Errors and Penalties

Playing the Game - The Basics

Tile Overturned from Wall
1. If a tile is accidentally turned face-up and viewed while picking from the wall, the tile must be immediately returned face-down to exactly the same position it originally occupied.
  1. Do not place the tile in any other location within the wall.
Incorrect Number of Tiles (One Player)
1. If one player has the incorrect number of tiles after EastThe player position that is referred to as Dealer, East, Pivot, or First Player. This player is responsible for breaking the… More discards their first tile, that player’s hand is dead. When the hand is declared dead, the remaining three players continue playing.
Incorrect Number of Tiles (Two Players)
1. If two players have an incorrect number of tiles, both player’s hands are dead. When the two hands are declared dead, the remaining two players continue playing.
Incorrect Number of Tiles (Three Players)
1. If three players have incorrect tile counts their hands are dead. When all three hands are declared dead, due to incorrect tile count, the game is restarted: tiles reshuffled, walls rebuilt, EastThe player position that is referred to as Dealer, East, Pivot, or First Player. This player is responsible for breaking the… More remains DealerThe player position that is referred to as Dealer, East, Pivot, or First Player. This player is responsible for breaking the… More, and the Charleston performed again.
Discarding Before Picking or Claiming a Tile
1. If a player discards a tile without first picking a tile from the wall or claiming a discarded tile, their hand has an incorrect tile count and is therefore dead.
Picking a Tile Out-of-Turn
1. If a player picks a tile out-of-turn, their hand is dead.
  1. If the tile is racked, when the dead hand challengeWhen a player announces that another player’s hand should cease to be played due to a rule violation, invalid exposure,… More is issued, the tile remains with the dead handA player’s hand becomes Dead when they break a rule, make an invalid exposure, commit a player error, or a… More.
  2. If the tile is not yet racked, when the dead hand challengeWhen a player announces that another player’s hand should cease to be played due to a rule violation, invalid exposure,… More is issued, the tile must be returned exactly where it was originally located in the wall.
Picking and Discarding Out-of-Turn (Discarded Tile Claimed for Mah Jongg)
1. If an out-of-turn discarded tile is claimed for Mah Jongg, the game stops. The player declaring Mah Jongg reveals their hand on top of their rack for verification.
  1. If Mah Jongg is valid:
    1. The player who discarded out-of-turn pays four times the Mah Jongg hand value.
    2. No other players pay.
    3. A new game begins.
  2. If Mah Jongg is invalid:
    1. Standard Mah Jongg in ErrorWhen a player declares they have a winning 14-tile hand but upon verification by the other players it is determined… More rules apply, and the game continues.
Picking from Wrong Wall (One Player)
1. If a player picks a tile from the wrong wall, their hand is dead.
  1. The tile remains in the dead handA player’s hand becomes Dead when they break a rule, make an invalid exposure, commit a player error, or a… More.
  2. The remaining players continue playing from the correct wall.
Picking from Wrong End of the Wall (One Player)
1. If a player picks a tile from the wrong end of the wall, their hand is dead.
  1. The tile remains in the dead handA player’s hand becomes Dead when they break a rule, make an invalid exposure, commit a player error, or a… More.
  2. Remaining players continue from the correct end of the wall.
Picking from Wrong End of the Wall and Discarded Tile Claimed for Mah Jongg
1. If a player picks a tile from the wrong end of the wall, discards a tile, and this discarded tile is claimed for Mah Jongg, the game stops. The player declaring Mah Jongg reveals their hand on top of their rack for verification.
  1. If Mah Jongg is valid.
    1. The player who picked from the wrong end and discarded pays four times the Mah Jongg hand value.
    2. No other players pay.
    3. A new game begins.
  2. If Mah Jongg is invalid:
    1. Standard Mah Jongg in ErrorWhen a player declares they have a winning 14-tile hand but upon verification by the other players it is determined… More rules apply, and the game continues.
Multiple Players Picking from Wrong End of Wall
1. If more than one player picks from the wrong end of the wall, the game stops and is restarted completely.
  1. All tiles are returned to the table, reshuffled, and walls rebuilt.
  2. EastThe player position that is referred to as Dealer, East, Pivot, or First Player. This player is responsible for breaking the… More remains DealerThe player position that is referred to as Dealer, East, Pivot, or First Player. This player is responsible for breaking the… More.
  3. Restart the game, including serving, breaking the wallThe action of the Dealer at the beginning of a game where the Dealer rolls the dice to determine which… More, selecting new tiles, and the Charleston.
Serving Wrong Wall
1. If a player servesThe action of a player pushing out the right end of their wall of tiles at a 45-degree angle, so… More the wrong wall causing another player to pick a tile from that wall, the player’s hand who picked a tile from the wrong wall is dead.
  1. The tile remains in the dead handA player’s hand becomes Dead when they break a rule, make an invalid exposure, commit a player error, or a… More.
  2. All players continue playing from the incorrectly served wallThe action of a player pushing out the right end of their wall of tiles at a 45-degree angle, so… More until depleted, then return to using the correct wall.
Serving Wrong Wall (Mah Jongg Claimed)
1. If a player claims Mah Jongg while playing from the wrong wall, the game stops. The player declaring Mah Jongg reveals their hand on top of their rack for verification.
  1. If Mah Jongg is valid:
    1. The player who servedThe action of a player pushing out the right end of their wall of tiles at a 45-degree angle, so… More the wrong wall pays four times the Mah Jongg hand value.
    2. No other players pay.
    3. A new game begins.
  2. If Mah Jongg is invalid:
    1. Standard Mah Jongg in ErrorWhen a player declares they have a winning 14-tile hand but upon verification by the other players it is determined… More rules apply, and the game continues.
Serving Wall Prematurely
1. If a player servesThe action of a player pushing out the right end of their wall of tiles at a 45-degree angle, so… More their wall before the current wall is depleted, causing another player to pick a tile from the wrong wall, both players’ hands are dead.
  1. The tile remains in the dead handA player’s hand becomes Dead when they break a rule, make an invalid exposure, commit a player error, or a… More.
  2. Remaining two players continue to play from the correct wall.
  3. The prematurely served wallThe action of a player pushing out the right end of their wall of tiles at a 45-degree angle, so… More is retracted.
Exposure After Picking Tile from Wall
1. With the exception of when you are declaring Mah Jongg, if a player picks a tile from the wall and then makes an exposureWhen a player places a grouping of three or more identical tiles on the top part of their rack after… More, their hand is dead.
  1. Exposures can only be made by claiming discarded tiles or upon declaring Mah Jongg.