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How to Read the National Mah Jongg League Card
September 17, 2026
The NMJL card is the rulebook for American Mahjong. It is not decoration. Every legal hand for that calendar year is a line on the card: the numbers, the suits, whether the hand is exposed or concealed, and what it pays.
Read a line left to right
A line is a recipe. Matching colors usually mean matching suits. Parentheses and grouping show which tiles belong together as a pung, kong, pair, or single. If the line is marked concealed, you cannot call discards except to declare mahjong. If it is exposed, you may call for the sets the card allows.
After the Charleston, pick a family
Do not chase the whole card. After the last pass, choose a primary line and a backup that shares tiles — same like numbers, same dragon, same flower habit. When the wall kills the first line, the backup should still be alive. That is how American players stay in the hand instead of starting over on turn four.
- Like numbers: several 5s across suits are a family, not a coincidence.
- Dragons and soaps often sit next to number lines that use the same suits.
- If a line says no jokers, believe it. Do not “just this once.”
Buy a current-year card. Last year’s lines are a different game. The set can last a decade. The card does not.