American mahjong
How do jokers work in American mahjong?
Where a joker can stand in, where it can't, how to swap for one, and what happens to a discarded joker.
Last updated
The short answer
Jokers are wild tiles: they can stand in a matching group of three or more, but never a single or pair. A win without jokers is called jokerless. Eligible hands receive an extra jokerless multiplier; Singles & Pairs hands do not, because their printed value already includes that bonus.
Joker rules at the table
A joker can stand in for a tile in a pung, kong or quint: a matching group of three or more. It can never fill a single or a pair.
On your turn, after drawing or completing a legal exposure call, trade a matching natural tile for an exposed joker before discarding. A valid exchange cannot be refused.
Complete the called exposure first. A redeemed joker cannot be added to the exposure just called. Do not draw again after a call.
A discarded joker is dead: nobody can call it.
Jokers are never passed in the Charleston.
Practice this in JONGG
Build a group of four with a joker, then see why a pair needs two natural tiles.