HANDLING FLOWERS (Article 12)

In Asian variants, Flowers are bonus tiles (1 PLUMB, 2 ORCHID, 3 CHRYS, 4 BAMBOO). They are set aside immediately and do not count toward the 14-tile hand. When a Flower matches a player’s seat number (1 EAST, 2 SOUTH, 3 WEST, 4 NORTH), it awards additional points to the winner.

In American mah jongg, flowers and seasons function differently. Together, they are called “Flowers,” and the letter or number printed on the tile has no bearing on play. If a hand calls for a Flower—indicated by an F—any flower tile may be used. Although many sets include extra flowers, jokers, and blanks, only eight flowers and eight jokers should be used.

A key distinction in American mah jongg is that flowers are not bonus tiles. They are working components in about 45% of the hands on the NMJL card. Because so many hands rely on them, deciding when to keep a Flower becomes a time-sensitive tactical decision. Passing or discarding one too early can feed into an opponent’s hand; holding them too long can slow your own progress.

During the Charleston, your goal is to strengthen your developing hand, and flowers sit near the top of the risk ladder. When passing unwanted tiles, the risk moves from low to high in this order:

• A single Wind or Red/Green Dragon with mixed numbered and mixed-suited tiles
• A different numbered tile from each suit
• All the same category
• All the same suit
• White Dragons or Flowers (pass rarely)
• Like Numbers or Pairs (pass as a last resort)

Flowers are among the most valuable tiles in the set, second only to the White Dragon. Since nearly half the hands on the card require them, passing a flower is as risky as passing like numbers—only one step safer than passing a pair. If your Charleston hand is one or two tiles away from real readiness, you might justify passing a Flower; otherwise, keep it.

Because flowers are abundant, they are not prime candidates for joker bait. If you have two or more, consider hands that use them. If your hand takes shape without flowers, discard them early, before their risk increases in the middle game.

In the end game, drawing an unwanted flower should trigger push-fold judgment. Check the discards and exposures to see how many flowers are already accounted for and whether opponents may still need them. Then evaluate your winning potential by comparing the number of picks remaining to the discards in your hand. If winning is still realistic, discard your riskiest tiles first—flowers, year tiles, White Dragons, or unseen tiles. If the odds of winning are slim, stop chasing a win and fold to block your opponents. Folding shifts your goal to shaping the end game by choosing discards to end in a draw.