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The Mahjcast: Two Bros Talk Mahjong

The Mahjcast is American Mahjong with the filters off. Hosted by Jason and Ira, the Mahj Bros, it’s a funny, irreverent and refreshingly different take on the people, personalities, strategy, tournaments, trends, rules and table drama shaping the game. This isn’t a how-to show and it definitely isn’t your mother’s mahjong podcast. Expect sharp takes, ridiculous stories, strong opinions, guest personalities, Mahj Confessions and plenty of debate. Pull up a chair—you’ve got a front-row seat to the culture exploding around the table.

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 203: Our Big Exclusive w/ MMD Founder Leslie Kimel, Peeing our Pants w/ the Mahj Ladies & Jason's Birthday Surprise Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

This week on The Mahjcast, it’s Jason’s birthday, and the Bros are celebrating with one of our BIGGEST episodes yet. 🎂🀄

First up, the hysterical social media mahjong sensations @mahjladies pull up a chair. Mara and Sharon talk about going from a decades-long weekly mahjong game to social media stardom, Cameos, mahjong fame, questionable tuna fish etiquette, pickleball, the Alamo, Marshalls, and everything in between. Let’s just say there wasn’t a dry Depends to be found.

And then, a Mahjcast exclusive: Lesssssssslie Kimel, founder and creator of @MiniMahjDaily, joins us for a rare interview about the phenomenon that has taken the mahjong world by storm. Leslie gives us the story behind MMD, how she built the “Wordle of mahjong,” what nearly half a million games played looks like, why Ivy is such a bitch, the recent National Mah Jongg League card rollout, and where Mini Mahj Daily goes from here.

Plus:

🀄 Jason and Ira play the 1973–74 NMJL card
🀄 Ira reveals the final results of his Summer Challenge… and then loses the evidence
🀄 A birthday edition of “How Well Does Ira Know Jason?”
🀄 The Mahj Bros Battle heats up on Mini Mahj Daily
🀄 And The Last Tile looks at the creators, personalities and communities turning mahjong from a game into a full-blown lifestyle

It’s funny, a little inappropriate, occasionally educational, and very Mahj Bros.

Pull up a chair. Rack your tiles. Let’s play.

🎧 Listen to The Mahjcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music
📲 Follow us on Instagram & Facebook: @themahjbros
🌐 Everything Mahj Bros: themahjbros.com

And, as always… may the jokers be with you. 🀄

Ep. 202: Mini Mahj Daily Mania, Kim Eagle's Exposure Debate & The Best Fan Mail Ever! Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

Ira is back in the studio, the mahjiverse is busy, and this week’s episode has a little bit of everything.

We’re recapping Jason’s latest tournament adventure with his mom in New Jersey, checking in on Ira’s very loosely defined “challenge,” and celebrating a big update from Mini Mahj Daily that's quite literally, a game changer.

Then Kim Eagle from @ladiesthatmahj joins us for CALL IT, where one seemingly simple mahjong etiquette question turns into exactly the kind of debate we love: part rules, part courtesy, part strategy, and very much up for discussion.

We’ve also got updates on upcoming trips and events, plenty of Mahj Bros chaos, and one of our best Mailbags yet with some incredibly thoughtful, funny, and very on-brand notes and gifts from listeners.

And yes, there’s a little New Year energy in the air too as we ring in 5787, with a Last Tile about tradition, community, and why this game keeps bringing people together.

Pull up a chair, rack your tiles, and let’s play.

🛍️ Shop the Mahj Bros store at themahjbros.com
Use code PINKICEDTEA for 20% off through the end of the month.

📲 Follow us on Instagram & Facebook: @themahjbros
💌 Send us your table drama, rules debates, Mahj Moments and confessions at hello@themahjbros.com

Ep. 201: New Season, Black Dragon Drama, New Merch, Bad Tablemates & a Gilded West Getaway, Let's Go! Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

It's a brand new season for The Mahj Bros! The Mahjernet has its knickers in a twist — and this week, we’re finally weighing in on the great Black Dragon debate. Is mahjong evolving, or are we fixing something that was never broken? Spoiler: we have thoughts.

