The Big Hand is a challenge yet again. Here it is in the New York City Series by My Fair Mahjong.

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.

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Answers using the 2025 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 Line 2 and MAYBE Line 4 (you are on the ready to call for a third Flower. 
 
3 Consider keeping 3, 6, 9. Also think about keeping all of your Craks and seeing if a Consecutive Run emerges. There are five hands of one suit Consecutive Run this year. You might take a flying leap and go for the first hand in Quints. You only need one Joker for that hand. You are starting with five tiles before the Charleston even begins.
 
4 Keep your 7’s, 8’s and 9’s in the hopes of Consecutive Run, especially the third line down. You already have the hard part.. the pair! You might also keep your Dragons hoping for Like Numbers, Line 1 using 7s or 8s.
 
5 Consider the Quints hand, Line 2 using your 8 and 9 Craks and your three Wests. You are ready to call that 4th West. You might also consider keeping the Wests and the North for a Winds and Dragons hand. 
 
6 You might consider Line 4 in Winds and Dragons keeping GGG, R and W. An all dragon hand is also a consideration. You can also think about CR Line 2, on the Right, using 1C, 2C, 3B, 4B.
 
7 You have 7 even numbered tiles. Consider section 2468. You might also go for hands in 2025.
 
8  You might think about Line 3 on the left in CR, using 7, 8, and 9 Craks. You can go for a long shot and head for Line 4 in WD. 
 
9 Again, keep the pair of flowers! Think about Winds and Dragons Line 4 but line six is probably the hero here. Keep your E SS G R. We would go first for the hands in WD with Flowers. 
 
10 Keep 1B,3B,5B,5C,7C,9C,9C in hopes of a 13579 hand.
 
 

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Let’s talk about Backup hands on the 2025 NMJL Card. 

This year there are 15 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.

We’ve noticed this year it seems that once you’ve called for an exposure you have many fewer possibilities than other years. You might want to wait a bit longer to make sure you think you have things under control before you call.

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Quiz: 

1.     See if you can find all 15 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 15 Power Hands (drum roll please):

Section 2025 – Line 2

Section 2468 – Line 1 BOTH hands

Section Quints  – Line 2

Section Consecutive Run – Line 2 BOTH hands

Section 13579 – Lines 2 and 3 BOTH hands  on each line 

Winds and Dragons – Line 1 BOTH hands

Section 369 – Line 1 BOTH hands, Line 3   

2. There are six consecutive run hands on the 2025 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, 3 left, Line 5

3. The easiest hand to back up into is the Consecutive Run Line 2.

4. Some fun facts about the 2024 NMJL Card

The first line in Quints only needs one joker!

There are no hands with a quint of flowers.

There are six flower pungs.

The most popular number this year is 5. The number 5 must be used in 27 hands on the Card! The least popular number this year is 4. So, when passing tiles in the Charleston and you have a choice, go for passing 4s.

There are four hands that are direct pickups from 2024: the first line in WD and the second line in 369. The 3rd line in CR and the 1st line in Winds and Dragons.

Last year there were 73 hands on the card and this year there are 71 hands. The Addition Hand was eliminated but there are five addition hands scattered throughout the Card. This is partially because of the addition of the multiplication hands.

Have a GREAT 2025 year! May the Jokers be with you.

 

And here’s how Barney Galassionlearns 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 car

Another good resource is Tom Sloper’s website: https://sloperama.com/mjfaq/2023.html He has info about the new card.