A Spring Bouquet for 2026!

 

Unlike this image, the NMJL card is not generated by AI.

But it does have SIX-FLOWER hands....

What a nice surprise to get the card on the first day of spring as the flowers are starting to bloom, and bloom they do on this card.  There are four hands on the card that require six flowers - two hands include a sextet and two hands include two pungs.  There are also six hands that include one pung of flowers, and several that have a pair of flowers.  All these options will make for some interesting decision making when it comes to keeping, discarding, passing or calling flowers!  

A great way to learn the new card is to do a side-by-side comparison, which I like to do every year first thing.  It helps wrap my head around what's new, what's old, and what's ancient history (hint: Sextet).  There hasn't been a sextet on a card in over 20 years, so it's nice to see it back in circulation.  The great thing about the League card is its reference points to the past, our shared history of family and friendship and hands that last through time.

2026 - We have some comback hands here, so new players won't have to grapple with the completely unfamilar, but the serious player may have to put away the wine and focus.  

The first hand on the 2025 card, the four-flower, three-suit hand, has changed to a three-flower hand, and instead of ending with two like pungs, it ends with 222 6666.

The "pattern" hand:  222 0000 222 5555 (pung-kong-pung-kong) has changed to the alternate pattern, 222 000 2222 6666  (pung-pung-kong-kong).  This alternate patern is seen throughout the card, replacing the pattern hands in 2468, consecutive run, 13579, and 369.  Where it once was PKPK, it now is PPKK.

The third and fourth hands in the category have been removed and replaced with new and interesting hands:  2026 DDD 2222 DDD (any two suits with matching dragons, kong two or six) and a NEWS hand in a pair/pair/pung/pung/NEWS pattern.  

No closed hand in this category this year.

2468 - There are two comeback hands in 2468 - the three-flower hand (hand 5 on the 2025 card) and the pattern hand (first hand) now in the PPKK format.  All the other hands have changed.

The second hand is an old friend, "the gate," which has been on the card multiple times.  This year it's in two suits:  Pair of flowers, matching kongs of 2's and 8's with 44 and 66 in the middle in a second suit.

Making a debut in the third position is an East-West with evens hand:  EE 22 444 666 88 WW (four pairs!)  

In the fourth position is a hand with a kong of 2s and three matching dragons and a kong of 8s with 3 matching dragons, these numbers only.   Not hard to see a switch with the 2026 dragon hand, so if you go dead on the soap....

The much-beloved (and overplayed) four flower/like pung hand has fled the scene, and in its place a new and more complex hand:  2468 followed by like kongs in any even number with a single matching dragon.  (six singles!)  The like kongs with single matching dragon also show up in any like numbers, so keep those dragons close at hand.

A six-flower hand has been added, this one with two pungs of flowers (called separately) a 2468 grouping and a kong of any even number.

The closed hand is an oldie - first seen in 1964, last seen in 2022 - FF 246 888 246 888.  This one meshes nicely with the new 2468 pairs hand, as you will see.

Any Like Numbers - None of the hands on the 2025 card have made it to the 2026 card, but that may not be such a bad thing.

In first position in 2026 is a hand with two like kongs with a flower sextet in the middle.  Yes, you must call all six together.  

It may help to know that the hands in second and third position have two like kongs as well, and they are both open hands.  

Position 2 has a kong with single matching dragon, a pung of the same number with a single matching dragon, and another kong of the same number with a single matching dragon.  This is one of the many hands with no flowers at all.

Hand number 3 has two flowers, a kong, a pair and a kong of any like number, with a pair of any dragon at the end.  Yes, three pairs, but only 25 points.  Not so easy, but easier than the "split kong," I would say.

There are no closed hands in this category.