We’re also tackling an even more dangerous question: how do you kick someone off your mahjong table? From toxic players and painfully slow games to ghosting, group-text exile and one truly spectacular table-flip story, we hear from the community and decide when it’s time to say, “Maybe you’d be happier with another group.”

Plus: Ira is still stranded in Europe, while we launch themahjbros.com and the new Mahj Bros merch store without him, Mini Mahj Daily drama continues, a tournament player gets her hand slapped to save her from going dead, and we catch up on everything that happened while we took one week off and the Mahjiverse lost its mind.

Then Jason sits down with Jovann Walker, founder of Mahjong Retreat Co., for a preview of the Gilded West Dallas retreat, where the Bros are heading this November with their cowboy boots, country glam, a tournament and a live episode of The Mahjcast.

And through all the chaos, we come back to the reason we love mahjong in the first place: the table, the people, the stories, the laughter — and knowing when somebody might need to find another table.

🎧 The Mahjcast
🌐 www.themahjbros.com
📲 Follow us on Instagram & Facebook: @TheMahjBros

Join us at The Gilded West Retreat in Dallas November 6th-8th!

And for a limited time, our listeners can use code PINKICEDTEA for 20% off in the new merch store. Shhh... it's a secret just between us!

Pull up a chair, rack your tiles, and let’s play.

Ep. 125: Mister Mahjong visits NYC, Nathan’s Hostile Takeover & More Mahj Confessions Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

This week on The Mahjcast, things get personal.

Ira’s partner Nathan stages a hostile takeover of the studio with a few things to get off his chest — starting with Ira’s highly questionable mahjong teaching style, public shaming of new players, and a Mini Mahj confession that raises some serious ethical questions.

Also this week:

🀄 Classic Tiles vs. Crazy Tiles — We debate whether novelty sets are fun, fabulous… or way too confusing for tournament play.

📚 Ira Tries to Correct the Expert — Ira is convinced Jillian from @mahjeltov's strategy book is riddled with errors. Spoiler alert: the book is right. Ira is not.

🏙️ The Bros Take Manhattan — Rain may have killed Bryant Park, but it didn’t stop us. We pivoted to Sparrow’s Nest Studio with @Mister_Mahjong, Jackie, 10-Joker @zac.mathias and a packed room of mahjong madness.

🏆 Mini Mahj Daily Drama — Bethany comes painfully close, Randy takes the weekly crown, and apparently mahjong dominance is becoming a family affair.

🧢 Blanks Are for Cheaters — A listener turns a family mahjong feud into a custom hat, and naturally we have opinions.

🌸 Hydrangea-gate Continues — The DMs have spoken, and Jason is still defending the flowers he allegedly murdered with his truck.

📣 CALL IT: How Much Celebration Is Too Much? — Is a huge mahjong win worthy of fireworks, screaming and a victory lap? Or should you quietly rack your tiles and show some class? We settle the debate.

And finally, The Mahj Bros are taking a week off. We’re squeezing every last drop out of summer and will be back after Labor Day rested, re-racked and ready for whatever the Mahjiverse throws at us next.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Amazon Music.

Pull up a chair, rack your tiles and let's play.

Ep. 124: Our First Hamptons Mahjong Tournament, Dead Hands and Even More Dead Hydrangeas & a Charleston Etiquette Debate Aug 21, 2026

Show notes

Mahjong tournament season has officially hit the Hamptons—and the Mahj Bros are breaking down every tile, triumph, and bit of drama. From first-time tournament players to seasoned competitors, questionable etiquette, dead hands, slow play, and a surprise champion, this week’s Mahjcast is all about what happens when social mahjong gets competitive.

