Definition
A joker is a wild tile that can stand in for any tile inside a pung, kong, or quint, but never in a pair or as a single tile, so neither NEWS nor a year written in single tiles, like 2026, can ever hold one.
An American set has eight. A joker in an exposed set can be redeemed by any player who offers the natural tile it represents.
At the table
At the table the joker question is one of timing, whether to hold it or spend it. In your hand a joker is safe and completely flexible. The moment it goes into an exposure it becomes a tile any opponent can buy from you with the natural it stands for. Exposing a joker-filled set early, while the hand could still go two ways, both announces what you are building and puts a joker within reach of every player holding its natural.
Read the full guide: Joker Rules in American Mahjong: What Jokers Can and Can't Do.
Lesson 6, Jokers: Power & Discipline, is the lesson on this. It comes with the Club. See what Lesson 6 covers.
See it on real tiles. The AI coach reads a dealt hand, free, and names the direction it goes for, what to keep and what to pass, at the free read.
Want the coach on call? The Club adds the coach for your own tiles and for each morning’s hand, all 10 lessons, and every new NMJL card taught the week it lands, for $14.99 a month, cancel anytime. See what the Club includes.
Related: Jokerless, Joker exchange, Courtesy pass, Blind pass. All 52 terms.