How to Score American Mahjong: Payouts, Self-Picks & Jokerless Hands
Quick answer: In American mahjong, only the winner gets paid, and the amount comes from the value printed next to the winning hand on the current NMJL card. If you win on another player’s discard, the discarder pays you double the hand’s value and the other two players pay the value once. If you pick the winning tile from the wall yourself, all three players pay you double. A jokerless hand doubles every payment again, except Singles and Pairs hands. If nobody wins, it’s a wall game and nobody pays.
American mahjong scoring is far simpler than Chinese or Riichi scoring. There are no points for individual tiles and no dealer bonus: you look up one number on the card, apply a couple of doubling rules, and collect. This guide covers the standard National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) payouts, worked examples, common house rules, and how to keep score without money. New to the game? Start with our beginner’s guide to American mahjong.
Step 1: Find the Hand Value on the NMJL Card
Every hand on the current NMJL card has a value printed in the column on the right. That number is the base value, and it’s the only number you need to start scoring.
On recent cards, most hands are worth 25 or 30 points. Concealed hands are often valued a little higher, and the Singles and Pairs hands are among the highest-value hands on the card, usually 50 or more. Values change every year when the new card comes out, so always read the number off the card you’re playing with. We never reprint card hands here (the card is copyrighted by the NMJL), but our walkthrough on how to read the NMJL card shows where the values sit and what the X and C markings mean.
Many groups that play for small stakes simply treat points as cents, so a 25-point hand is worth 25 cents. Plenty of tables never use money at all and just keep a running tally.
Step 2: Who Pays What
Under standard NMJL rules, at least one player always pays the winner double. Who that is depends on how the winning tile arrived.
Mahjong on a discard
If you call another player’s discard to complete your hand, the player who threw that tile pays you double the hand value. The other two players each pay the hand value once.
Self-picked (drawn from the wall)
If you draw your winning tile from the wall, say so when you declare (“I picked it”). There’s no discarder, so all three players pay you double. Completing your hand through a joker exchange on your own turn counts the same way as a self-pick, so everyone pays double.
The jokerless bonus
If your winning hand contains no jokers at all, every payment doubles again. On a discard, the discarder pays four times the value and the other two pay double. On a self-pick, all three players pay four times the value. If you exchanged a joker out of your exposure earlier in the game and the final hand has no jokers, it still counts as jokerless, because only the tiles in the hand when you declare are counted. Announce “jokerless” when you declare so nobody misses it.
The one exception is the Singles and Pairs section. Jokers can never be used in those hands, so the card value already reflects that and there is no extra jokerless double. For more on where jokers can and can’t go, see mahjong jokers explained.
American Mahjong Payout Chart
Here’s the whole system in one table, using a 25-point hand as the example.
| How you won | Discarder pays | Each other player pays | Total collected (25-point hand) |
|---|---|---|---|
| On a discard | 2× (50) | 1× (25) | 100 |
| Self-picked or joker exchange | No discarder | 2× (50) each, all three | 150 |
| Jokerless, on a discard | 4× (100) | 2× (50) | 200 |
| Jokerless, self-picked | No discarder | 4× (100) each, all three | 300 |
A Singles and Pairs hand worth 50 follows the first two rows only: 100 from the discarder plus 50 from each other player (200 total) on a discard, or 100 from each player (300 total) on a self-pick.
Worked Examples
- A 25-point hand on a discard: the discarder pays 50, the other two pay 25 each. You collect 100.
- A 30-point hand, self-picked: all three players pay 60. You collect 180.
- A 25-point jokerless hand on a discard: the discarder pays 100, the other two pay 50 each. You collect 200.
- A 30-point jokerless hand, self-picked: all three players pay 120. You collect 360.
Before anyone pays, the winner exposes all 14 tiles on top of the rack and the table checks the hand against the card. The winner then announces what each player owes. Under the American Mah Jongg Association’s rules, if the winner announces too low an amount, nobody corrects it, so count carefully before you speak.