Jason and Ira recap the entire tournament—including Ira’s pre-game stress, Jason getting his hand called dead, the players who shocked themselves by crushing it, and the final podium. Plus, the event supported a local charity, Hamptons Community Outreach, proving once again that bringing people together through mahjong is a huge part of what the Mahj Bros are all about.

Also this week:

🀄 Tournament etiquette: What really drives players crazy—and what should you NEVER do at a mahjong tournament?
🏆 Mini Mahj Daily crowns two new weekly winners as the Mahj Bros Battle grows to more than 250players.
📚 Jason issues a buyer-beware warning after accidentally purchasing the wrong Mahjong Made Easy.
🤠 More love from the Texas mahjong community—and a few invitations for the Bros to hit the road again.
🗽 The Great Mahj-Off is ON: The Mahj Salon vs. The Mahj Bros in New York City on September 25, with Times Square firmly in their sights.
🔥 Call It: During the Charleston, should you wait until everyone receives their tiles before looking—or grab them and keep things moving? Jason and Ira debate social play vs. tournament speed.
🎯 And in The Last Tile, why playing in a mahjong tournament might be one of the fastest ways to sharpen your game—and how to know when you're actually tournament-ready.

Pull up a chair, rack your tiles, and let’s play.

Follow @themahjbros on Facebook and Instagram, and DM us. We love hearing from you!

Ep. 122: Texas Mahjong Part 1, It's Bam Bird Brisket, Baby, Let's Go! Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

The Mahjcast hits Texas — and in Part 1, Jason heads deep into the Dallas mahjong scene to meet some of the women helping turn the Lone Star State into the center of the modern mahj universe.

First stop: @TheCharlestonClubDallas, where founder Lisa Rocchio turned a former dog-grooming space into a gorgeous mahjong clubhouse built around connection, community and some seriously good shopping. We talk about why mahjong has exploded in Dallas, the rise of women-owned mahj businesses, blanks, house rules and why putting down your phone might be one of the game's greatest gifts.

Then Jason sits down with Stephanie Brink, @TheMarvelousMrsMahjong, to talk about teaching thousands of players across the country, celebrity lessons, why beginners need to give themselves a break, and what exactly is inside the bag of one of America's busiest mahjong teachers.

And at @BamBirdBoutique, co-founder Meredith Ajello takes us inside a business born over wine and mahjong that has grown into a full-blown Texas success story — custom tiles, game-night culture, female entrepreneurship and the realization that one set of mahjong tiles is never enough.

Plus: Texas hospitality, Dream Tables, bros who mahj, a possible mahjong speed-dating revolution, and Jason beginning to wonder whether he should just move south.

It's Bam Bird Brisket, Baby, Let's Go!

Pull up a chair, rack your tiles, and let's play.

Follow @themahjbros on Instagram and slide into our DMs, we love hearing from you!

Ep. 123: Texas Mahjong Part 2, Giddyup! We're LIVE (and Sloppy!) from the Mähj the Magazine Retreat at the Interstate Inn Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

The Mahjcast hits the road for a very special live episode from Mähj the Magazine’s retreat at the Interstate Inn in Stephenville, Texas — and Jason is surrounded by some of the women (and a bro named Fast Charlie) helping turn Texas into one of the hottest mahjong communities in the country.

With Ira back home, Jennifer Hohman, co-founder of Houston's @MahjongMeetsMoxie and co-host of The Mahj Salon pod, steps in as co-host as we finally settle the great Texas blanks debate, break down the Dallas vs. Houston mahjong rivalry, and ask the question of the weekend: “Is that a mahjong thing…or a Texas mahjong thing?”

Plus:

🀄 Kathy Wise on the latest from Mähj the Magazine, the Texas mahjong boom and what’s coming next

🤠 Interstate Inn owner Lisa Lennox on reimagining a classic roadside motel into the perfect mahjong retreat

✨ Lourdes from @For_ the_Love_of_Mahjong on design, tablescapes and the business of mahj

🎯 Brandy from @SoloMahj on a brilliant way to practice the game, you guessed it, solo!

