Jokers
Jokers are one of the most useful tiles in your hand, but they come with rules of their own. Here's what you need to know.
What a joker can do
A joker is a wild tile — it can stand in for almost any other tile in a pung, kong, or quint (a group of three, four, or five matching tiles). If a hand on the card calls for three 5 Dots, for example, you could use two real 5 Dots and a joker instead.
What a joker can't do
Jokers can never be used for a single tile or as part of a pair — that's true on every hand on the card. Some hands go further and don't allow jokers anywhere at all; the card marks which ones, so it's worth checking before you build around one.
Trading for a joker
If another player has an exposed group that includes a joker, and you're holding the real tile the joker represents, you can trade for it on your turn: hand over the matching tile, and take the joker for your own hand. Your tile takes the joker's place in their exposed group — no extra tile changes hands. This is a normal part of play — don't be shy about it if it helps your hand.