Table Rules

Greetings and salutations from your mahj buddy, Bubbe!

I’ve mentioned table rules before, but my Florida travel has inspired me to write more about them.

Table rules are variations on the official NMJL rules. If you are going to stray from the official rules, every player in the group must be made aware before you begin playing. Table rules can be as simple as “we play with a pie of X” (a loss limit of a certain amount), or as complicated as “we’re playing with a pie of X, futures, atomic, an extra mush, hot (or cold) wall, plus a kitty for wall games and doubling everything, including doubles on the roll.” Sounds like “a hot dog with the works,” doesn’t it?!

I’m sure there are table rules I’ve never even heard of—I haven’t been everywhere yet! The most important thing to remember is to be fair to everyone at the table: if you are setting the rules, they must be spelled out. If you’re new to the group and don’t understand some of the terms that your opponents use, make sure the hostess explains them to you very clearly. 

Why do people use any variation on the original NMJL rules? 14-tile players say they prefer it because the game goes faster: they must be more decisive, choosing a tile to throw before they pick. Some players want to improve their hand, so they ask for a “mush” (extra exchange of tiles after the Charleston). Some enjoy having more options than the card offers, so they include “atomic” (a hand with seven non-flower pairs, with no particular pattern). Some hope for the opportunity for a big win, so they double everything: the value on the card, twice the payoff if East rolls doubles, another doubling if East rolls the lucky number of the day—plus they might win any kitty money that has accumulated!

Those who use them love their table rules, and get very used them. They are popular options for your weekly game, but if you want to enter tournaments you need to remember the original NMJL rules, plus familiarize yourself with the specific rules of that tournament. Probably the biggest challenge is for the person who normally plays in a 14-tile game. She’s used to throwing before she picks, but if she makes that mistake in a tournament, her hand goes dead. 

When I was down in Florida, this week, I learned a lot about table rules. Because so many people are transplants from other parts of the country, they bring their own local customs with them—that’s why Florida games are often “gemishte” (mixed, or patchwork). One of the ladies who I met at the Boynton Beach JCC told me that she plays in five different weekly groups, each with its own interpretation of table rules. Her head is spinning, trying to keep track of which rules to apply. And I should also note that it’s rumored that the NMJL won’t even answer calls from Florida, since they always involve table rules.

I’m a purist, too. I don’t believe in continuing past the final Optional pass; playing non-NMJL hands; throwing before picking; looking ahead at tiles; restricting calling for tiles…I play the basic, vanilla game. And as for speed? I watched some incredibly fast players in Florida, and I know I wouldn’t be able to keep up their pace. My question is, “What’s your hurry?!” As I say in my book, Searching for Bubbe Fischer, two important aspects of the game are kvetching and noshing—if you’re going at breakneck pace, how do you have time for either of them? 

If you have some particularly interesting table rules that you’d like to share, feel free to contact me at bubbefischer@gmail.com  Meanwhile, enjoy playing the game the way you like to—what happens at the (home) table, stays at the table!

Talk to you soon!

Bubbe Fischer