How to Play American Mahjong: Complete Beginner's Guide

American Mahjong is a four-player tile game using 152 tiles including three suits (Craks, Bams, Dots), Winds, Dragons, Flowers, and 8 Jokers. Players draw and discard tiles to build a winning hand that matches one of the patterns on the annual NMJL card.

Game Setup

Each player builds a wall of tiles and receives 13 tiles (East gets 14). Before play begins, the Charleston tile-passing ritual lets players exchange unwanted tiles.

The Charleston

The Charleston is unique to American Mahjong. Players pass 3 tiles right, then 3 across, then 3 left. An optional second Charleston reverses the direction. This ritual helps improve your starting hand.

Gameplay

Players take turns drawing a tile from the wall and discarding one. You can call another player's discard to complete a Pung (3 of a kind), Kong (4 of a kind), or Quint (5 of a kind). Build toward a winning hand on the NMJL card.

Winning

When your 14 tiles match a hand on the NMJL card, declare "Mah Jongg!" to win. You can win by drawing from the wall or calling any player's discard.

Going deeper

• Joker rules: wild-tile mechanics, exchanges, and pair restrictions
• Scoring guide: point values and payment math with worked examples
• Tile meanings: every tile in the 152-tile set explained
• Common beginner mistakes: what to watch out for in your first games
• The Charleston: deeper guide to tile-passing strategy
• Complete rules reference: official NMJL ruleset