Errors and Penalties

Mah Jongg via a
Claimed Discarded Tile

  1. Declaring Mah Jongg with Incorrectly Named Tile
    1. If a player declares Mah Jongg based on a tile incorrectly named by the discarder (misnamed tile), the game immediately stops. The player declaring Mah Jongg must expose their entire hand on top of their rack for verification by the other players.
      1. If the incorrectly named tile (not the actual discarded tile) would have completed a valid Mah Jongg hand, the player who misnamed the tile (the misnamer) must pay the declarer four times the value of that hand.
        1. Other players do not pay. After payment, the current game ends, and a new game may begin immediately.
      2. If the tile claimed for Mah Jongg was incorrectly named and the player’s Mah Jongg declaration is invalid (Mah Jongg in Error), the declarer’s hand is dead.
        1. The player who incorrectly named the discarded tile (misnamer) is not penalized.
        2. Play continues with the remaining active players.
  2. Declaring Mah Jongg on the Actual Discarded Tile When Discarded Tile Incorrectly Named
    1. If a player declares Mah Jongg based on the actual discarded tile (not the incorrectly named tile), the discarded tile must be correctly named before proceeding with the Mah Jongg via Claimed Discarded tile process. The original discarder faces no penalty, and the game continues as normal.
      1. The player who incorrectly named the discarded tile (misnamer) is not penalized.
  3. Simultaneous Mah Jongg for Actual Tile and Incorrectly Named Tile
    1. If two players simultaneously claim the same discarded tile for Mah Jongg—one player claiming based on the actual discarded tile, and the other based on the incorrectly named tile—the following rules apply:
      1. The player claiming Mah Jongg on the actual tile receives preference.
      2. If their Mah Jongg hand is verified as valid, standard Mah Jongg scoring apply and no penalty occurs to the misnamer.
        1. A new game begins immediately after payment.
      3. If the Mah Jongg with the actual tile is invalid (Mah Jongg in Error), standard Mah Jongg in Error rules apply to this player, and the next step is to verify the second player’s Mah Jongg claim based on the incorrectly named tile:
        1. If this second player’s Mah Jongg hand is verified as valid with the incorrectly named tile, the player who incorrectly named the discarded tile (misnamer) pays the Mah Jongg declarer four times the value of the Mah Jongg hand.
          1. Other players do not pay. A new game begins immediately after payment
        2. If the second player’s Mah Jongg hand is invalid (Mah Jongg in Error), standard Mah Jongg in Error rules apply to this player, and the game continues. The misnamer is not penalized.
  4. Changing Mah Jongg Declaration to a Discarded Tile Claim
    1. If a player declares Mah Jongg by claiming a discarded tile but realizes they do not have Mah Jongg, they may convert their Mah Jongg declaration to a discarded tile claim, provided:
      1. The player has not exposed any tiles other than those related to the claimed discarded tile exposure.
      2. No other player has exposed tiles from the sloping part of their rack.
      3. No player has thrown their tiles onto the playing area, destroying their hand.
      4. No other player has destroyed their hand or disturbed the walls of tiles.