A Mah Jongg card lists the hands that win, several dozen of them, and a new card comes out every spring. The hands change each year, but the kinds of hand do not. Learn the kinds and you can find your way round any card in a few minutes.
Every hand is exactly fourteen tiles, made of groups of the same tile: one tile (a single), two (a pair), three (a pung), four (a kong), five (a quint) or six (a sextet). Jokers can be used to make 3 of a kind or more, but not pairs.
The examples below are ours, made to show each kind. They are not lines from any year's card.
The year
These hands use the digits of the year, with the White Dragon, Soap, as the zero. The year's digits are single tiles, so no joker can stand in them.
Three flowers, the year 2 0 2 6 in Bams, three 2 Craks and four 6 Dots. Jokers may stand in the flowers, the 2 Craks or the 6 Dots, never in the year.
2468: the even numbers
Hands made only of 2s, 4s, 6s and 8s, often with flowers or dragons. Players call them evens.
A pair of flowers, a pair of 2 Bams, three 4 Bams, three 6 Bams and four 8 Bams, all in one suit.
13579: the odd numbers
The same idea with 1s, 3s, 5s, 7s and 9s. Players call them odds.
Three 1 Craks and three 3 Craks in one suit, then four 5 Dots and four 7 Dots in a second suit.
369
Hands of 3s, 6s and 9s, often with the dragon of the suit.
Three 3 Bams, four 6 Bams, three 9 Bams and four Green Dragons, the dragon that goes with Bams.
Like numbers
The same number in more than one suit. The card prints one number, often 1, and the words "any like numbers", which means you choose the number, from 1 to 9.
The same line twice: a pair of flowers and four 4s in each suit, then the same with 7s. Only the number changed.
Quints: five of a kind
There are only four of each tile, so every group of five needs at least one joker.
Five 1 Dots (four real tiles and a joker), five 2 Dots (three real and two jokers) and four flowers.
Runs: numbers in a row
Groups of numbers that follow each other in order, called consecutive runs. The card prints one example, such as 1 2 3 4, with the words "any 4 consecutive numbers". You may play it as 1 2 3 4 in one suit, or 2 3 4 5, or any four numbers in a row up to 6 7 8 9.
The same run line twice: a pair of flowers and three each of 1 2 3 4 in Bams, then three each of 5 6 7 8 in Dots. Each number goes up by the same amount, so the numbers stay in a row. Soap can never be part of a run.
Winds and dragons
Hands of the honour tiles, with no numbers at all. There are only four of each wind and dragon, so watch the discards.
Four North, three East, three West and four South. A joker may stand in any of these groups.
One each of North, East, West and South, then three Red Dragons, four Green and three Soaps. The four winds are single tiles, so no joker may stand in them.
Singles and pairs
Every group is one tile or two. Since a joker can never be a single or part of a pair, these hands take no jokers at all, and you may only take a thrown tile if it is the one that wins. They are the hardest hands on the card and pay the most.
A pair of flowers, pairs of 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 Dots, and a pair of Soaps. Fourteen real tiles, no jokers.
Concealed and exposed
Each line on the card carries a letter. X means you may take thrown tiles to finish its groups and lay them face up. C means concealed: no group goes face up before you win, so the only thrown tile you may take is the winning one. A concealed line pays more.
How to use the kinds
After the deal, sort your tiles and ask which kind they lean toward: lots of even numbers, a pair of flowers and a few jokers, three or four tiles in a row in one suit. Keep two or three lines from the kinds that fit and let the Charleston decide between them. How to read the card shows how to count how close you are to each line, and the kinds of hand page has two examples of each kind from the school's own card.
Questions
What are the kinds of hand on a mah jongg card?
The year, 2468 (evens), 13579 (odds), 369, like numbers, quints, consecutive runs, winds and dragons, and singles and pairs. Some cards also have addition hands, where two numbers add up to a third. The sections and their names change a little from year to year.
Can you use jokers in a singles and pairs hand?
No. Jokers can be used to make 3 of a kind or more, but not pairs, so a hand made only of singles and pairs takes no jokers anywhere.
What does "any consecutive numbers" mean on the card?
The card prints one example run, such as 1 2 3 4, and you may play any numbers in a row instead, such as 2 3 4 5 or 6 7 8 9, as long as they stay between 1 and 9.
What does C mean on a mah jongg card?
Concealed. No group may go face up before you win, so the only thrown tile you can take is the one that finishes the hand.