Quints - Mahjongg pundits will be happy to know that all the quints require more than one joker.  Like 2025, the 2026 quints have a like number hand (a quint, a kong and a quint), a consecutive hand (pair of flowers, quint pair quint of any three consecutive numbers in one suit) and an "any" hand - this one is new and unusual.  It's two quints of ANY number in one suit with a kong of an opposite dragon.  Got it?  So you can have 11111 88888 DDDD or 33333 77777 DDDD.  Of course the numbers CAN be consecutive as well.  Remember, "any" means "any," so this hand may prove to be extremely versatile.

Consecutive Run - Good old consecutive run, the refuge of beginners and seasoned players alike.  Not to worry, the classic hands (1-5 and 5-9) are still present, although with a different pattern, another unusual twist - pair/pung/pair/pung/kong.  Usually the pairs are either at either end or at the beginning, so this is something new.  

The pattern hand is here - pung/pung/kong/kong, any four consecutive numbers in one or two suits. 

The old faithful block hand - pair of flowers and three kongs of consecutive numbers in one or three suits, make for a good, teachable section.  Beginners need not worry that the card is out of their reach.

The matching dragon hand is sort of back, this time it's a three-flower hand with a pair/pair/pung/kong pattern, in one suit and a knitted hand where the second pair and the dragons match - FFF 11 22 333 DDDD or FFF 11 22 333 DDDD.  Hmm...I can see switching this hand, swapping flowers for jokers and ending up with a Quint...

The "floating pair" hand has left this category and taken up residence in 13579 and 369.

The three-flower hand from 2025 is gone, replaced by a three-flower hand which has the singles in the middle instead of at the beginning; one or three suits.  So instead of FFF 123 4444 5555, we get a one-suit FFF 1111 234 5555 or a three-suit FFF 1111 234 5555.  

Under that hand is a hand that was popular in the early and mid-2000s, the much missed 11 22 111 222 3333.  This works well with the closed hand below.  There are also hands in odds and 369 with a similar pair/pair/pung/pung/kong pattern.

We also have the second sextet hand which is two kongs of two consecutive numbers in one suit with a sextet of flowers in the middle.  This is cool because if you put up a sextet with a kong you could still be doing a few different hands.

The closed hand has shifted and the pair of flowers at the beginning is now a pair at the end of a fourth consecutive number.  Think 1 22 333 1 22 333 44.  If you can't get that pair you can switch to the much-missed hand described above.

13579 - The odd numbered hands have gotten a nice refresh.  As always, the classic hand (13579 in one or three suits) is there in the same pattern as the classic consecutive hand,  pair/pung/pair/pung/kong.  So this year instead of the 7s and 9s matching, the 5s and 7s match, and, like before, exposing a pung of 3s and a pung of 7s will give your hand away, so watch for that.  

The pattern hand again appears in position two, this time in the pung/pung/kong/kong configuration.  

There is one other repeat hand in the category and that is the "sandwich" hand, where you have bookends of 1111 and 9999 with pairs of 33 55 77 in the middle.  While in 2025 the hand was two suits, in 2026 it is one or two suits, making it compatible with the classic hand.  Another reason not to expose too early. This hand is in the 7th position.

In the third position we have a North-South odd number combination - bookended pairs of NN SS with a kong/pair/kong of either 1-3-5  or 5-7-9.  

Fourth position is the "floating pair" hand, previously in consecutive run.  This time the pair can be a 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 with matching kongs.

Next is a matching dragon hand - three flowers followed by pair/pair/pung/kong in 1-3-5 or 5-7-9, kong of matching dragon.  This same pattern is in consecutive, making the hand switchable.

Another favorite from the '90s and '00s is back and that's 11 33 111 333 5555, also in a 5-7-9 arrangement.

There are two closed hands in this category.  The first one is a definite challenge hand with a point value of 35, as it has four pairs and it's specific numbers: 

FF 11 33 55 111 111 or FF 55 77 999 555 555. Don't drink wine if you want to do this hand!

The second closed hand is more flexible and making its card debut:  FF 135 777 999 in one suit with a pung of an opposite dragon.  

