HANDLING DRAGONS (ARTICLE 270)

In American mah jongg, dragons are distinct tiles, not interchangeable. Each dragon tile corresponds to one of three suits, but they stand on their own.

• Red Dragon corresponds to Craks (Characters)
• Green Dragon corresponds to Bams (Bamboos)
• White Dragon corresponds to Dots

White Dragons are dual-purpose tiles. They can function as dragons, corresponding to the Dot suit, or as zeros. When used as zeros, they are neutral (always shown in dark blue on the league card) and no longer correspond to Dots. Zeros are used in specific hands, such as mathplay or blocks of Year tiles (e.g., 10, 2025, 000, 0000). They cannot be used to form consecutive runs, since sequences may only consist of number tiles ranging from 1 to 9.

Even though dragons correspond to suits, they cannot be substituted for one another or for the number tiles. For example, a White Dragon may not be used as a Green or Red Dragon, nor may it stand in as a Dot tile in a run. The league card specifically lists dragons where they are required (e.g., D), and the dragon indicated must be used exactly as shown.

Some players mistakenly believe that dragons can be interchanged or treated as wild within suits. A common misconception is that the White Dragon may be played as any dragon. This is not an official rule and is not recognized in sanctioned play. Understanding the distinction is important for clarity and fairness. The separation of dragons, numbers, and zeros is fundamental to reading the card and building hands correctly.