How to Play American Mahjong

American Mahjong is a structured, social tile game played by four players. While it shares roots with traditional Chinese Mahjong, American Mahjong follows its own rules, uses Jokers, and relies on an official yearly card from the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL).

This guide explains the rules clearly for beginners and focuses exclusively on American Mahjong.

What You Need to Play

• ✔ A complete American Mahjong tile set (152 tiles)
• ✔ Four tile racks (with or without pushers)
• ✔ Two dice
• ✔ Chips or coins for scoring (optional)
• ✔ The current-year NMJL card (required)

👉 See recommended American Mahjong sets

Understanding the Tiles

American Mahjong uses 152 tiles, which include:

Suit Tiles

• Dots (1–9)
• Bams (Bamboo, 1–9)
• Craks (Characters, 1–9)

Each numbered tile appears four times.

Honor Tiles

• Winds: East, South, West, North
• Dragons: Red, Green, White

Bonus Tiles

• Flowers (8 total)
• Jokers (8 total)

Important: Jokers may be used only in certain sets and never in pairs.

The NMJL Card

The National Mah Jongg League publishes a new card each year listing all legal winning hands. Players must follow the card exactly.

Unlike other versions of Mahjong, players do not create their own hands — they must match one shown on the card.

Setting Up the Game

1. Each player builds a wall of tiles in front of them.
2. The walls are pushed together to form a square.
3. Two dice are rolled to determine the starting position.
4. Tiles are dealt clockwise until each player has 13 tiles.
5. The dealer starts with 14 tiles.

The Charleston (Tile Passing)

Before regular play begins, players participate in the Charleston — a structured tile-passing phase designed to improve hands.

Standard Charleston

1. Pass three tiles to the right
2. Pass three tiles across
3. Pass three tiles to the left

An optional second Charleston may occur depending on table rules.

Gameplay Basics

On your turn:

1. Draw a tile from the wall
2. Discard one tile

Players may call discarded tiles to complete exposed sets if allowed by the NMJL card.

Exposures

When a player calls a tile, the matching tiles are placed face-up on the rack. Once exposed, tiles cannot be rearranged.

Calling Mahjong

A player wins by completing a hand that matches exactly one hand on the NMJL card.

The winning player declares “Mahjong,” reveals their hand, and scoring is determined.

Scoring

Scoring varies by table, but generally:

• The winner receives points or chips
• Hands with concealed tiles often score higher
• Joker-less hands may earn bonuses

Beginner Tips

• Choose one hand on the card and commit