Every year the National Mah Jongg League publishes a new card of winning hands, and every table switches to it. Here is what is known about the 2027 card, as of October 2026.
When does the 2027 card come out?
The League has not announced a date yet. As of 4 October 2026, its website did not mention the 2027 card.
By the usual pattern:
- Orders open in January. The new card can usually be ordered from the start of the year.
- Cards ship from late March or early April. Cards ordered in January and February are mailed first; later orders follow around the end of April or early May.
- The card year runs from April to March. Buying the card is a one-year League membership, and the current one runs to 31 March 2027.
The 2026 card shipped in mid-April 2026. Expect the 2027 card around the same time, and order early if you want it among the first.
How to order it
- Online, from the League's own store at nationalmahjonggleague.org.
- By mail, with a check, using the League's mail-order form. The League's current form says it takes no telephone orders.
- From shops. Many tile shops and teachers resell the card, usually for more than the League charges.
Buying from the League directly also brings its yearly newsletter, which carries rule clarifications.
What it costs
For the 2026 card, the League charged $14 for the standard card, $15 for the large-print card (6 1/8 by 4 3/4 inches) and $35 for the oversized Mega Card, shipping included. Prices for 2027 have not been published, and the League notes that prices can change.
Each year's card has hands built on that year's digits, with the white dragon, soap, standing for the zero.
What changes, and what does not
The card changes every spring: new lines, some sections reshuffled, a new set of year hands. The game does not change: the tiles, the Charleston, calling and jokers stay the same, and so does the skill of finding the two or three lines your rack is already close to. The card, and why it changes every year explains what moves and what stays.
Getting ready before it arrives
The players who are comfortable on a new card within days are the ones who can read any card quickly. That is a skill you can practise now, on this year's card or the school's own:
- How to read the card and the Reading the card lesson explain the notation and the sections.
- The drills show a rack and ask which line it is nearest, scored at once.
- When the 2027 card arrives and you own it, the school's table will play it, as it plays the 2026 card for owners today.
Questions
When is the 2027 mah jongg card coming out?
The League has not announced it. By past years, orders open in January and cards ship from late March or early April 2027.
How much is the National Mah Jongg League card?
The 2026 card cost $14 standard and $15 large print from the League, shipping included. The 2027 price has not been announced.
Where can I buy the new mah jongg card?
From the National Mah Jongg League's online store or by mail with a check, and from shops and teachers that resell it.
Sources
Timing: I Love Mahj, Sloperama, card FAQ. Ordering, prices and the membership year: the League's store and mail-order form. Newsletter: Sloperama, 2026 FAQ. The 2026 ship date: Spools.