especially, were very slow to pick, and there was a lot of talk and chatter, so I would go ahead and pick up my tiles and work on my own hand. During our second game she told me, "You can't do that. We're not doing it that way." I said, "Oh, I was told that as soon as you pass your tiles, you can look at them and study, and that helps move things along." Of course I went along with her request!
But is there an etiquette rule? Is there an NMJL rule? I'm confused. |
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| 🥠 Auntie’s Advice 🥠 🗨 My friend, rules questions can usually be answered by keeping a Rulebook nearby or on your phone. This does not sound like a rules issue, though. The steadier approach is not to argue over who is “right.” It’s to settle the table rhythm before the game begins. A simple, “Are we picking up as we go, or waiting together?” lets everyone agree upfront instead of correcting each other mid-game. 📢 Readers’ Responses 📢 🗨 Under official National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) rules, you may pick up your new tiles as soon as you have passed your own three tiles. You do not have to wait for the rest of the table to finish passing, though some casual groups prefer everyone to pick up together as a matter of table etiquette. However, every group has their own set of etiquette rules. One problem with picking up your own tiles as soon as you have laid your Charleston tiles face down is that sometimes people get confused about what pass is happening if some people are much slower than others.
- Jane M. 🗨 My group of 4 close friends play every Thursday 1-4pm and we’ve been playing together since Covid! With summer here and vacations at different times, we’re often looking for 1 or 2 subs. Our group rule, which we established from the very beginning, is we all wait until each of us has our passed tiles before racking them. It’s only fair so we all have equal time to evaluate our hand. We reiterate that to any of the subs we get at the beginning of play. Sometimes they forget and look right away at their tiles (so do we at times!), but one of us will gently say “I don’t have my tiles yet” and that’s all that is needed as a reminder.
- Lindsay I. 🗨 Waiting for everyone to receive their passed tiles is not an NMJL rule. However, when I teach beginners I recommend that they wait for two reasons. One, it’s nice etiquette at a beginner table, it gives everyone equal time in assessing the new tiles, and it keeps the game more orderly. Two, they will encounter tables that play this as a house rule. Nonetheless, I always tell them at intermediate and advanced tables, this courtesy is not followed nor expected mostly because these tables play a faster game of Mahj and people know what they are doing.
- Sarah F. |
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| | | ➡️ This Week’s Question
I play with two different groups and find the same issue with both. When a player calls Mah Jongg, some of the other players immediately start showing their tiles and explaining what hand they were going for, totally ignoring the winner and the hand that gave her the win. One time I made a comment like, "Let's see what Mary had," but no one got the hint. I find it very annoying and rude. What to do?!
- Anonymous |
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| 🤗 Want to share your advice?
🤔 Have a Mah Jongg manners or table moment dilemma? | 📩 Send it to Auntie: auntie@themahjongginsider.com |
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| | | | | | | Our Mah Jongg friends hosted an overnight Mah Jongg retreat just outside of Richmond, VA. We all wore muumuus and played Mah Jongg! It was so fun! Thanks!
- Katie Reed, Richmond, VA | | We call ourselves Crazy Rich Masions because we live in Mason, TX, a small town in the Texas Hill Country. We gathered to celebrate our wonderful friendship and JOY for the game. We let our spouses attend this party! They are very forgiving of our time spent playing.
- Merlina | | 📸 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: hello@themahjongginsider.com |
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| | | | | | The American Mah Jongg Association would like to wish these members a very Happy Birthday! | August 10
Beverly M. (AL), Christine W. (OR), Jill C. (FL), Marcia E. (TX), Nancy H. (MO), Patricia S. (FL), Rhea C. (CA), Susan M. (FL) | August 11
Carol M. (BC), Ginger H. (NC), Janice L. (FL), Judith A. (WI), Nancy W. (NC), Sherrie H. (NC), Tonya E. (FL) | August 12
Charlotte B. (MT), Debbie P. (NJ), Diane R. (NY), Ginny L. (FL), Karen N. (MO), Wendy L. (TX) | August 13
Brenda L. (MN), Dorothy R. (NJ), Marcia C. (SC), Patricia D. (OR), Terri D. (HI), Wanda J. (IA) | August 14
Connie A. (UT), Katharyn K. (WI), Ken C. (MN), Laurie S. (NY), Lisa B. (TN), Nancy B. (TX), Susan H. (NY), Vickie P. (TX) | August 15
Ana P. (GA), Carol S. (CA), Deanna M. (TX), Diane O. (MD), Jan P. (FL), Jean T. (NC), Julia W. (NC), Karen F. (CA), Karin H. (TN), Leslie M. (WA), Lynn M. (MS), Maureen R. (IA) | August 16
Susan D. (NC) |
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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] | 15,000+ members use it in different ways: To warm up. To stay sharp. Or simply to spend more time with the game you already love. | 🔥🔥🔥 300 games played
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Patricia Doorley
Marsha Jenkins
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R B
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Renee Goodheart
Linda Hamilton
Deb Holland
Gay Jackson
Nancy L
Carillon Orban
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Marcia Sullivan
J V 👏 The more you play, the better your game gets. |
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