Special Situations
Wall games
If the last tile is drawn and nobody declares mahjong, it’s a wall game. There is no winner and nobody pays. The tiles are mixed, the walls are rebuilt, and the deal moves to the next player.
Dead hands still pay
If your hand is declared dead (for example, after a mistaken exposure), you stop playing for the rest of the hand, but you still pay the winner whatever they announce.
Paying for the table
A few specific errors make one player pay four times the hand value while the other two pay nothing. The best-known case: if a player misnames a discard and another player declares mahjong with the tile as it was named, the game stops and the player who misnamed it pays four times the value.
Does East get a bonus?
No. Unlike Chinese mahjong, standard NMJL scoring has no extra payment for the dealer (East). East pays and collects like everyone else.
Two or three players
Short-handed games generally keep the same logic: the discarder pays double, the other player pays once, and everyone pays double on a self-pick. See our guide to playing with 2 or 3 players covers the dealing changes.
Common House Rules (Agree Before You Play)
Many groups add their own money rules. None of these are official NMJL rules, and the League has said it does not sanction hot walls, cold walls, or similar penalties, so decide on them before the first hand:
- The pie: each player starts with a fixed amount. Once a player’s pie is gone, they keep playing without paying more.
- The kitty: players add a small amount to a pot after each wall game, and the next winner collects it.
- Hot wall and cold wall: late-game rules that either penalize the player who throws the winning tile or allow wins only from the wall.
Setting expectations up front is part of good table manners; see our American mahjong etiquette guide.
How to Keep Score Without Money
You don’t need to play for money. Players typically use chips, but pen and paper work just as well. Give everyone the same starting total, for example 500 points, write the four names across the top of a sheet, and after each hand add the winner’s total and subtract what each player paid. The highest total at the end of the session wins.
Gear That Makes Scoring Easier
Scoring goes faster when everyone can see the winning hand clearly. When you declare, you lay all 14 tiles face-up on top of your rack so the table can check the hand against the card.
- Tiles you can read at a glance: the Gilded Obsidian Acrylic American Mahjong Tile Set ($349) is a 160-tile set with bear and panda jokers that are easy to spot when you’re checking whether a hand is jokerless. The Ruby Confetti Acrylic American Mahjong Tile Set ($389) is a limited-edition holiday set with 160 acrylic tiles, 4 pushers, and a luxury storage case.
- Racks and pushers: the Marble Swirl 18.5" Mahjong Racks & Pushers ($105, set of 4) have coordinating pushers that nest into the racks, and the Clear Glitter 18" Mahjong Racks & Pushers ($75, set of 4) have integrated pushers. Browse every style in our mahjong racks collection.
- A mat with the basics printed on it: the Marrakech Atelier Mahjong Mat ($89) is a 33" × 33" neoprene mat with a non-slip backing and an instructional layout printed directly on it. See all designs in our mahjong mats collection.
Building a first setup? Start with our starter kits or browse all American mahjong sets.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you score American mahjong?
Find the winning hand’s value on the current NMJL card. If the hand was won on a discard, the discarder pays double the value and the other two players pay it once. If the winner picked the tile from the wall, all three players pay double. A jokerless hand doubles every payment again, except Singles and Pairs hands.
Who pays double in American mahjong?
The player who discarded the winning tile pays double. If the winner drew the winning tile from the wall or completed the hand with a joker exchange, there is no discarder, so all three players pay double.
What is the jokerless bonus in American mahjong?
If the winning hand contains no jokers, every payment is doubled again: up to four times the hand value. Singles and Pairs hands do not get the bonus because jokers can’t be used in them and their card value already reflects that.
Does East get paid extra in American mahjong?
No. Standard NMJL scoring has no dealer bonus. East pays and collects the same way as every other player.
What happens if nobody wins a hand?
It’s a wall game. There is no winner, nobody pays, and the tiles are reshuffled for the next hand with the deal moving to the next player.
Do you have to play American mahjong for money?
No. Many groups use chips or keep score on paper instead. Give every player the same starting total, add and subtract after each hand, and the highest total at the end wins.