How to Play
If you've never held a tile, start here. This is the short version of how a game is set up and how a turn flows, enough to sit down at a table and enjoy yourself.
American mahjong is usually played by four. Three works with small adjustments, and most groups will happily seat a beginner between two patient regulars.
Three suits: dots, bams and cracks, numbered one through nine, plus winds, dragons, flowers and jokers. Jokers are the part that makes the American game feel distinct.
Instead of memorizing hands, everyone plays from the same annually published card. You pick a hand from it and collect tiles toward that pattern.
A single hand often runs ten to twenty minutes. An evening is usually several hands, with plenty of talking in between.
Step by step
Step 1
Turn all tiles face down and mix them well. Each player builds a wall in front of them, two tiles high, and the four walls are pushed together into a square.
Step 2
Tiles are dealt around the table until every player holds thirteen; the dealer takes one extra to begin. Stand yours up so only you can see them.
Step 3
Open your card and look for a hand that suits the tiles you already hold. Keep a backup in mind, since you'll often change course as the game develops.
Step 4
Before play begins, players pass unwanted tiles in a set sequence of threes. It's the game's most social moment and your best chance to shape a hand.
Step 5
On your turn you draw a tile, then discard one face up and name it aloud. Play moves to your right, and the rhythm settles quickly.
Step 6
If a discarded tile completes a group you need, you may call it, expose that group on the table, and continue from there. Calling is how hands come together fast.
Step 7
Jokers substitute for tiles in groups of three or more, never in pairs or singles. Holding one too long can cost you; spending one too early can too.
Step 8
When your fourteen tiles match a hand on the card exactly, declare mahjong and lay them down. The table checks it together, then the tiles are washed for the next hand.
A friendly note: this is an introduction, not a complete rulebook. Hands, scoring and the finer points change from year to year, so always play from the current National Mah Jongg League card for official hands and rules, and when in doubt, ask the table.
Watch and learn
Three short tutorials from teachers we like, one for each moment beginners ask about most. Tap a thumbnail to play right here.
A clear walkthrough of building the walls, rolling the dice, and finding the East seat: everything that happens before the first tile is drawn. A good watch for anyone sitting down to their very first game.
How to Set Up American Mahjong & Deal | Mahj 101 Ep. 4 (Walls, Dice & East Seat), Southern Sparrow · Watch on YouTube
The passing sequence that starts every game, explained step by step, with practical tricks for choosing which tiles to pass and which to keep. Ideal for turning a confusing ritual into a confident habit.
How To Do The Charleston In American Mahjong • Tricks For Beginners, Ladies That Mahj · Watch on YouTube
A gentle introduction to the annual card itself: how the categories, colors and patterns translate into real hands. Watch this before your first game and the card will stop looking like a puzzle.
The Absolute Beginners Guide to American Mah Jongg - Reading The Card, AGB Art · Watch on YouTube