EXCHANGING A JOKERS FROM AN UNDECLARED-DEAD HAND (Article 180)

Commentary: When a player has a hand that is no longer viable or is invalid, that player can be disqualified from the game. Sometimes, however, players delay the declaration to exchange jokers in the invalid so they can make an exchange. Once the player is disqualified, the jokers in the last exposure are not eligible for exchange.

Question from a Player: If a hand is dead but no players have declared the hand dead, can you take any jokers from the exposure?

Answer from the NMJL: If an incorrect exposure results in a “dead” hand, but it is not realized until later in a game, Jokers in that exposure are still available for redemption, until the hand has been called “dead” (corrected).

Source: Mah Jongg Made Easy (2024 page 24 #18; error, omitted the word “not” before still)

“If a hand is actually “dead”, but no one has made this declaration, the jokers remain eligible for replacement.”

Sources to other answers from the league: National Mah Jongg League Bulletin (2023)