Mahjong Joker Rules Cheat Sheet

A free one-page reference for how jokers work in American Mahjong: where a joker is legal, where it is not, how the jokerless bonus works, and how to swap for a joker already on the table.

Joker Basics

A standard set has 8 jokers, part of the 152-tile American set (jokers are the American addition to the older 144-tile Chinese set). A joker is wild only inside a group of 3 or more, meaning a Pung, Kong, or Quint. It can never fill a pair or a single tile, so jokers are useless in Singles and Pairs hands. One group can hold more than one joker as long as it has at least one natural tile naming it.

Jokers in the Charleston

You cannot pass a joker in any part of the Charleston, including the courtesy pass, and a joker can never be blind-passed. If you pass one by mistake, the receiver may call it back, so check your 3 tiles before releasing a pass.

The Jokerless Bonus

Win a hand with no jokers and it pays double, with every player paying the doubled amount. The exception is a Singles and Pairs hand, which holds no jokers to begin with and so earns no extra bonus.

Joker Exchange (Redemption)

A joker must already sit in an exposure on the table, and you must hold the natural tile it represents. On your turn, before you draw or discard, show the tile, place it into the exposure, and take the joker, then use that joker in your own hand. A joker concealed behind a rack is safe; only exposed jokers can be redeemed. Using a joker illegally (in a pair or single, or a false Mah Jongg) can make your hand dead.

Going deeper

• Joker rules: the deeper guide with edge cases and worked examples
• American Mahjong cheat sheet: the 2-page master reference for every rule
• Charleston cheat sheet: the tile-passing ritual, and why jokers never move during it
• Scoring cheat sheet: how the jokerless bonus fits into payment
• Beginner cheat sheet: the whole game at a glance if you are just starting out