Mah Jongg ... but with cards?

We tested out the Mah Jongg Card Game we got at the toy shop in Julian last weekend.

Like always, I will read through the rule book once or twice before actually trying to explain rules to Anne.  This one has several layers of complexity, but the basic game is just an extended version of Rummy.  There are all the suits and objects you would expect to find on Mah Jongg tiles, but with English captions for some of them, like the flowers and seasons.

Basically, for the two player game, you deal 13 cards to each player and the dealer turns up a card on the discard pile.  That's not exactly what the rules say, but it has the equivalent result.  Technically, we're supposed to pass a card to the player on our left before the first draw.  Details, details.

From there, the goal is to go out by getting three four-of-a-kinds and a pair then announcing "Mah Jongg!" and laying them down.  There are only a few other rules in the base game.  If you can use the top discard to complete a four-of-a-kind, you can take it, but then you have to lay out the set in front of you to show that you were serious about needing it.  On your turn, you can steal a joker if it's showing on the table by replacing it with the card it is standing in for.

That's about it.  Except you can't use jokers in your pair, only in those four-of-a-kinds.  One line in the rulebook said "when you have too many jokers in your hand," but I'll be darned if I could find what that number is.

With two players, it's slow going, mostly taking turns drawing a card, saying, "Nope, don't need it," and discarding it right away.  There were a few moments where we could choose which jokers went where and maybe hit Mah Jongg one round sooner than we thought.

There are a variety of complex scoring rules.  We don't really care for scoring.  To us, it was just relaxing to throw some cards down and see who can complete the hand first.  As far as the long history of Mah Jongg and gambling goes, and our aversion to scoring, the irony was not lost on us that while we were playing our first few hands, the $1.8 billion Mega jackpot drawing was happening somewhere.  By the time we were done, the drawing was done.  What evs.

The little rulebook then introduces the Chinese version, with more complex options.  It ends by teasing the fact that various Mah Jongg organizations print annual lists of custom hands that will be valid in professional tournaments over the next year.  In the good old days, the years like 1999 would automatically include the year combination (1-9-9-9) as a valid play.  In 2025, that isn't going to work anymore.

Mah Jongg research appears to be endless.  The National Mah Jongg League is here.

I saw a great article where someone visits the organization and reports on its operation and founders, and talks to the brothers who run it.  I will post that link if I can find it again.  Here it is.

Of course, since the NMJL charges $15 for the official cards, Google quickly finds you "Can I download Mah Jongg cards for free" and alternate groups who put out their own cards, ending in the inevitable: Beware of Fake Mahjongg Cards on Amazon

This card game was fun.  We will surely play it again as a Rummy alternative.  We don't need crazy scoring options or combos like 11 333 55555 7777 to make our lives better.  Although I immediately saw that the four winds N,E,S,W would be a natural four card combo to allow.  And maybe keeping the top three discards available for the taking would speed up the grind for two players.