The year of the Dragon brings authority, prosperity and good fortune. The 2024 Wood Dragon adds elements of abundance and improvement to the new year. We all hope for an abundance of Mah Jonggs and continued improvement in our strategy during game play!
Let's fire it up and delve into this new, challenging and creative 2024 playing card!!
There are only 2 carryover hands from the 2024 playing card, from the Consecutive Run and Winds & Dragons categories. There are 73 hands as written on this card. A plethora of patterns and hand combinations account for the 1683 variations of playable hands for this fiery and flexible card! Can you guess which ONE hand has over 850 playable variations?
(Luxe Mah Jong's "Country Club Line" tiles)
Some Observations of the 2024 Playing Card:
FLOWERS are ablaze in Pairs and Kongs, however, like last year, there are NO hands with Pungs of Flowers! Flowers are required in 42% of the hands and are located in all ten categories of the playing card. Be mindful of the two quint of Flowers hands, one hand dwells in the quints category and the second Flower quint hand is hiding out in the Consecutive Run section.
There are NO Pungs of Flowers this year. In fact, exposing a Pung of Flowers will make a hand automatically not viable.
During the Charleston, avoid passing Flowers if you can. If not using Flowers in your hand, keep the unneeded or spare Flowers! Try to use the flower as joker bait during game play, but do not wait until end game to discard flower tiles as an opponent may be burning to CALL for a discarded Flower to complete a pair for Mah Jongg!
The National Mah Jongg League's architects of the card hands have a bit of fun when they create "mathy" hands. There is no tile in the set that represents the mathematical symbols of a plus (+), multiplication (x), or equals (= )sign.
On the 2024 playing card, we have the following math-related hands :
ADDITION HANDS - three choices of one suit hands each requiring a pair of flowers and showing equations with the sum of SEVEN!
MULTIPLICATION HANDS - four multiplication hands with equations that must be made with the numbers indicated only, using flowers and ALL three suits. The product of each equation is comprised of SINGLE tiles.
(Crisloid's "Walk With Me" tiles)
~ The BIG Hand is back where it belongs as the last concealed (c) Hand in the Singles & Pairs section with a value of .75. Please remember NO Jokers may be used in a 2024 grouping of tiles...NOT even for Mah Jongg.
~ Tiles of Twos and Fours in Bams, Craks, and Dots as well as Soaps (white dragon) create the tile grouping of 2024. These tiles will be required to create the four hands with their variations in the 2024 category as well as the sixth hand in Singles & Pairs. During the Charleston passing, be mindful of not passing TWOs, FOURs and Soaps together in one pass. A player may inadvertently help their opponent toward a 2024 hand or a hand requiring the number 2 and/or 4 tiles.
~ Take a minute to double check your exposure when you CALL for a tile.
You can make changes to your exposure (ie. you exposed a PUNG but meant to expose a KONG) during your turn, but once you properly name and discard a tile to end your turn, you could be stuck with an incorrect exposure and must slither into another hand that uses your exposure(s) of tiles.
~ SINGLE TILES: Please note that there are many Hands that require single tiles! Single tiles are treated like PAIRS as you may NOT CALL for a single tile except for your final tile for Mah Jongg!
Discarding single tiles near end game can be riskier this year. Competent players read their opponents' exposures as well as the discards before throwing fresh or chancy tiles.
~ Always verify the winning Mah Jongg hand!
Players should not throw all their tiles in to begin a new game until the winner's Mah Jongg Hand is placed in Hand order on their rack and is verified as correct!
Be mindful of playing a concealed (c) hand! You may NOT call for any tiles during game play. When playing a closed hand, you may call ONLY for your final tile for Mah Jongg.
PATTERNS on the 2024 Playing Card:
Dragons are considered to be strong and intelligent creatures as are Mah Jongg players! Dragons are masterful at transformation and shape-shifting.
Strong players are also adept at recognizing new forms, shapes and rhythms of hands.
Pattern recognition helps to remind us of what blocks of tiles comprise each Hand. Players can think more clearly about what groupings of tiles must be finalized to complete their hand by relating to the rhythm of the Hand (ie. Pung Pung Kong Kong).
(My Fair Mah Jong's "Southwest Series" tiles)
Recognizing the hands, and concentrating on the rhythms of tile groupings in the hand will strengthen your game play as well as help you to avoid making errors in exposures. Endeavoring to remember locations on the playing card of identical hand patterns is indispensable. Be brave and venture out of your cave of comfort, there are quite a few new patterns on the 2024 card to attempt!
The following are prevalent patterns on the 2024 card:
PUNG PUNG KONG KONG PAIR KONG KONG KONG
KONG PAIR PAIR PAIR KONG
One unique pattern, PUNG PAIR KONG PAIR PUNG, located in the first hand of Consecutive Run, has already been aptly & creatively named by gurus in the Mah Jongg community! Can you relate to the following names to identify and distinguish this particular hand pattern?
Moustache (Barney Gellasio)
W pattern (Tom Sloper)
Castle (Michele Frizzell)
Sombrero (Bubbe Fischer)
Crown pattern
HOW CAN I GET TO KNOW THE 2024 CARD?
If you are an Arizona local player and plan to attend one of the 2024 Playing Card Workshops with me, you will be provided this worksheet packet to complete at the workshop. The worksheets are included in the fee for the lesson.
The 2024 worksheet card packet is available on my SHOP page...click on the link below:
If you are an Arizona local player and plan to attend one of the 2024 Playing Card Workshops with me, you will be provided this worksheet packet to complete at the workshop so you do not need to purchase the packet now. The worksheets are included in the fee for the lesson.
Each April, I create a worksheet packet with questions for players to answer that will help to familiarize them with the current playing card.
Click on this link for the packet:
Examples of the questions I have included on the worksheets are:
~ List the six matching and six opposite Dragon Hands on this year's card
~ Can you locate the hands with a "gate" shaped pattern of KONG PAIR PAIR PAIR KONG
~ List some unique patterns that can be seen in the hands on this card
~ How many hands have Flowers on the card
I provide a downloadable and printable worksheet packet that includes:
2024 card overview
worksheet on the playing card
worksheet on the patterns of hands
answer keys & explanations
The worksheets help all players of all playing levels see the playing card from various perspectives. The worksheets are intended for ALL players, from Beginner to Advanced!
Familiarity with the hands on the card as well as an understanding of the patterns and rhythms of the hands leads to creativity of play.
Strong players will begin to determine what Hands their opponents may be playing when exposures are made. Strategy can be employed when a player becomes knowledgeable and comfortable with all of the Hands on the card. Switching hands may become essential and proficient players are adept at finding back up hands as well.
Please click on the link below if you would like to purchase the 2024 Mah Jongg Worksheet Packet! Once purchased, you can download and print the worksheet packet which includes the 2024 card overview, worksheet pages, and answer keys. You will need your own 2024 National Mah Jongg League playing card to complete the worksheets.
If you cannot attend an in-person workshop, this worksheet packet will definitely help you become very familiar with the new card. Learning and playing Hands from all of the categories on the card will render you a stronger, more flexible & knowledgeable player.
I hope you learn from and enjoy these worksheets as much as I take joy in creating them!!
In the Chinese culture, the 2024 year of the Dragon will bring hope and new developments!
Happy 2024 Mah Jongg to all and....
May the tiles be Ever in your Favor!
***Thank you to ILoveMahj.com , Barney Gellasio, Michele Frizzell, Debbie Barnett, Bubbe Fischer and Tom Sloper, for your insights on the 2024 card.
Purchase the downloadable, printable 2024 Mah Jongg Worksheet Packet NOW! Click on the link below: