PAYOUT FOR A JOKERLESS HAND (Article 151)

Commentary: The value of a hand is doubled if it can use jokers but is jokerless when the player declares mah jongg.  If the player picks their winning tile from the wall, the value is doubled again. The values for hands in the Singles and Pairs category are not doubled because the value is built into the hand. As before, If the player picks their winning tile from the wall, the value is doubled again. 

Question from a Player: I played an exposable hand and had an exposure with a joker that was exchanged during the game. Later, I declared mah  jongg and the hand had no jokers. Since I used a joker at one time, is this jokerless or not?

Answer from the NMJL: When a player declares Mah Jongg on any hand, concealed or exposed, and no Jokers are part of the hand (exchanged Jokers from an exposure can make the hand Jokerless), the discarder pays winner four times the value of the hand. All other players pay two times the value of the hand. When a player picks own Mah Jongg tile and no Jokers are part of the hand, all players pay four times the value of the hand. Exception: Singles and Pairs Group, as the bonus is built into the value of these hands.

Source: Mah Jongg Made Easy (2024 page 26 Standard Scoring)