WRONG NUMBER OF TILES (Article 205)

Commentary: When a player has the wrong number of tiles, they can be disqualified by another player (article 24). Since a player cannot disqualify themselves, they should discard to block opponents from winning. When they are disqualified by another player, they stop playing so they do not discard.

Question from a Player: When a player picks a tile and discovers that they have too many tiles, do they discard the picked tile?

Answer from the NMJL:  Should a player’s hand contain the wrong number “of tiles after East has discarded the first tile, or if an incorrect number of tiles are exposed, the player’s hand is “dead”. Mah Jongg cannot be called. The “dead” hand ceases to pick and discard but will pay the winner full value of hand. A player should not declare their own hand dead. It is up to other players to declare a hand “dead.”

Source: Mah Jongg Made Easy (2024 page 17 #7)