Winds-Dragons - Some repeat hands here - the top line, which can be played with either kongs of N/S and pungs of E/W or pungs of N/S and kongs of E/W, and serves as the foundation of the category.  
The all-dragon hand has been changed to a no-flower hand, a run of any 4 numbers in one suit with two pungs and a kong of any dragons.  This hand has been made a little easier, as there are no pairs, and no, the kong doesn't have to match the suit of the run (although it can).

Winds and like numbers have gotten a makeover with pungs of N/S and kongs of any like odd number or pungs of E/W with any like even numbered kongs.  Again, no pairs, so it looks like winds and dragons category will be much played!

The NEWS hand with the dragon pungs is out, I'm sure it will come back one day as it has so many fans.  Taking its place is a six-flower hand, this one with two pungs of flowers, a kong of any wind and a kong of any dragon.  Hmmm...three flowers and four dragons, now where have I seen that before?

Next we have a quirky hand, brand-new, which requires a run of 1234 in any one suit (these numbers only) and one N, two EE, three WWW, four SSSS.  Cute!

The next-to-the-last hand is a flower-wind-dragon hand with a pair of flowers, kongs of N/S or E/W followed by two pairs of any two dragons.

The closed hand is a repeat hand, the winds with the year.  In 2025 it was open with two options.  In 2026 it is limited to pairs of N/S and pungs of E/W with the 2026 in the middle.  This hand has been made more challenging by being closed, but the value is still 30.  

369 - The top hand is the same although the pattern has changed to PP/KK, still any one or three suits.

The old faithful block hand (two flowers, three kongs) is gone, replaced by a hand in the same pattern as hands in consecutive and 13579:  33 66 333 666 9999.

The like numbers with dragons hand is out, replaced by FFF 33 666 99 plus a kong of any dragon.  The hand is listed as one or two suits, meaning the dragons can match the 369 or be opposite.  Hmmm...three flowers and four dragons, now where have I seen that before?

Sadly, the three-flower hand with the matching 1s and 9s and 369 singles in the middle is no longer on the card.  But instead there is a NEWS hand, with a pair of 3s and a pair of 6s in one suit, a pung of 6s and a pung of 9s in a second suit, followed by NEWS.  Those winds are really getting around this year!

In fifth position we have another "floating pair" hand.  This hand is similar to the like kongs 3, 6 or 9 hand on the 2025 hand, but the flowers are removed and the pair can be a 3 a 6 or a 9, with matching like kongs in the other two suits.  Lots of like kongs on the card, which is fine with me.

The closed hand is another new one:  FF 333 666 999 369. 

Singles and Pairs - All the hands have been changed, with the exception of the big hand, which is still two flowers and the year in three suits.  

The wind hand is a new hand and manages to use winds, like numbers and dragons all in one hand.  NN EE WW SS 1D 1D 1D  

The 2468 hand uses three pairs of eights - 2 4 66 88 2 4 66 88 88.  A couple of jokers will open this up into the closed hand in 2468.

The 369 hand is tricky and also new - think two 3s, two 6s, two 9s.  FF 3369 3669 3699.  

For those who long for the familiar, there is a hand that has appeared at least 20 times since 1990 - pairs of seven consecutive numbers.

The odd pairs hand last appeared in 2022 - 11 357 99 11 357 99.

And, as stated, the big hand is a constant - two flowers followed by the year in three suits, 75 points.  

And there you have it.  There's a lot of new hands, some repeats and some old favorites.  Certainly enough to last for a year of satisfying playing, if one plays their tiles right!                                                                                                                                                                                

Ready to Win on the 2025 card!

 

The 2025 card is here and there are a few things you should know before we do the yearly hand comparison.

