Who pays double when someone wins?
By Jerry Chen. Checked and updated November 1, 2026
Short answer: discarder, or everyone on a self-pick
If you win on a discard, the discarder pays double and everyone else pays single. If you pick the winning tile yourself, everyone pays double.
The detail
Somebody always pays double. If you pick a tile from the wall and use it to redeem the joker that completes your hand, that counts as a self-pick, so everyone pays double.
A jokerless hand doubles the value again, except for hands in the singles-and-pairs and Quints sections, which never get that bonus.
Example: a 25-point hand won on a discard pays 50 from the discarder and 25 from each other player. If it is also jokerless, that becomes 100 and 50.
Sources
These follow standard National Mah Jongg League rules. House rules vary; agree on them before you play.
Related questions
- Does the jokerless bonus apply to singles and pairs?
- Is your hand jokerless if someone redeemed your joker?
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See more questions in Winning and paying, the complete rules, or all 52 rule questions.