Rules of Play: American Mahjong

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Everything you need to play your first game of American mahjong. Read it once, then sit down at the table.

The game in 60 seconds

Four players, 152 tiles, one goal.

The goal: Build a 14-tile hand that matches a line on the official card, then call “Mah Jongg.”
Before you play, everyone trades tiles in a routine called the Charleston.
On your turn, draw one tile and discard one tile.
Jokers are wild, but only in groups of three or more.

A note on the game

Mahjong comes from China and is played around the world, with different rules in different places. American mahjong is one version, with its own tiles, its own card, and its own community of players. This page covers the American game.

Which set do you need?

Mahjong sets are not all interchangeable. The version you play decides which tiles you need.

Not sure which you need? If the people you’ll play with use a card and jokers, you need an American set.

What’s in an American set

The game uses 152 tiles. Some sets add spares, blanks, or extra jokers. Play with 152.

What else you need

Racks (four). They hold your tiles and keep your hand private. Highly recommended.
Pushers. Attached to the racks, they help you move your wall to the center.
Dice. Two dice pick the dealer and break the wall.
The card. The National Mah Jongg League publishes an official card every year. It lists every winning hand for that year and is not part of the set. You need the current card to play, and everyone at the table should use the same one.

Your first game, step by step

1. Set up

Put one rack in front of each of the four players.
Shuffle all 152 tiles face down in the middle of the table.
Each player builds a wall in front of their rack: 19 tiles long and two tiles high. Push the four walls together into a square.
Each player rolls the dice. The highest roll is East, the dealer. Play moves counterclockwise from East.
East rolls again to choose where to break the wall and start dealing.
Deal counterclockwise, four tiles at a time, until everyone has 12. East takes two more tiles. Everyone else takes one. East has 14 tiles. Everyone else has 13.
Sort the tiles on your rack by group so you can see what you have.

2. Pick your target hands

Open the card. Each line shows one winning hand: the exact tiles and groups you need. Colors on the card show which groups must match in suit and which must differ. You choose the actual suits.

Find one or two hands that fit tiles you already hold. You can switch hands as the game goes on. The hands change every year, so check your current card.

3. The Charleston: swap tiles before you play

The Charleston is a set routine of tile passes. It’s how you shape your hand before the first discard. Pass your three tiles face down before you pick up the ones coming your way.

First Charleston (required)

Pass three tiles to the player on your right.
Pass three tiles to the player across from you.
Pass three tiles to the player on your left. On this pass you may do a blind pass: send one to three of the tiles you just received without looking at them.

Second Charleston (optional)

If all four players agree, go again in reverse: left, across, then right. Any player can say no to skip it. A blind pass is allowed on the final pass to the right.

Courtesy pass (optional)

Two players sitting across from each other can agree to swap up to three tiles.

Never pass a joker. Jokers can’t be passed at any point in the Charleston. Pass tiles that don’t fit any hand you’re considering. Keep jokers, pairs, and tiles that fit more than one hand.

Diagram showing the first and second Charleston passing order

4. Take your turns

East starts by discarding one tile face up in the middle of the table and saying its name out loud. East has 14 tiles, so there is no draw on the first turn.

Play moves counterclockwise. On your turn, draw one tile from the wall.

Decide what to keep, then discard one tile face up and say its name out loud.

After your discard, you should always be holding 13 tiles.

Keep going until someone wins or the wall runs out.

Flowers stay in your hand. They only count in hands that use them, so keep them or discard them like any other tile.

5. Call a discard

You don’t have to wait for your turn to take a discard. You can call the most recent discard only if it does one of two things:

It completes a group of three or more identical tiles for your hand: a pung, kong, or quint.
It completes your hand and wins the game.

When you call a tile, place the finished group face up on your rack. That group is an exposure. Then discard a tile. Play continues from you.

If two players want the same tile, Mah Jongg beats every other call. Otherwise, the player who is next in turn order gets it.

6. Win the round

When your 14 tiles match a hand on the card exactly, say “Mah Jongg,” show your tiles, and let the table check them against the card.

The hand’s value on the card decides what you win. Payments differ if you win on a discard or on your own draw, so agree on scoring and payments with your group before the first game. House rules vary.

If the wall runs out and nobody has won, the round ends with no winner. Reshuffle and start again.

Count your tiles. If you’re holding the wrong number of tiles, or you expose a group that doesn’t fit any hand, your hand can be declared dead. You keep playing, but you can’t win.

Jokers, explained

A joker can stand in for any tile in a group of three or more identical tiles.
A joker can never stand in for a single tile or a tile in a pair.
Jokers can’t be passed in the Charleston, and they can’t be called from the discards.
Joker swap: On your turn, if an exposed group on the table includes a joker and you hold the real tile it’s standing in for, put your tile in the group and take the joker.

Beginner mistakes to skip

Locking into one hand too early. Keep two or three options open through the Charleston.
Passing a joker. It’s not allowed.
Calling a tile for a pair or a single. Only call to complete a group of three or more, or to win.
Ignoring the discards. Watch what’s gone. When most copies of a tile you need are already out, switch hands.
Losing count. Check that you’re holding 13 tiles after every discard.

Words you’ll hear at the table

Charleston: The tile-passing routine before play begins.
Exposure: A completed group placed face up on your rack.
East: The dealer who starts the round.
Mah Jongg: The call made when your 14 tiles match a hand on the card.

Questions we hear a lot

Do I need the card?

Yes. Every winning hand comes from it, and it changes each year. Buy the current card, and make sure everyone at the table uses the same one.

Can I use a set from another version?

Not for the American game. You need 8 jokers and 8 flowers. A set without jokers won’t work.

Do I need racks and pushers?

Racks are highly recommended. Pushers are optional but make moving your wall easier.

How many people do I need?

Four.

Is it hard to learn?

A turn is simple: draw one, discard one. Reading the card takes a few rounds. Play a few casual games with the card open and ask questions as you go.

Ready to play?

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