• If you ordered your card before February 19, your card is in the first mailing, which as of today, 3/29/25 is making its way across the country.  All orders received before 2/19 should be in hand at the end of two weeks.
• All cards in the first mailing have a misprint.
• The large print cards show a hand in consecutive run in all green.  This hand should be in three colors, as it is a three-suit hand according to the parenthetical.
• The standard sized cards show a three-suit hand in the 2468 category in all blue.  This hand should be in three colors, as stated in the parenthetical.
• The League has asked that players make corrections on their cards, and replacement cards will be sent in a few weeks.

Now on with the comparison!  I received my cards yesterday, which coincided with my weekly game, so I have played on it, and, as you can see from the coins in the 2025 bag, I won a few games (four dots on my new card).  I can tell you from these first few games that the new card is somewhat more complicated than the 2024 - the word I heard most around the table was "challenging."  And while beginners may take awhile to wrap their heads around the new combinations, seasoned players will find it will keep them on their toes, and they will have to play a very careful game.  This card ain't for sissies!

As is my custom, I'll take each category and compare the hands, so even if you don't have the new card yet, if you read this and follow along with the 2024 card, you will get the idea of what has changed.  

2025
Of course all the hands in this category differ in that they use 5s instead of 4s. This is a rare instance where 2s and 5s are together in hands that are not consecutive, making switching a little less fluid.  There are still four hands in the category.  

• The first hand on the 2024 card has become the second hand on the 2025 card, although the pattern has changed from pung-pung-kong-kong to pung-kong-pung-kong.  This is true for all "pattern" hands, and of course the last number is now 5555 instead of 4444.
• Second hand with four flowers is gone. 
• The third hand has changed from a two-flower to a four-flower hand.  The kongs have become pungs, any 2's or 5's.  Keep this hand in mind, as like pungs with four flowers are sprinkled around, making this hand switchable.
• The closed hand is no longer in the year category.  It has been moved to Winds, is now open, and the 2025 is at the end.

There are two completely new hands in the year category of 2025, and they are tricky.  The third hand is open:  2025 222 555 DDDD (any 3 suits).  In this hand, if you play 2025 in bams or craks and you use soaps for your dragon, you MUST keep a joker to complete your kong.   
The closed hand is even trickier:  FF 222 000 222 555.  You may want to note that all the hands in this category have pungs of 2's so you will have somewhere to go if someone exposes the 5s that you need...

2468

This category has been expanded to include 8 hands instead of 6.  This is because there is no "addition hand" category.  There are, however, addition hands sprinkled throughout the categories, so they are not gone completely.

• The pattern hand in 2468 is the same as on the 2024 card, except that the pattern has changed to pung/kong/pung/kong as above.  One or two suits.
• Hand number 2 on the 2024 card has been eliminated.
• Hand number 3 has been altered.  Instead of pair/pair/pung/pung/kong, it's now pair/pung/pair/pung/kong of matching dragons.
• Hand number 4, which is a multiplication hand, has moved to the second line on the 2025 card and is now a completely new addition hand with two flowers, three suits:  FF 2222 + 4444 = 6666 and FF 2222 + 6666 = 8888.
• Hand number 5, "the gate," has been eliminated.
• The closed hand in 2024 has been eliminated.

There are two hands in this category on the 2025 card that are more or less old favorites - one is the "dangling 8s," although the configuration is different than in the past.  I always remember it being 2222 44 6666 88 88 but this time around it's  222 4444 666 88 88 so use caution.  The configuration of the 2s, 4s and 6s mimic the pattern hand, so exposing will not be a giveaway.  The other more or less familiar hand is FFF 22 44 666 8888, one suit.

There is a new three-suit hand.  It has two flowers, two kongs of any like even numbers with a kong of dragons in the middle.  There are like number kongs in many places on the card, so this hand has good switchability.

There is another new three-suited hand with four flowers, four singles and like even pungs. Note:  This is the hand that has the misprint on the standard sized card.  The large print card does not have a misprint in this category.  The hand should read:  FFFF 2468 222 222.  The shape of this hand is identical to the four flower hand in 2025, so switchable within the category and without. 

