How to Play American Mahjong

American Mahjong is usually played by four people using 152 tiles, four racks, dice, and the current National Mah Jongg League card. Each player builds toward one of the 14-tile hands printed on that card. You draw one tile, decide what helps, and discard one tile until somebody completes a legal hand.

1. The goal of the game

Complete one exact hand from the current card. Most hands contain 14 tiles arranged as singles, pairs, groups of three, groups of four, or groups of five. Unlike many other Mahjong styles, you are not generally building any four sets and a pair—the printed hand must be matched exactly.

2. Set up, build the walls, and deal

Place one rack at each side of the table and mix all tiles face down. Each player builds a wall two tiles high and 19 tiles long. Players determine East; East begins with 14 tiles while the other players begin with 13. House procedures for breaking the wall and dealing can vary slightly, so follow the table’s established method.

3. Pass tiles in the Charleston

Before drawing and discarding begins, players pass groups of three tiles in a structured sequence called the Charleston. Use it to remove tiles that do not support your strongest possibilities and to learn what may be useful to other players. Read our Charleston guide for the full sequence and beginner strategy.

4. Follow the rhythm: draw, assess, discard

East makes the first discard. After that, a normal turn has three beats:

1. Draw the next available tile from the wall.
2. Assess how the new tile changes your possible hands.
3. Discard one tile face up and name it clearly.

Play moves counterclockwise. Keep your rack organized enough to think, but avoid arranging it so obviously that everyone can read your plan.

5. Call a discard only when it completes a group

When another player discards a tile you need for a group of three or more identical tiles, you may call it, take it, and place the completed group on top of your rack. This is an exposure. A discard may also be called to complete a pair or single only when it gives you Mahjong.

A called tile interrupts the normal order of play. The caller exposes the group, discards, and play continues from that position. The hand marked concealed on the card cannot make exposures during ordinary play.

What about jokers?

Jokers may usually stand in for tiles in groups of three, four, or five identical tiles. They cannot represent a single or a pair. A player holding the natural tile may exchange it for an exposed joker during their own turn. See How Jokers Work for examples.

6. Declare Mahjong with an exact 14-tile hand

When your tiles exactly match a hand on the card, say “Mahjong” and display the complete hand. The table verifies the pattern, suit colors, concealed or exposed status, and any joker restrictions. Scoring customs can differ by group, so agree before play begins whether you are using points, coins, or simply recording wins.

What to practice first

• Name every discard clearly.
• Keep one or two sections of the card in focus rather than scanning everything.
• Check whether the hand is concealed before calling a tile.
• Count the total tiles in your intended hand.
• Ask for a pause when you need to understand a call or joker exchange.