American Mahjong Rules: The Complete Reference

Most American Mahjong rules make sense the moment you see them at the table. A few trip up every new player, and one or two decide who wins. This is the reference for both, the page to keep open on your phone the first handful of times you play.

If you're brand new, start with how to play American Mahjong first, then come back here for the details.

The object of the game

Be the first player to declare Mahjong by building a 14-tile hand that exactly matches a line on this year's National Mah Jongg League card. You can't win with a clever combination of your own invention, only with a hand the card allows.

The deal

An American set has 152 tiles: three suits (Dots, Bams, Cracks) numbered 1–9, plus Winds, Dragons, Flowers, and eight Jokers. Everyone builds a wall two tiles high, the dealer (East) takes 14 tiles, and the other three take 13. East starts play by discarding first.

The Charleston

Before play, tiles are passed in a fixed sequence, right, across, left, so everyone can trade away what they don't need. Three tiles per pass. There's a second Charleston in the reverse direction the table can agree to skip, and an optional courtesy pass. Jokers may never be passed in the Charleston.

Taking a turn

Play proceeds to the right. Draw a tile from the wall, then discard one face-up in the center, naming it aloud.

Calling a discard

This is the rule most worth knowing well:

• You may claim only the most recent discard. Once the next tile is discarded, the previous one is dead and can't be called.
• You can call a tile only to complete a set you then expose face-up on your rack, a Pung, Kong, Quint or Sextet.
• You cannot call a tile to complete a pair or a single tile, unless that tile completes your entire hand and you're declaring Mahjong.
• If two players call the same tile, a call to declare Mahjong beats a call to complete a set.

Exposed vs. concealed hands

Some hands on the card are meant to be built in the open (exposed), with your sets placed face-up as you complete them. Others are concealed: every tile has to come from the wall, nothing called from a discard, except the very last tile that completes your Mahjong. The card tells you which is which, so always read what's in the parentheses.

Jokers

• A Joker can substitute for any tile within a Pung, Kong, Quint, or Sextet.
• A Joker cannot be used as a single tile or as half of a pair.
• Jokers can't be passed during the Charleston.
• If a Joker is sitting in an opponent's exposed set, you may swap the correct tile for it on your turn, a redemption that's worth watching for.

Dead hands

A hand becomes dead, out of the game, when a player breaks a rule, for example exposing a set that can't make a legal hand on the card. Play continues without them. It's the game's way of keeping everyone honest, and yes, experienced players will call it.

Ending the hand

The hand ends when someone declares Mahjong, or when the wall runs out. If no one has won and the last tile is drawn and discarded, the hand is a draw, no one pays. After each hand, the deal rotates and East moves to the next player.

A note on etiquette

These rules read strict on paper, and among seasoned players they are, part of why the game rewards paying attention. But every good table also teaches. When you're learning, say so; people will slow down, correct a misplaced Joker, and wave off a technicality. The competitive edge and the welcome coexist. That's the game.

Frequently asked questions

Can you call any discarded tile in mahjong?

No, only the single most recent discard, and only to complete a set you expose (or to declare Mahjong). Earlier discards are dead.

Can a Joker be used for a pair?

No. Jokers work only inside sets of three or more (Pung, Kong, Quint, Sextet), never for a pair or a single tile.

What makes a hand "dead" in American Mahjong?

Breaking a rule, most often exposing tiles that can't form a legal hand on the current card. A dead hand is out for the rest of that round.

What happens if nobody wins?

If the wall runs out with no Mahjong declared, the hand is a draw and no payments are made. The deal then passes on.

Ready to play? Walk through a full game in how to play American Mahjong, or learn to read the scorecard in how to read the mahjong card.