American Mah Jongg
is based on
SETS of like numbers,
it is not a game of runs.
There are (4) tiles of
each number in each suit,
of each Dragon
and of each wind.
There are (8) tiles of
Jokers and Flowers.
American Mah Jongg is played with 152 tiles, eight of which are Jokers. There are three suits, commonly referred to as Bams, Cracks, and Dots.
In addition, there are Wind tiles (North, South, East, West) and Flower tiles.
Each suit has a Dragon.
The Dragon is NOT WILD. It is simply another tile, just as a queen or king in cards.
On the NMJL card it is referred to as a "D".
Bamboo Dragon = Green
Crack Dragon = Red
Dot Dragon = White or "SOAP"
Note: The White Dragon (SOAP) is also featured on the card as "0". When it is used as a "0" it becomes suit-neutral so that it can be combined with
cracks, bams, or dots.
Click HERE for a printable version of the tiles.
BEWARE: The #1 Bamboo is a picture of a bird, not a bamboo. It is therefore referred to as "Bird Bam" and looks very similiar to a FLOWER.