What is a Dead Hand in Mahjong?

A dead hand is one that cannot legally win. This happens when a player makes an error like having the wrong number of tiles, making an invalid exposure, or exposing tiles that don't match any possible winning hand. The player must continue playing but cannot win.

A dead hand is a hand that broke a rule and can no longer win, even though the player keeps drawing and discarding through the rest of the round. Common ways to kill a hand: holding the wrong number of tiles, exposing a group that doesn't match any hand on the NMJL card, using a Joker in a pair, or calling Mahjong with an invalid hand. A dead hand still plays out the round, still discards, and those discards can still be called by other players. Avoiding it comes down to a few habits: count your tiles often, verify a card pattern before you expose, and remember Jokers don't belong in pairs.