# American Mahjong Defense — What Hand Are They Playing? > Guess the American Mahjong hand from exposed tiles. (iPhone/iPad app by Eight Bam LLC.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/american-mahjong-defense/id1575634397 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Eight Bam LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1154367439) - Category: Games - Price: Free - Rating: 4.78/5 from 187 App Store ratings · 12 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 13.0 · 6 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2021-08-12 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/american-mahjong-defense/id1575634397/reviews.md ## What is American Mahjong Defense? What Hand Are They Playing? Your friend has exposed some tiles, now guess the hand they are playing. Singles and pairs rules are optional. Guess and Check Tap a tile in the lower 3 rows to complete the exposed hand. Continue guessing until you expose the complete pattern. Some tiles will be played already. The missing tiles will not be in the hidden pattern.   Random Patterns Patterns are selected randomly out of all of the possible combinations for the 2021 NMJL card, except for concealed hands. Also the hand FFFF 2222 0000 21 is not used. Jokers Jokers are used in quints only. Points Points start at 10 and count down for each missed tile. Since more than one pattern is often possible getting 10s will involve some luck, but try for the highest score possible. This is not the American MahJong Practice app For American MahJong Practice go to https://apps.apple.com/app/id1458051621 on the App Store. Support Contact support@eightbam.com for questions and include screenshots if possible. ## Key features - Guess exposed Mahjong hands - Optional singles and pairs rules - Randomly generated patterns - Jokers used in quints - Score based on accuracy and speed ## Recent user reviews (10 of 12) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/american-mahjong-defense/id1575634397/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Fun *2026-02-14* Fun way to learn the NMJL card. ### 5/5 — Learn the card with this *2025-05-29* When the new card arrives from NMJL I play this to learn the card. Then later I play it without using the card to see how well I can spot a hand. Love it! **Developer response:** Exactly :) Thanks for the great review! ### 5/5 — Newbie Training *2025-05-12* This app is so helpful as I Learn the hands on the 2025 card. Thank you **Developer response:** You’re welcome :). Thanks for the great review! ### 5/5 — Great app *2025-04-05* Updated for 2025 card. Excellent Skill builder to learn new card and to recognize opponent hands. **Developer response:** Great review. Thanks! ### 5/5 — Best way to learn the card! *2025-04-03* This is by far the best app for learning the hands on the card! My third using this app! Love it! **Developer response:** Thank you for the great review! ### 5/5 — 2024 *2024-04-03* We need to update the game to 2024 **Developer response:** 2024 is here :). Download the update from the App Store. Thanks for the 5 stars! ### 3/5 — Giving Credit Before It’s Due *2023-05-08* It’s not that I don’t like the app but since the switch to 2023 there’s a bug. For 50-75% of the rounds the full hand is filling in after I get only one correct tile. It’s not waiting for me to fill in everything. Even if there’s only one possible option after my first guess it should force me to fill in every tile as it always has in the past. I play without referencing the card so I’m not (yet) always 100% certain I’m right. If you fill in too quickly I’m not learning. **Developer response:** Disable singles and pairs rules in settings. For new players we changed the default setting so you won’t see this. Thanks for the feedback! Contact support@eightbam.com for help. ### 5/5 — Excellent *2023-04-08* This game is a fun and effective way to learn the hands, as well as improving my defense skills. Thank you! **Developer response:** Thank you for the excellent review :) ### 5/5 — Excellent way to improve card knowledge *2022-05-25* This has really helped me improve my game by more quickly identifying the hands my opponents are playing! Great resource - thank you!! ### 5/5 — Thank you for 2022 Card Update! *2022-04-11* Love this app,Thank you 😀 **Developer response:** It’s out. Download version 2.0 :) ## Frequently asked questions about American Mahjong Defense ### What is American Mahjong Defense? American Mahjong Defense is a game where you guess the complete Mahjong hand your friend is playing based on a few exposed tiles. You tap tiles to complete the pattern, aiming for the highest score. ### How do I play the game? You'll see some exposed tiles and need to guess the missing ones to form a complete Mahjong hand. Tap tiles in the lower rows to complete the pattern. The game uses patterns from the 2021 NMJL card, excluding concealed hands. ### Are there any special rules or jokers? Yes, singles and pairs rules are optional. Jokers are used exclusively in quints. The game scores points starting from 10 and counting down for each missed tile. ### Is this app free to play? Yes, the application is free to download and play. It does not contain any in-app purchases or advertisements. ### What if I need help or have a question? For any questions or issues, you can contact support at support@eightbam.com. It is recommended to include screenshots if possible to help diagnose the problem. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 5.1 — 2025-04-24 Update the year in help ### 5.0 — 2025-04-02 2025 Hands! ### 4.2 — 2024-09-08 Add prompt for app review ### 4.1 — 2024-04-06 Fix color coding for hands in the spin dialog ### 4.0 — 2024-04-04 2024 Hands ## Apps similar to American Mahjong Defense | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Mahjong Sudoku by SZY](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mahjong-sudoku-by-szy/id517676348) | 4.4 (7) | Free | Games | | [Line-3](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/line-3/id1460371880) | 4.7 (23) | $0.99 | Games | | [American Canasta](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/american-canasta/id1056776107) | 4.4 (525) | Free | Games | | [Shanghai Majong](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shanghai-majong/id1187641822) | 4.6 (644) | Free | Games | | [Shut the Box Classic - Kids](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shut-the-box-classic-kids/id344291486) | 4.2 (9) | $2.99 | Games | | [Flower Board™](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flower-board/id434811164) | 4.4 (95) | Free | Games | ## More apps by Eight Bam LLC - [American Mahjong Practice](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/american-mahjong-practice/id1458051621) - [American MahJong Tracker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/american-mahjong-tracker/id1495286083) - [American Mahjong Lookup](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/american-mahjong-lookup/id1594076827) - [American Mahjong Tracker 2023](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/american-mahjong-tracker-2023/id6447276482) - [American Mahjong Two Handed](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/american-mahjong-two-handed/id6448074914) All apps by Eight Bam LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/1154367439 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*