PLAYING FOR CASH MONEY (Article 238)

Mah jongg has long been played with stakes attached—not because it’s about greed, but because consequences change behavior. In the American game shaped by the National Mah Jongg League card, the point value signals risk and reward. Playing penny-per-point (or even adding a zero) simply raises the temperature a bit. Small stakes tend to sharpen focus and defense; no stakes create a lighter, more relaxed feel. It’s not about morality — it’s about the culture and level of accountability your group wants to create.

Playing with a Pie

A “pie” is a house rule where players set a loss limit. Players start with $5 in an assortment of quarters, dimes, and nickels to pay the winner – NO PENNIES! When players lose their pie, they continue to play but are exempt from paying until they win money back. Players say that PIE stands for “purse is empty.” The league calls it a “PY,” but we don’t know why. The first mention of a “PY” was in the 1967 bulletin.

Payouts

Self-Picked Win: When a player is ready to win and picks their winning tile from the wall, all players pay double the value of the hand.

Jokerless Hands: When a player wins a hand that can use jokers, but the hand is jokerless, the value of the hand is doubled. The values in the Singles and Pairs category are not to be doubled because the value is built-in. However, if a player wins by self-pick, the value of that hand is doubled.

Discretion in Public

When playing for money in public is unacceptable, use colored chips assigned to standard denominations or keep score on paper, then settle up after the game.

Inflation

To add excitement to the game, some groups increase the value of the hand when the roll of the dice to break the wall ends in doubles. This applies to that hand only. Another method of increasing the value of the hand is to add one or more zeros to the value of the hand. This applies to every hand played.

Learn more about playing for cash money and scoring in these wiki articles:

• How to Score (Article 208)
• 5th Player Betting (Article 80)
• The League on House Rules (Article 50; allowances, penalties, immunity)