# How do jokers work in American mahjong?

[Canonical page](https://jongg.app/learn/american-mahjong/jokers)

Last updated: 2026-11-04

Where a joker can stand in, where it can't, how to swap for one, and what happens to a discarded joker.

## 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.

- [Give a joker a job](https://jongg.app/learn/quick?lesson=jokers)
- [Try the pair decision](https://jongg.app/learn/quick?lesson=pairs)
- [Print the joker guide](https://jongg.app/print/joker-guide)

## Keep exploring

- [The glossary](https://jongg.app/glossary)
- [All American mahjong learning resources](https://jongg.app/learn/american-mahjong)