The closed hand has been seen before, 22 44 66 88 in one suit with like pungs of any even number in the other two suits.  Even more switchability.

 

ANY LIKE NUMBERS

As previously noted, the math hands are gone - good riddance to lucky sevens in one suit - and so we come to Any Like Numbers.  Sorry to say, if you were a fan of this category in 2024, you will have a rude awakening.  All the hands have changed and become more challenging.  There are still three hands but two are worth 30, so that should tell you something.

• First hand is now two flowers with a kong of a number and a single matching dragon (oy); another kong of the same number in a different suit with a single matching dragon (oy, oy) and a pair of the same number.  Yikes.
• Second hand is now four flowers, pair of a number, pung of same number in second suit, pung of same number in third suit, pair of same number in the same suit as the first pair.  What the...????  Ok, four flowers, two pungs of like numbers, two pairs of the same number.  This will take some getting used to.
• Third hand is closed; two flowers, three pungs of any like number with a pung of any dragon.  It sounds simple, but I wonder if it is....

QUINTS
There's only three Quints on the 2025 card, and the first two are similar to the hands on the 2024 card, but with some tweaks.

• First hand has changed.  While still two flowers with three consecutive numbers, the hand is now in three suits, with a pung of the first number, kong of the second and Quint of the third.  Only one joker is needed!
• Second hand has changed.  While there is still a kong of any wind in the center, the quints are now any two consecutive numbers in the same suit.
• Third hand on the 2024 card has been eliminated.  The hand is now a like number hand with two flowers, quint/pair/quint of any like number in any 3 suits.  

CONSECUTIVE RUN

• The first hand from 2024 is back, but now uses a pyramid pattern; pair/pung/kong/pung/pair.  
• The second hand from 2024 is eliminated.
• The third hand is back with a pattern change.  The hand is now four flowers, kong/pair/kong of any 3 consec. nos. in any 3 suits.  NOTE:  If you have a large print card, the hand that is all in green should be in three colors, as the parenthetical notes it is in 3 suits.
• The fourth hand from 2024 has been changed to become a closed hand for 2025, using a pattern of FF 1 22 333 1 22 333.
• The fifth hand from 2024 has also been altered.  It is now the fifth hand in the category and the pattern has changed to FF 11 222 3333 DDD, one suit only.
• The sixth hand from 2024 has been changed.  There are no five-flower hands on the 2025 card.  This hand now uses three flowers, with 123 4444 5555 in 3 suits.  Tip:  Due to pattern changes, this is the only hand on the card with two consecutive kongs.
• The pattern hand, which is in position 7 on the 2024 card has moved to position 2 on the 2025 card, with the pong/kong/pung/kong pattern, still 1 or 3 suits.
• The closed hand on the 2024 card has been eliminated.

New in consecutive run on the 2025 card are two hands which are debuting.  

• 111 222 3333 DD DD - any 3 suits, any 3 consec nos, pairs opp dragons.  This pattern appears again in the 135 and 579 section, so there is some switchability there.
• 112345 1111 1111 - longtime players may recognize this pattern from Quints of yesteryear, only then it was 11234 with two quints that matched the pair.  This hand may confuse beginners as it may be hard to wrap your head around the "floating pairs" concept.  The instructions say any 5 consec nos, pair any no. in run, kongs match pair.  The pair can be, say, 456678 in bams, and then the kongs must be six craks and six dots.  There's some hope if you go dead on the pairs, as there are a couple of like kong hands to switch to.  Good luck!  Oh, and the value is 30.

13579

Listen up, there have been some changes to this category.

