American Mahjong is a four-player tile game played with 152 tiles, including eight jokers. Unlike most versions of the game, you can only win with a hand that appears on the official card published each year by the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL). This guide explains what the card is, how to read it, when the 2027 card comes out, and how the game works — in plain English for new players.
Three quick paths, depending on where you are.
Start with the complete rules: the 152-tile set, the Charleston, jokers, and how a hand actually wins.
The NMJL card looks cryptic at first. Learn what the colors, letters, numbers, and X/C marks actually mean.
Check whether a set of tiles is a Pair, Pung, Kong, Quint, or Sextet — and whether it's legal under joker rules.
American Mah Jongg (NMJL rules) is different from other versions of Mahjong in one crucial way: you can only win with a hand that is printed on the official card for the current year.
So the card is not a rulebook you need to memorize in advance. It's a yearly "menu" of legal winning hands, and the game is about building toward one of them.
The 2026 card is the current card. Here's what happens next.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Now (2026) | The 2026 NMJL card is in play nationwide. Themed hands are built around the digits of the year. |
| Late March / early April 2027 | NMJL releases the 2027 card. New hands replace retired ones; year-themed hands shift (2026 hands become 2027 hands). |
| April 2027 onward | Clubs, lessons, and tournaments switch to the new card once players have it. Expect a wave of "new card" searches and discussion. |
Rules and card facts on this site are summarized from these primary sources. Always confirm against the official NMJL card.