American mahjong scoring and payment
Each hand has a value on the card. If the winner called a discard, the discarder pays double the value, and the other two players pay the value. If the winner picked the last tile from the wall, all three pay double. A hand with no jokers doubles the payment one more time.
Last checked: 14 November 2026. Sources: public pages on the League rules. See how American Mahjong Coach is made.
The value of a hand
The number at the end of each line on the card is the value of that hand. Most values are from 25 to 50, and a few hard hands are higher. In a game for money, one point is one cent. Many groups play for points only, or with chips.
Who pays the winner
| How the winner got the last tile | Who pays what |
|---|---|
| A called discard | The discarder pays double the value. Each other player pays the value |
| A pick from the wall (self-picked) | Each of the three players pays double the value |
| A joker exchange | The same as self-picked: each player pays double |
Only the winner gets paid. If nobody wins before the wall is empty, the game is a draw and nobody pays.
The jokerless bonus
If the winning hand holds no joker, each payment doubles one more time. The winner must say "jokerless" to get the bonus.
The bonus does not apply to hands in the Singles and Pairs section. No joker is possible in those hands, and their value already takes this into account.
What counts is the hand at the moment of mah jongg. If other players took your jokers by exchange, and your hand has no joker at the end, it is jokerless.
Example: a hand with the value 25
| The win | Discarder pays | Each other player pays | Winner gets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Called discard, with a joker | 50 | 25 | 100 |
| Self-picked, with a joker | No discarder | 50 | 150 |
| Called discard, jokerless | 100 | 50 | 200 |
| Self-picked, jokerless | No discarder | 100 | 300 |
For a hand of 30, 35, 40 or 50, use the same steps: start with the value, double it for the discarder or for a self-picked win, and double it again for a jokerless hand.
Other payment rules
- A player with a dead hand pays the winner as each other player does.
- East does not pay double or get double in the League rules. Some pages on the web say the opposite. The American sources that we read show no such League rule.
- If a player names a discard wrongly, and another player calls that tile for mah jongg on the wrong name, the game stops. The player who named the tile wrongly pays the caller four times the value of the caller's hand. Nobody else pays.
Table rules and tournaments
These are not League rules. A group can agree on them:
- A "pie": each player brings a fixed amount and cannot lose more.
- Chips or points in place of coins.
- Extra payment for a risky discard on the last wall.
Tournaments and online games often add points, for example for a self-picked win. Read the rules of the event.
What we left out
Some payment cases have sources that disagree: the payment after a wrong "mah jongg" call that leaves one player in the game, and the share of an extra fifth player who bets on the winner. This guide does not state them. Ask your group, or look in the League's rulebook.
Practise it
The value is not the first thing to look at. Drill 3 ranks the hands for a rack by the tiles that you still need, and gives the value of each hand.
Related guides
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