❤️ An unforgettable conversation with Lizzie about Jewish life in Texas, family history and how mahjong helped her through loss

🍸 And plenty of sloppy mahj, trinkets, cocktails, Texas hospitality and absolutely unnecessary Ira slander.

Jason came to Texas trying to figure out what makes Texas mahjong different — and left realizing it isn’t one rule or one style of play. It’s the hospitality, creativity, entrepreneurship and community built around the table.

Pull up a chair, rack your tiles, and let’s play.

Follow @themahjbros on Instagram and slide into our DMs, we love hearing from you!

Ep. 121: Mahjong Court, Missing Jokers & the Great “Hold” Debate Solved! Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

A family mahjong scandal has rocked the Mahj Bros universe—and this week, we’re taking it all the way to Mahj Court.

Ira’s sister-in-law, Haley (pronounced: HAY-LEEEE), joins us from the Hamptons to defend herself after a mysterious exposure and a joker gone missing. Was it an innocent mistake, loosey-goosey Texas mahjong, or outright cheating? Jason serves as judge while Ira makes the case for life in mahj prison.

We also finally settle the great “call” vs. “hold” vs. “pause” debate by phoning mahjong expert Dara Collins of Modern Mahjong for an official ruling. Dara also clears up when mahjong takes priority over an exposure, when a player is committed to a called tile, and why mahjong should never become a hand-eye coordination speed game.

Plus:

🀄 Ira’s summer challenge update
🏆 We crown another Mini Mahj Daily weekly winner
🎯 Joker baiting strategy and when to hold your flowers, with thanks to @thehausofmahj for the great post
🤔 How early is too early to commit to an exposure?
🃏 How many jokers is too many to use at once?

Pull up a chair, rack your tiles, and let's play.

Follow @themahjbros on Instagram and slide into our DMs anytime, we love hearing from you!

Ep. 120: Dead Hands, Live Jokers & Mahjong Hot Takes Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

International Mahjong Week may be wrapping up, but the mahjong madness is just getting started. This week, Jason and Ira revisit the great “hold,” “pause,” or “call” debate, review @mahjeltov's post about dead hands and redeemable jokers, and share the latest leaderboard drama from the Mahj Bros Battle on Mini Mahj Daily.

Plus, a huge charity win in the Hamptons, another round of Call It, plenty of mailbag mayhem, and a reminder of what makes this game—and this community—so special.

Pull up a chair, rack your tiles, and let’s play.

Ep. 119: A Times Square Mahjong Face/Off, The Modern Dad Joins the Chat & Ira's Tournament Tales Jul 24, 2026

Show notes

The Mahj Bros Battle is heating up, Ira is officially tournament-ready, and this week’s episode brings plenty of mahjong, mayhem, and one very special guest.

Jason and Ira welcome Jason Dunnigan from @the_modern_dad, to talk about parenting, building community, creating wholesome content, and how mahjong became the perfect way to disconnect from the phone and reconnect with friends.

Plus:

🀄 Ira recaps his latest tournament tales—and reveals where he finished
📣 A major rules debate: should you say “hold,” “pause,” or “call”?
🔥 The Mini Mahj Daily battle passes 100 players
🤝 A listener’s message sparks an incredible real-life “Mahjunion”
🎁 Custom Mahj Bros jokers arrive from Spools Tiles—with an impractical twist
🎭 Jason's ultimate Dream Table
⚔️ The Mahj Salon officially challenge the Bros to a Times Square Battle

It’s a packed episode about friendship, family, competition, community, and remembering that the best moments usually happen between the wins.

Pull up a chair, rack your tiles, and let's play.

Follow @themajbros on Instagram, join the Mahj Bros Battle on Mini Mahj Daily, and leave us a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music. It helps more mahjong lovers find the show.

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