Every spring, the National Mah Jongg League releases a new card, and every spring the American mahjong world hits reset. The hands we spent a year memorizing disappear. New patterns appear. Everyone's a little bit of a beginner again.
The 2026 card is in play, and here's what you need to know.
Good news first: the card is organized into the same nine sections you know.
The hands inside each section are where the changes live. The year hands, naturally, now spell out 2026.
If you remember one thing about this card, make it this: 6s and Flowers are everywhere.
With a 6 built right into the year, 6s show up across nearly every section. One player-run analysis counted 6s in roughly 40% of all the card's hand variations, and Flowers weren't far behind.
What that means for you: think twice before passing a 6 or a Flower in the Charleston, and pay attention when someone passes them to you. A player giving away 6s this year is very committed to something.
And on the other end? 1s tend to be the easiest tiles to let go.
The 2026 card includes two hands with a sextet of Flowers: six in a single group. There are only eight Flowers in the whole set, so these hands lean heavily on jokers. Keep your Flowers close, and keep an eye on anyone who seems to be hoarding them.
A full N-E-W-S run shows up only a couple of times on the 2026 card. More often, winds come in pairings like North-South or East-West, or as pairs. If you're a Winds & Dragons devotee, read that section carefully before your first game.
The rules page got some helpful clarifications this year, too:
None of these are brand-new rules, but seeing them spelled out settles a lot of table debates.
Every practice drill in Bird Bam is built on the 2026 card. The Daily Rack is perfect for this transition: deal a rack, pick your best section, and let Bammie tell you if you read it right.
The new season is here. The best time to start practicing is now.