What is the Charleston in Mahjong?

The Charleston is a tile-passing ritual unique to American Mahjong. Before gameplay begins, players pass 3 tiles at a time to each other in a set sequence (right, across, left). It helps players improve their starting hands and adds a strategic layer to the game.

The Charleston is American Mahjong's mandatory tile-passing routine that runs before the actual game starts. The first Charleston has three passes (right, across, left), each one moving exactly 3 tiles. Jokers are never passed. After the first round, players can agree to a second Charleston in reverse (left, across, right), and any player can shut it down. A courtesy pass follows, where players across from each other may swap 0-3 tiles by mutual agreement. The Charleston lets you drop tiles you don't want and watch what shows up in your incoming pile, which gives you a feel for what other players are dumping. Good Charleston play keeps your hand flexible until the passing is done.