How NMJL has changed the rules: Jokers, Flowers, Soap and the Black Dragon
Updated: Oct 1
The National Mah Jongg League made an effort to standardize the rules for all American mahjong games in 1937. Just like the original Chinese game, each American mahjong table had its own flexible variation of the game.
Did the NMJL standardize the game of American mahjong? After reading researching from game expert Tom Sloper and Annelise Heinz' book titled Mahjong, I have concluded that the NMJL continued to change the game, despite its claims.
What is the history of flowers and jokers on the NMJL card and rulebook?
According to Tom Sloper, these are the game changes the NMJL has made with flowers, jokers and dragons since its inception in 1937:
1937-1942: 8 Flowers
1943: 12 Flowers
1944-1945: 14 Flowers
1946: 16 Flowers
1947-1948: 18 Flowers
1949: 20 Flowers
1950-1955: 24 Flowers
1956-1957: 22 Flowers
1958-1960: 20 Flowers
1960-1962: 14 Flowers, 2 Jokers
1962-1966: 12 Flowers, 4 Jokers
1966-1967: 8 Flowers, 6 Jokers
1967- 1968: 10 Flowers, 6 Jokers
1968-1971: 6 Flowers, 8 jokers
1971- present: 8 Flowers, 8 Jokers
It is unclear exactly when the Soap was used to represent a 0 in year hands. The earliest any NMJL card includes the Soap is a neutral is in 1980.
In 2026, the Black Dragon was a concept introduced by Gladys Grad to assign a dragon to the dots and leave the Soap as a 0 or the letter O on the alternative cards.
American mahjong started growing more flowers with NMJL card changes three years after “standardizing the rules.” In fact, American mahjong tile sets had basically a garden on every rack.
In the 1940s, the NMJL started adding flowers. And more flowers. And more flowers. Since American mahjong loves to change the rules of the game, the NMJL directors considered the flowers to be wild so people could actually win a game once in a while. By 1950, there were 24 flowers in standard mahjong game. Yes- there were 2 dozen flowers in every American mahjong set to accommodate NMJL card updates.
Groovy. Let's change the rules of the American mahjong game again.
In the 60s, NMJL wanted order. Jokers were introduced as wild tiles and flowers went back to just being flowers.
The American Mahjong game kept on truckin'.
In 1971, the NMJL agreed on the current 8 flowers and 8 jokers.
It is unclear when the Soap tile was used as a zero. Some sources say Soap began working double duty in the 1980s on the NMJL card.
Look, I was born in the 1980s. Were year hands a “thing” in NMJL cards or cards predating the NMJL? Someone enlighten me with facts, not Facebook feelings.
Would NMJL change the rules again for the game of American mahjong? As if!
Now I am imagining it’s 1999.
Ruth: “Y2K is coming! We need to use a lot of Soaps for the year section of the card.”
Harvey: “I don’t know why you are worried, Ruth. Barely anyone plays this silly game anymore. I heard Barbara Walters talking about the computers imploding for the year 2000. Just use the zeros and print the card.”
Ruth: “You are probably right. I’ll just leave the phone off the hook."
I imagine they were all humming Prince’s lyrics to 1999.
When we didn’t die and computers operated normally, the few players received their NMJL cards. In 2001, soap got a little break but had to get used to working hard.
Girl... We are changing American mahjong again.
And here we are in 2026 with more players than ever. Every new player had the same question when they learned “why is this rectangle so many things?”
Many modern mahjong teachers all just learned to play themselves. They simply told students to stop questioning the “why” and match the hands like the NMJL card or Marvelous Mah Jongg card says. Things just are what they are in American mahjong. The rectangle is called Soap and is the White Dragon for the dots, the zero and the letter “o” on the alternative cards and Siamese cards. Everyone just has to roll with it.
We teach new players that we have an easy way for players to remember that the Soap is the White Dragon and is the dragon for the dots. Just think: suds and soap. The bubbles look like suds and the rectangle looks like a bar of Palmolive soap.
Simple, right? Ha. "And why is it a rectangle instead of a dragon like the red or green?" the students all ask.
“It's just the way it is,” we tell new students. “Move on. Roll with that too.”
I don’t have to imagine these conversations in 2026… I lived these. The younger players usually look at the teachers with a blank stare. The Soap tile connection to a bar of soap makes no sense to younger players. In 2026, soap is always in a pump now. "Rectangle means soap?" they ask.
Finally, one student has a light bulb moment. “Oh… I get it! It’s VINTAGE soap from the old days. Once, I got a bar-type soap like that at the motel. So gross. I had to share the shower with my brother. There was a hair on the bar of soap and I wasn’t sure what body part that hair came from!”
I guess we need to take notes from the NMJL crew of 1937 and just make some more stuff up in the American mahjong game. This time, it’s Gladys Grad leading the charge and introducing the Black Dragon. We need to give Soap a break until 2111.
More change is coming. Even the NMJL loves to change the rules and the tiles of the American mahjong game.
Source: Tom Sloper
Source: Gladys Grad
Source: Annelise Heinz Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture
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