# Jokers and Bonus Hands on Mahjong Island

**Quick answer:** On Mahjong Island, a Joker is wild: it stands in for a tile in a Set, Quad, Quint, or Sextet, never a Single or a Pair. Each Joker kind can also raise your score multiplier (Mult).

Source: https://mahjongisland.com/guides/mahjong-jokers-and-card-drops · Mahjong Island · Updated 2026-11-01

Every **Mahjong Island** game deals 8 Jokers, and each one is a different kind. This guide shows where a Joker can go, how the Joker swap works, what each kind adds to your score, and how the monthly Bonus Hands work.

A few words first. You win by completing one hand on the Island Card, Mahjong Island's own card of hands. A hand is 14 tiles that match one line on the card. That line is written as groups of identical tiles.

Those groups have plain names. A Single is 1 tile, and a Pair is 2 identical tiles. A Set is 3 identical tiles (called a pung in traditional mahjong). A Quad is 4, a Quint is 5, and a Sextet is 6.

## What does a Joker do?

A Joker fills the gap in a group of identical tiles. Say your hand needs a Set of three Red Dragons, and you hold only two. A Joker can stand in for the third Red Dragon. Now the Set is complete.

A Joker also scores the Chips of the tile it stands for. Chips are the points in your score. In that Set, the Joker counts as a Red Dragon. So it adds 10 Chips, just like a real Dragon.

American mahjong sets include joker tiles too. Mahjong Island keeps the idea of a wild tile, then gives each Joker a kind of its own. For the basics of a full hand, read [how to play Mahjong Island](/guides/how-to-play-mahjong).

[Jokers and Jokerless](https://mahjongisland.com/learn/jokers-and-jokerless)

## Where can a Joker go?

A Pair must always be two real, identical tiles. A Joker can only help in a group of three tiles or more.

Here is a quick example. Your hand needs a Quad of 5 Bam, four identical tiles. You hold three real 5 Bams and one Joker. The Joker stands in for the fourth 5 Bam, and the Quad is done.

Some lines on the card ask for numbers in a row, like 1-2-3-4-5, as Singles. A Joker cannot fill any of those tiles. Each one must be the real tile.

## Can you pass or discard a Joker?

You can never pass a Joker in the Charleston. The Charleston is the passing of tiles between players before play begins. Whatever Jokers you are dealt stay on your Rack, the row of tiles in front of you.

You may discard a Joker, but a discarded Joker is dead: nobody can take it. So a Joker you let go is gone for every player. Read more in [can you discard a Joker in Mahjong Island](/blog/can-you-discard-a-joker-in-mahjong).

## How does the Joker swap work?

An Open Group is a group made with another player's discard, laid face up. You may take a discard only to Win or to make a group of 3 to 6 identical tiles. That group then sits on the table for all to see.

On your turn, you may swap a real tile from your Rack for a Joker in any Open Group. The Joker must stand for that exact tile. You then use the Joker in your own hand.

Say another player has an Open Group of two 8 Craks and a Joker. That Joker stands for an 8 Crak. If you hold a real 8 Crak, you can swap it in and take the Joker.

## What do the Joker kinds add to your Mult?

Each Joker kind has its own Mult, counted once per Joker of that kind in the winning hand. Mult is the multiplier in your score. Every winning hand scores Chips × Mult, and Mult starts at 2.

Tiles: Palm Joker, Shell Joker, Gull Joker, Hermit Joker. Palm Joker +2 Mult, Shell Joker +3, Gull Joker +4 on a Self-Draw win, Hermit Joker +5 with 2+ Open Groups.

Some kinds add Mult every time. Others count only in a certain spot or a certain kind of win. Each game deals 8 of the 16 core kinds.

Here is how the Mult adds up. Every +Mult adds first, then every ×Mult multiplies. A Palm Joker adds +2, taking Mult from 2 to 4. A Sun Joker in a Set then doubles that to 8.

Other Mult Hands stack on top. A Self-Drawn Win, a win on a tile you drew yourself, adds +2 Mult. A Fully Concealed hand adds +3. Winning with no Jokers at all scores ×2 Mult, called Jokerless.

To see every part of a score, read [how Mahjong Island scoring works](/guides/mahjong-scoring).

## What are the monthly Bonus Hands?

Bonus Hands are extra hands that join the Island Card for one month. Each month, 3 Bonus Hands are added for that month only. A win with a Bonus Hand scores ×2 Mult on top of everything else.

The Bonus Hands for November 2026 are Landfall (30 points), First Harvest (30 points), and Welcome Lei (35 points). Those points count toward your Chips.

The rest of the card stays the same. A new Island Card comes out each January 1 and never changes once released. For how a win works, read the [Mahjong Island rules](/guides/mahjong-rules).

[Bonus Hands](https://mahjongisland.com/learn/bonus-hands-card)

## Where can you try it?

Play a hand against 3 bots in your browser, with no sign-up or download, and see which Jokers you are dealt.

[Play a hand](https://mahjongisland.com/play?new=1)

## Frequently asked questions

### Can a Joker be used in a Pair on Mahjong Island?

No. A Joker can fill a Set, Quad, Quint, or Sextet, but never a Single or a Pair.

### How many Jokers are dealt in each Mahjong Island game?

Every game deals 8 Jokers, each a different kind, chosen from 16 core kinds.

### Can you take a Joker someone discards?

No. A discarded Joker is dead, and nobody can take it.

### How many Bonus Hands are there each month?

Each month, 3 Bonus Hands join the Island Card for that month only. A win with one scores ×2 Mult on top of everything else.