MAH JONGG IN ERROR AND NEXT STEPS (Article 197)

Commentary: When a mah jongg in error occurs, some circumstances need to be considered when determining the next steps:

When a player declares mah jongg in error and does not expose tiles from their rack, they can retract the declaration without penalty (Mah Jongg Made Easy 2024 pages 21 #2).

When a player declares mah jongg in error, and they expose tiles from their rack, they should be disqualified. Upon disqualification, the player’s turn ends so they do not discard. Newly exposed tiles must be returned to the rack. Exposures made before disqualification remain on the rack. Prior valid exposures with jokers are eligible for exchange. The game continues with the player to their right with one exception. If the mah jongg in error occurred after the player claimed a discard and another player could declare mah jongg with that tile, that player could use the tile and declare mah jongg (Mah Jongg Made Easy 2024 page 23 #6).

Suppose more than one player declares mah jongg in error, and one player has an intact hand. In that case, the last player to declare mah jongg in error pays the player with the intact hand double the value of the hand they were attempting to make when they declared mah jongg (back of the NMJL card on the middle panel, Mah Jongg in Error #3).

Regardless, the game continues with the players with intact hands. Suppose one of those players can disqualify the other for having an inviable or invalid hand. In that case, the disqualified player pays the player with the intact hand double the value of the enviable or invalid hand (Mah Jongg Made Easy 2024, page 22 5 [b]).

Incidentally, if any player prematurely tosses in their hand and they destroy a wall, that player pays the players with intact hands the lowest value on the card (Mah Jongg Made Easy 2024, page 22, 5 [d]).

Question from a Player: A player with an exposure containing a joker mistakingly calls MJ and exposes the rest of her tiles. She only used 13 tiles…short one tile for MJ. Her hand is now dead. As no one else made an exposure the game can continue. Can another player claim the joker from the original exposure or is that also dead?

Answer from the NMJL: If a player calls Mah Jongg in error and exposes part or all of the hand and all other hands are intact, the game continues but the declarers hand is “dead.” All tiles are returned to the rack. A Mah Jongg hand “intact” means that a player has not exposed any tiles from their hand, other than the tiles that had been called for an exposure before the player had declared Mah Jongg in error. MJME 2020 omitted: The same penalty applies for calling a discard and making an incorrect exposure. “Dead” hand discontinues play, does not pick and discard and pays winner full value of hand.

When a player declares Mah Jongg in error and has been playing an exposed hand, the Jokers which were in the correctly called exposure(s) before the error, may be redeemed by any of the other players with a like tile, when it is their turn. However, at the point the hand becomes “dead” the part of the hand that was in error is returned to the rack. When a player declares Mah Jongg in error and has been playing a concealed hand, no Jokers may be redeemed, and the entire hand is returned to the sloped portion of the rack.

Source: Mah jongg Made Easy (2024, page 22 #4)