The Charleston in Mahjong: Complete Guide to Tile Passing

The Charleston is a tile-passing ritual unique to American Mahjong. Before gameplay begins, all players exchange tiles in a specific sequence to improve their starting hands. No other Mahjong variant includes this mechanic.

First Charleston (Mandatory)

Players simultaneously pass 3 tiles: first to the right, then across, then to the left. All four players participate in each pass.

Second Charleston (Optional)

Reverses direction: left, across, right. Any player can stop the second Charleston before it starts. The blind pass is available on the final right pass.

Courtesy Pass

After the Charleston, players sitting across may optionally exchange 0-3 tiles. Both must agree on the number.

Strategy

Keep Jokers, pass Winds and Dragons you don't need, and have 2-3 potential hands in mind before passing. Watching what other players pass also reveals what hands they're chasing, see our reading opponents guide for how to use those signals.

Going deeper

• Printable Charleston cheat sheet: one-page reference you can keep at the table
• American Mahjong cheat sheet: 2-page master reference covering all rules
• Reading opponents: using Charleston tells to predict their hands
• Common beginner mistakes: Charleston pitfalls and how to avoid them
• Strategy guide: hand selection during the Charleston
• Charleston etiquette: pace, courtesy, and table manners