Jokers in play
American mahjong, lesson 10. How to use jokers, and how to swap them out of other sets.
1. Sets of 3 or more
A joker can stand in for any tile in a pung, kong or quint.
- Yes (Pung): 7 Bam, 7 Bam, Joker
- Yes (Kong): East, Joker, Joker, East
- No (Never in a pair): 5 Dot, Joker
- No (Never for a single tile): 2 Bam, Joker, 2 Bam, 6 Bam
2. Joker rules
- Use jokers only in sets of 3 or more.
- If someone throws a joker, no one can call it.
- Never pass a joker in the Charleston.
- Hold on to jokers. They are the most useful tiles in the game.
3. Take a joker back
If an exposed set has a joker, you can put in the real tile and take the joker.
- Exposed (On someone's rack): 7 Bam, 7 Bam, Joker
- You have (The real tile): 7 Bam
- After the swap (The joker is yours): 7 Bam, 7 Bam, 7 Bam
4. When you can swap
- On your turn, before you discard.
- Any exposed set works, yours or anyone's.
- You need the exact tile the joker stands for.
- Pairs never have jokers, so you can't swap from a pair.
- Then discard as usual.
5. Make the swap
The player on your left has exposed 4 Crak, 4 Crak, Joker.
Try it: Pick the tile you can swap in for the joker. Tiles to pick from: 4 Dot, 5 Crak, 4 Bam, 4 Crak, Red Dragon, 3 Crak.
Go to step 56. Quiz: Jokers in play
Question: This set is exposed. You have a 9 Dot. Can you swap? [9 Dot, 9 Dot, Joker]
Answer: Yes. The joker stands for a 9 Dot. Swap it in and take the joker.
Question: This set is exposed. You have a 9 Dot. Can you swap? [9 Bam, 9 Bam, Joker]
Answer: No. The joker stands for a 9 Bam. You need a 9 Bam.
Question: Someone throws a joker. Can you call it? [Joker]
Answer: No. A thrown joker can't be called.
Question: Is this a pair? [East, Joker]
Answer: No. Jokers can't be used in a pair.
Question: When can you swap for a joker?
Answer: On your turn
Question: Can you pass this in the Charleston? [Joker]
Answer: No. Never pass a joker.
What this lesson teaches
- Jokers fit sets of 3 or more, never pairs or single tiles.
- A thrown joker can't be called.
- On your turn, you can swap a real tile for a joker in a set on the table.