• Hands numbered 1 and 2 you will be pleased to know are still in their respective places.  However, the patterns have changed to conform to the pyramid in hand 1 and the pung/kong/pung/kong in hand 2.
• Hand number 3 from 2024 has changed shape and now has no flowers. It is a kong/pung/kong/pung pattern, with the last kong being matching dragons.
• Hand number 4 from 2024 has been eliminated.  
• Hand number 5 from 2024 has been eliminated, but there is a "math" hand in the category.  It is FFFF 1111 + 9999 = 10.  The kongs of 1s and 9s match and the "10" is a 1 in a second suit with a soap.  This is in the 4th position in 2025.
• Hand number 6 from 2024 has been eliminated, replaced by the hand in the same pattern as in consecutive run:  pung/pung/kong of either 1s, 3s, 5s or 5s, 7s, 9s in one suit, followed by two pairs of dragons in the second and third suit.  Kind of switchable, depending on the sequence of numbers.
• The closed hand from 2024 has been replaced with a new closed hand, an old favorite, FF 11 33 111 333 55 or FF 55 77 555 777 99.  Sanity prevails!

Three new odd-number hands make their debut in 2025, although someone may remember these from the past.  If so, it was the distant-distant past.  This brings the total odd-numbered hands to 9 lines, two more lines than 2024.

• One hand is a "sandwich" hand - any two suits - kongs of matching 1s and 9s with pairs of 3s, 5s and 7s in the second suit. The three pairs earn it a 30 point value.  There are now two hands in the category with kongs of matching 1s and 9s.
• A three-flower hand mirrors the three-flower hand pattern in consecutive run - FFF 135 7777 9999 or in three suits, FFF 135 7777 9999.  Looks switchable to a consecutive 7-8-9 hand if you can't make your singles.
• Last but not least for our NEWS fans, NEWS is appearing in this category for the first time.  Previously hands like this have had a kong of dragons in the middle or a kong of flowers, but this time it's 11 333 NEWS 333 55 or
  55 777 NEWS 777 99, any two suits of course.  And two pairs and four singles earn it a 30 point value as well.

WINDS - DRAGONS

A reliable mix of old and new, with some shape shifting.

• Hand number 1 on the 2024 card is identical.  
• Hand number 2 has changed.  While it still uses any 3 dragons, instead of using pung/kong/pung it uses pair/pung/kong.  Instead of using four flowers it uses a pair of flowers followed by any 3 consecutive numbers in any one suit.  The numbers do not have to match any of the dragons.  This is new but could be interesting. Need I say the numbers are singles and can't be called?
• Hand number 3 from 2024 has been eliminated.  
• Hand number 4 from 2024 has changed to a three-flower hand with a pair of norths, pair of easts, pung of wests and kong of souths.  Small difference.
• Hand number 5  has been switched up.  Instead of using pairs of consecutive numbers between kongs of winds, it is now like numbers in a single/pair/pung combo.  We are back to North and South with odds and East and West with evens, so the hands would look like this: 
  NNNN 1 11 111 SSSS or EEEE 2 22 222 WWWW, again using any like odds with NS or evens with EW.
• Hand number 6, the NEWS hand, is back in a different guise - four flowers, two pungs of any two dragons with NEWS in the middle.  Another small difference.  Makes the hand a little easier, I think.
• The closed hand has been eliminated and a new closed hand added: 
  NN EE WWW SSS DDDD.  For this hand, the kong can be any dragon.  Again, sounds simple, but we shall see!

As stated previously, the last year hand in 2024 has been moved to the winds-dragons category.  The hand is now open, and the 2025 is at the end instead of the middle.  Because it has two pairs and four singles, it retains the 30 point value.

369

This category lost one line, and though there are changes, they are not drastic.

• The first hand remains, although in the new pattern - pung/kong/pung/kong
• The second hand from 2024, which was quite the go-to, has been eliminated. 
• The third hand from 2024 remains, although it's been dressed up as an addition hand!  Think 3 + 6 = 9.  It's the same hand, right?  1 or 3 suits.
• The fourth hand from 2024 is tweaked to be kongs of like 3s, 6s or 9s, and pungs of dragons, instead of the other way around.  Kongs of like numbers, we've seen those before.
• The fifth, sixth and seventh hands in 2024 have been eliminated.

