American Mahjong Cheat Sheet: Complete Printable Quick Reference

A 2-page printable quick-reference covering the essentials of American Mahjong: the tiles in the set, the Charleston, calling rules, joker mechanics, scoring tiers, and the most-asked judgment calls at the table. Designed for clear reading at any age, with no tiny text.

The Tile Set (152 tiles)

• Bams, Craks, Dots: 1–9 × 4 each (108 total)
• Winds: East, South, West, North × 4 each (16 total)
• Dragons: Red, Green, White × 4 each (12 total)
• Flowers: 8 decorative tiles
• Jokers: 8 wild tiles

NMJL play uses these 152 tiles. Retail sets often include extra pieces (spare Jokers, Flowers, and blanks) to set aside.

Setup & Game Flow

• 4 players sit around a square table.
• Each player builds a wall of 38 tiles (2 rows of 19).
• Deal: each player gets 13 tiles; East gets 14.
• Charleston (tile passing) happens before play.
• East plays first by discarding one tile.
• Play moves counter-clockwise: draw, then discard.
• Game ends when a player calls Mah Jongg or the wall is exhausted.

Charleston (Tile Passing)

1. Required first round: right, across, left (3 tiles each)
2. Optional second round: left, across, right
3. Blind pass: allowed on the last pass of each Charleston (first-round left, second-round right)
4. Courtesy pass: opposite players agree on 0–3 tiles

Never pass a Joker. Ever. In any pass. See our Charleston cheat sheet for what to keep vs. pass.

Calling Discards

• Pung: 3 of same (need 2 matching in hand)
• Kong: 4 of same (need 3 matching)
• Quint: 5 of same (number/wind/dragon quints include a Joker; Flower quints can be all-natural)
• Pair: only callable to win Mah Jongg

Mah Jongg calls beat all other calls for the same discard.

Joker Rules

• Wild for any tile in groups of 3 or more (Pung, Kong, Quint).
• Cannot be used in pairs or singles.
• Cannot be passed during the Charleston.
• Once exposed, any player holding the natural tile can swap it back on their turn.
• Concealed Jokers in your rack are safe from exchange.

Scoring & Payment

• Each hand's value is printed on the card and varies by hand and year.
• Discard win: the discarder pays double; the other two pay the single value.
• Self-pick win: all three players pay double.
• Jokerless win: paid double by all players (except Singles & Pairs).

Concealed hands do not get an extra double; their higher value is already on the card.

Dead Hand Triggers

• Wrong number of tiles in your rack
• Joker used illegally (in a pair or single)
• Calling a discard for an exposure that does not match a card hand you can still complete
• Falsely declaring Mah Jongg
• Exposing a group that cannot legally exist on the card

A dead-hand player is out for the rest of the hand: no more draws, calls, or discards, and cannot win. Their turn is skipped and the others play on. They still pay the winner normally.

Common Mistakes

1. Passing a Joker in the Charleston
2. Calling for a pair before the final tile
3. Locking into one hand too early
4. Wrong tile count after a call (should be 14, then discard to 13)
5. Forgetting to count flowers as part of the 14
6. Using a Joker for a single in Singles & Pairs hands

Going deeper

• Charleston cheat sheet: one-page printable focused only on the tile-passing ritual
• How to play American Mahjong: complete beginner walkthrough
• American Mahjong rules: full ruleset
• Joker rules: exchanges and edge cases
• Scoring & payment: worked examples for each tier
• Full glossary: every term defined
• Mahjong etiquette: deeper etiquette reference

Free reference for personal use. Not affiliated with the National Mah Jongg League. Buy the official card at nationalmahjonggleague.org.