What's the Difference Between American and Chinese Mahjong?

American Mahjong uses 152 tiles (including 8 Jokers), has the Charleston tile-passing ritual, requires the NMJL card for winning hands, and skips Chows. Chinese Mahjong uses 136 to 144 tiles, no Jokers, allows Chows (runs), and scores differently.

American and Chinese Mahjong differ in several big ways: tile count, Jokers, and how winning hands work. American Mahjong uses 152 tiles with 8 Joker wild cards, has a mandatory tile-passing ritual called the Charleston, and requires matching hands against the official NMJL card that updates every year. Chinese Mahjong uses fewer tiles (136 to 144), has no Jokers, skips the Charleston, and uses traditional unchanging patterns for winning hands instead of a yearly card. American Mahjong also drops Chows (consecutive runs) as a standard meld, which Chinese Mahjong includes. The two games use different scoring systems too.