There are two 369 hands making their debut, and one hand making a comeback.  The comback hand has pairs:  33 66 99 in one suit, followed by like kongs of 3, 6 or 9.  Interestingly, the hand only has a 25 point value, even though it has three pairs.  But here's another "like kong" opportunity/switch. 

The debut hands are:

• FFF 3333 369 9999 - 3s and 9s in one suit, singles in a second suit.
• FF 333 D 666 D 999 D - Three suits, matching dragons.  This is a pretty closed hand with a 30 point value.

SINGLES AND PAIRS

We come to the last category, singles and pairs.  As is customary, no hands are repeated in the singles and pairs category.  Some of the hands are making a first ever appearance, while others are old favorites.  All are 50 points, with the exception of the last "big" hand, which is 75.

• First hand is a winds hand.  NN EW SS followed by four pairs of consecutive numbers in one suit.  This is a new hand, as in prior years it was pairs of each wind followed by pairs of three consecutive numbers in one suit.
• Second hand is a 2468 hand.  Two flowers, 2468DD in two suits.  I think we've seen this before.
• Third hand is new for 369:  336699 336699 33.  Nice.
• Fourth hand is an old favorite - two flowers with repeating pairs of consecutive numbers in three suits; i.e., FF 1122 1122 1122.  
• Fifth hand another old favorite - pairs of odds followed by two pairs of any like odd numbers.
• Sixth hand is the good old big hand, two flowers, 2025 repeated in three suits.

And there you have it!

There are some changes on the back worth mentioning.  As more information has been added, the print has gotten smaller!   Under Game Begins, rules for Jokers have been moved to the center panel. A sentence has been added:  A player's turn begins when they either pick or claim a tile. A discarded tile may only be claimed to complete a Pung, Kong, Qint or Sextet in an exposed hand.  

Under Claiming a Discard -  (Changed text in bold)

• Under Rule 2 a line has been added:  A claim is made when a called tile is taken and made part of an exposure.
• Rule 5 has been clarified:  When two players want the same tile for Exposure, player next in turn to discarder has preference except when other player has claimed the discard by either placing the called tile on top of their rack or exposing tiles from their hand.  
• Rule 6 has been clarified:  When two players want the same tile for Mah Jongg, player next in turn to discarder has preference except when other caller has claimed the discard by either placing the called tile on top of their rack or exposing tiles from their hand.
• Rule 7 has been added:  A player may change the NUMBER and TYPE of tiles displayed in an exposure up until the player has discarded.   This means that if you put out three tiles but you need four, you may add another tile to your exposure before you have discarded.  In addition, if you accidentally put out an incorrect tile as part of the exposure, you can take the incorrect tile back and put the correct tile in its place.  Once you have discarded if the incorrect tile is still in the exposure, your hand can be decalred dead. However, an important clarification - once you pick up a tile from the table, and put it on top of your rack, you MUST use that tile in your exposure.  You cannot put it back on the table.  Rule 7 applies to only to tiles tiles that have been exposed.

A new section has been added:  Rules for Jokers.  Rules 1 through 4 have been moved from the "Game Begins" section of the 2024 card.  Rule 5 and 7 appear on the center back panel of the 2024 card.  Rule 6 has been added and Rule 8, which appeared on prior cards, has returned.

• Rule 6 - Any tile within a grouping such as NEWS, 11223 or tiles that represent a year may be called only for Mah Jongg.
• Rule 8 - When Mah Jongg is declared without a Joker, double the value is paid by all.  Exception: Singles and Pairs.

So there is the yearly overview.  As always, feel free to comment with your thoughts on the new card, and if you see any errors or omissions in this post, let me know and I will correct.  It's always interesting to transition to a new card - I did love the 2024 card (although I didn't realize how much until the last couple of weeks) and saying goodbye to some beloved hands has been sad.  But I believe this new card will stretch the brain in a new direction and teach this old dog some new tricks.  Happy mahj!