JOKER PROTOCOLS (ARTICLE 221)

Jokers add complexity and flexibility to the game, making it essential to understand the protocols governing their use. This article offers a comprehensive overview of joker usage, including key scenarios, limitations, and important considerations to ensure fair play and consistency.

The Charleston (pre-game)

• Jokers cannot be passed during the Charleston. If they are passed by misunderstanding or mistake, the joker must be given back to the player who passed it so they can replace it with a symbol tile (MJME 2024, page 23 #8).

The Play (pick-and-discard)

• Jokers in exposures may be exchanged by any player during their turn, provided they have the required natural tile. The player who owns the exposure must surrender the joker, as there is no rule allowing refusal (MJME 2024 page 23).
• If a player has an exposure with a joker, any player with the symbol tile can exchange it after they start their turn by either picking a tile from the wall or calling a discard and completing an exposure. If a player attempts to do a joker exchange before starting their turn correctly, they risk being disqualified by another player (MJME 2024 page 23 #1, #2, #6).
• If a player fully names a tile as a discard or if a tile touches the table, it is considered a discard, and it’s too late to do a joker exchange. Also, a discarded tile that could have been used to do a joker exchange cannot be called and used to do the exchange. In other words, discards can only be called and used in a new exposure or to declare mah jongg. (MJME 2024 page 23 #3).
• If a player declares mah jongg with a hand without a joker, the hand’s value is doubled, even if exposures had jokers at one point during the game. (MJME 2024 page 23 #4).
• Jokers cannot be used to exchange a symbol tile in an exposure (MJME 2024 page 23 #5).
• If a player’s last move before declaring Mah Jongg is to redeem a Joker from their [any] rack, it is considered self-picked, and everyone pays the player double. This is called a “finesse” move.  Ruth Unger, previous league president, named the tactic finesse after similar moves in bridge and whist (MJME 2024 page 23 #7).
• Jokers cannot be used as a single tile, as part of a pair, or in a block with single tiles (i.e., YYYY, NEWS) (MJME 2024, page 24 #9).
• When a player discards a joker, they can name it “joker,” “same,” or the name of the previous discard. Regardless of what the discarded Joker is called, it may not be taken/called for any reason whatsoever. (MJME 2024 page 24 # 10 and #11; MJME 2020 omission).
• Any number of jokers can be used in a block of three or more identical tiles (e.g., pung, kong). To avoid errors in a joker exchange, it’s best practice to place the joker between natural tiles in the exposure when possible (MJME 2024, page 23 #1, page 24 #12).
• Players should not touch another player’s tiles. When a player wants to exchange, they should verbalize it and do a hand-to-hand exchange. If they do not verbalize the exchange and the tile touches the table, it is considered a discard, and the Joker may not be redeemed (MJME 2024, page 24 #13).
• If a player makes a joker exchange that results in an incorrect exposure that goes unnoticed, the player with the wrong exposure should be disqualified. However, the error may be corrected with no penalty if it is noticed before the player discards. SUPERCEDED: A player called the NMJL and was told that “Once that exchange was made and that incorrect tile was placed with the exposure and the joker exchanged, it is too late to undo it, and the player with the incorrect exposure now has a dead hand and the player that gave the incorrect tile still plays (03/20/2024).” (MJME 2024, page 24, #14).
• Any number of jokers can be exchanged during a player’s turn, and the best practice is to do this hand-to-hand rather than self-serve (MJME 2024, page 24, #15).
• If a player picks a tile from the wall and asks for a joker exchange without racking the tile, the window of opportunity closes on the previously discarded tile (MJME 2024 page 17 #8; page 24 #16).
• If a player has been disqualified from the game, the newly exposed tiles should be returned to the sloped part of the rack. Pre-existing invalid exposures with jokers (i.e., concealed hand, no such exposure on the card) are not eligible for exchange, and the tiles should be returned to the sloped part of the rack with the other tiles. Pre-existing valid exposures with jokers are eligible for exchange (MJME MJME 2024 page 22 #4 [b]; 24 #18, page 24 #17).
• If a player claims a discard for an exposure and then does a joker exchange, they cannot use it to change the exposure in the same turn (NMJL Bulletin 2025).

Source: Mah Jongg Made Easy (2024 pages 23-24)