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SIAMESE MAH JONGG · DAY 5

Joker exchange

You'll learn
Swap matching natural tiles for jokers in exposed groups.
Time
7 minutes
Builds on
Exposed, concealed and dead hands
Up next
Wall games and dead hands
Why it helps
A matching tile on your rack could earn you a useful joker from an exposed group.

Practise this lesson

Practise this lesson with one opponent. This reference uses the American lesson examples, with Siamese differences noted.

An exposed joker is worth a second look. A matching tile in your rack could let you bring that joker into your own hand.

Trade a matching tile for an exposed joker

If you hold the tile an exposed joker represents, you can swap it for that joker. This is a joker exchange. The matching tile is called the natural tile.

Suppose an exposure contains two 6 Dots and a joker, and you have a spare 6 Dot. You can put it into the group and take the joker. The exposure still counts as three 6 Dots.

Before: exposed pung6 DotJoker6 DotYour matching tile6 DotAfter: exposed pung6 Dot6 Dot6 DotNow on your rackJoker
Exchange your 6 Dot for the joker. The exposure stays a pung of 6 Dots.

Exchange during your own turn

Draw or call first. Exchange before you discard. You may exchange with your own exposures or another player's, and you may make more than one exchange in a turn.

In TileClack, tap an exposed joker when you hold its matching natural tile. The exchange happens immediately.

At a physical table, announce the exchange and hand over your tile. Let the owner give you the joker.

You need the natural tile in your hand

It can be tempting to reach for a discarded tile that matches an exposed joker. For an exchange, though, the natural tile needs to be in your hand, and it needs to be your turn.

You cannot claim this discarded North just to exchange it for a joker.
You cannot claim this discarded North just to exchange it for a joker.

A joker in a declared Siamese hand cannot be exchanged. Neither can a joker in the exposure that made a hand dead. Earlier valid exposures on a dead rack remain available.

Remember

Your turn. Your matching tile. Exchange before discarding. The joker you receive still belongs only in matching groups of three or more.

Teaches on the Learner card · reviewed 2026-09-14