Beginner walkthrough · Step 2 of 8
2. Reading the card & choosing a direction
ⓘ Fictional training card · NOT the official NMJL card
Not a real card. Fictional practice card — NOT the official NMJL card. Its hands are made up for learning. To play real games, buy the current NMJL card from the League and study it. Real hands, sections and points will be different.
Practice card line (fictional) · Bams
11222333344455
One color = one suit. On the card, two or three colors mean the line needs two or three different suits.
Any one suit · exposed (X) allowed · 14 tiles
Your rack (13 tiles)— outlined: Fits the practice line
Your goal is to match one hand on the card exactly — 14 tiles. Notice your many Bams from 1 to 4. They fit our practice line 11 222 3333 444 55 in one suit.
“Your first look at the card feels like a lot. Just find two or three hands your tiles lean toward — that's plenty.”
Mae · Friendly neighborStrategy Tip
Watch it happen: Reading the card and picking a hand
1/5 You open your card beside your rack. Every player uses the same card. Official Rule
Takes about 15 seconds. You can pause any time and pick up where you left off.
Show details: how it happens, League rules and tips
How it happens at the table
- 1.Every player uses the same card — the current year's NMJL card. Each player brings their own copy. Official Rule
- 2.Even though everyone has the same card, put yours where only you can see it — flat by your rack or tucked behind it — so nobody can tell which hand you're watching. Etiquette
- 3.Look at your tiles and ask which category they suggest — Evens, Odds, Runs, Winds and so on. Strategy Tip
- 4.Count your pairs and triples. They tell you which hands are realistic. Strategy Tip
- 5.Read colors as suits: one color means one suit, two colors two different suits, three colors three suits — your choice which. Official Rule
- 6.Here, compare your tiles with the practice line 11 222 3333 444 55. Nine of your tiles already fit. Strategy Tip
What the League requires
- Official Rule You win only with a hand exactly as printed on the current year's NMJL card. Every hand is 14 tiles.
- Official Rule One color on the card means one suit of your choice; it does not name a suit.
Good advice — not a League rule
- Strategy Tip Don't lock into one line on the deal. Pick a category first (Evens, Odds, Runs) and count your pairs and triples — many hands are built on them.
- Card-Year Specific Our practice line is fictional, for learning only. At a real table, use the NMJL card you bought.