Winslow 1920 set

All the exercises and quizzes in the book are linked to our card, but here’s where we guide you based on the current NMJL card. Of course you have to buy the card from the League, but once you have it you can consult this area of the website for updated NMJL card answers to our questions and exercises.  We won’t be able to include actual hands from the NMJL as they’re copyrighted.

Page 94-95

 
Answers using the 2026 NMJL Card
 
1 Consider using the 5B, 7B, 7C, 9C for the second line in 13579 on the right. Keep the odd numbers leaning towards the first hand on the right of 13579.
 
2 Love the pair of flowers and of course the Joker! Think 369, especially the second to last line. You already have the pair of Flowers, and you have a nice start on “9”s for the Kongs. As always, keep every 3, 6, and 9 tile you get and see where you wind up strong.
 
3 Consider keeping 3, 6, 9. Also think about keeping all of your Craks and seeing if a Consecutive Run emerges. There are nine hands of one suit Consecutive Run this year. Note: Seven in the Consecutive Run category, the second line in quints and the fourth line in Singles and Pairs.
 
4 Keep your 7’s, 8’s and 9’s in the hopes of Consecutive Run, especially the seventh line down on the Right.  You might also keep your Dragons hoping for Like Numbers, Line 2 using 9s.
 
5 Consider the fourth line down in Winds and Dragons. Use #6 and your three Wests and you already have six tiles! This hand is also a powwer hand so you can use as many Jokers as you are lucky to get.
 
6  The second line down in Winds and Dragons is perfect. You can use the 1, 2, and 4 Dots, the three Green Dragons and the Red Dragon. You are starting with seven of the tiles you need! You can also consider the fourth line down in the Consecutive run on the Right using the 1 and 2 Craks and the 3 and 4 Bams. Both good choices.
 
7 You have 7 even numbered tiles. Consider section 2468. It’s too earl;y to choose a specific hand, but you can cettainly collect your evens and se where the tiles take you.
 
8 Consecutive run socond from th bottom on th left using thr 7, 8, 9 Craks is a thought. I would also consider the second line down in Winds and Dragons. The second to last line in WD, on the Right, using the East and two Wests and the Green and White Dragons might also be a possibility. This grouping of tiles has a great possibility to move around the 2026 card. 
 
9 Again, keep the pair of flowers! Think about Winds and Dragons Line 7.
 
10 Keep 1B,3B,5B,5C,7C,9C,9C in hopes of a 13579 hand.
 
 

Page 131: 

Let’s talk about Backup hands on the 2026 NMJL Card. 

This year there are 19 hands that are POWER hands. A power hand has no singles and no pairs. Jokers galore and you can use them anywhere. Why you can use EIGHT jokers, if you should be so lucky. These hands are your saviors. You might have been playing a hand that you needed a pair, the third tile has just been thrown. You are two tiles from Mah Jongg and cannot call. Do not slump in your chair! This is your chance to use your backups! Maybe you can switch to a power hand in the same category.

Page 133 UPDATED

Quiz: 

1.     See if you can find all 19 hands with no singles or pairs. Our answer is below: No peeking! 

2.     How many hands have consecutive runs using only one suit?

3.     Which is the strongest section for Backup Hands?

Answers: 

1. This year’s 19 Power Hands (drum roll please):

Section 2026 – Line 1

Section 2468 – Line 1 BOTH hands, Line 4

Section And Like Numbers-Line 1

Section Quints  – Lines 1 and 3

Section Consecutive Run – Line 4 BOTH hands, Line 6

Section 13579 – Lines2 BOTH hands  

Winds and Dragons – Line 1 BOTH hands, Lines 3, 4, 5

Section 369 – Line 1 BOTH hands 

2. There are nine consecutive run hands on the 2026 Card that only use one suit. See if you can find all of them. 

Answer: Quints Line 2, CR Line 1 BOTH hands, 2 left side, 4 left, Line 5 left, 6, 7 left. Singles and Pairs Line 4.

3. The easiest hand to back up into is the Consecutive Run Line 4.

4. Some fun facts about the 2026 NMJL Card

The third line in Quints is one the easiest hands on the Card. ANY two numbers in one suit and ANY Dragon.

There are no hands with a Kong of flowers.

There are 12 Flower pungs.

Drum Roll please! There are two hands with a sextet of Flowers.

The most popular number this year is 6.  The least popular number this year is 8. So, when passing tiles in the Charleston and you have a choice, go for passing 8s.

There are four hands that are direct pickups from 2025: Line 5 in 2468, Line 7 in 13579 on the Right and Line 1 in WD both sides. 

Last year there were 71 hands on the card and this year there are 72 hands. 

Have a GREAT 2026 year! May the Jokers be with you.

And here’s how Barney Galassio learns the new card each year.

  • I play Siamese with my patient friends
  • I play on-line with robots
  • I write down on paper every hand from the new card – the act of writing helps me
  • I build every hand on the card on a rack with tiles – I am a visual person
  • I play the 14 tile game that I have described before.   Grab 14 tiles that are a winning Mah Jongg hand.   Turn them face down and mix them up.   Replace 7 of them with 7 random tiles selected from the rest of the tiles.  Now turn up all 14 and see if you can spot the original Mah Jongg among those 14 tiles.
  • Start creating a list that shows when 2 exposures can only be one hand.  This will take time, but it is so helpful in truly understanding the card.
  • Start a second list that shows what your back-up plan is when you A Plan hand goes dead.  Nice to have a Plan B for most of your hands.
  • (Nerd alert!)  I have a photo of each panel of the card

Another good resource is Tom Sloper’s website: https://sloperama.com He has info about the new card.