When searching, remember, a few words are better than many
ID170-Flower and Joker History in American Mah Jongg
Changes In Our Tile Sets
American Mah Jongg has evolved since the standardization of rules by the National Mah Jongg League in 1937, with annual rule updates and changes in the number of Flowers and Jokers.
Originally. the League treated Flowers as Jokers also referred to as “Wild Flowers.” Then, beginning with the 1943 card, more Flowers were added to make hands more challenging and to increase the luck factor.
Jokers were not introduced into American Mah Jongg until 1961. Between 1961 and 1971, the number of Jokers fluctuated between 8Â and 24 tiles. Finally on the 1971-72 card they stabilized to the 8 Flowers and 8 Jokers included in our game today.
Below is an overview of the changes made to the tile sets regarding Flowers and Jokers:
YEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â FLOWERSÂ Â Â Â Â JOKERS
1937-1942Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 8F
1943Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12F
1944-45Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 14F
1946Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 16F
1947-48Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 18F
1949Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 20F
1950-55Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 24F
1956-57Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 22F
1958-60Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 20F
1960-62Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 14FÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2J
1962-66Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12FÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4J
1966-67Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 8FÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6J
1967-68Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 10FÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6J
1968-71Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6FÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 8J
1971-Present     8F               8J