Game Setup

The complete process of preparing an American Mahjong game, including arranging the table, washing tiles, building the wall, determining the dealer, and distributing scoring chips.

What You Need

You'll need a mahjong set with all 152 tiles (that includes 8 jokers), four racks, and some chips for scoring. Don't forget the current year's NMJL card. Get yourself a sturdy table, plenty of room for four people. Some folks use a table cover to keep the surface nice and quiet.

Everyone needs their own space for their rack, and you've got to see the discard area clearly. The wall should be within reach. Good lighting matters, too. Clear off anything that'll get in the way.

Seating and Determining the Dealer

Four people, four seats. You can sit wherever or roll dice to pick. Once everyone's seated, roll two dice. Whoever gets the highest total is East (the dealer). Ties, you roll again.

East's right neighbor is South. Then West, then North going around. These spots don't change until the deal passes.

Washing and Building the Wall

Spread all 152 tiles face-down and shuffle them. This is called washing. Everyone helps, pushing tiles around for half a minute or so.

Then each player builds their wall section: 19 stacks, 2 tiles high, 38 tiles total. Push your wall toward the center. The four walls should form a square. Keep stacks neat so tiles pick easily.

Breaking the Wall and Dealing

East rolls dice to find the break point. That number tells you where to open the wall. From there, you do the pick-and-rack thing. East gets 14, everyone else gets 13.

Now everyone organizes their tiles quietly. You're almost ready to go. Next up is the Charleston.

Distributing Scoring Chips

Hand out the same amount of chips to everyone before you start. Different colors mean different values. Pretty straightforward.

Some groups skip the chips and just write down scores on paper. Others throw in small cash. Pick what works for your group and explain it before you play. Everyone should know how payments work.