Rules January 12, 2026

American Mahjong Rules Cheat Sheet: Beginner’s Step-by-Step Guide

A friendly, step-by-step guide to American mahjong rules for beginners: the tiles, the wall, your turn, the NMJL card, and how a hand is won.

By Wei Liang · Founder & Production Lead, Mahjong Market

The first time I sat at an American mahjong table, the tiles looked like a wall of symbols I could not read. Twenty minutes later, I was drawing, discarding, and calling out passes in the Charleston. The rules are learnable in one sitting — the mystery fades fast. By the end of this article you will understand the tiles, the flow of a turn, the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) card, the Charleston exchange, how jokers work, basic scoring, and how a hand is actually won.

What you need to play

A standard American mahjong set includes:

• 166 tiles — dots (circles), bamboo, cracks (characters), winds (East/South/West/North), dragons (Red/Green/White), 8 jokers, and flower/season tiles.
• 4 racks to hold each player’s hand.
• 4 pushers to build the wall.
• A wind indicator and a carrying case.

If you are starting from scratch, grab a beginner American mahjong set — it includes English-labeled tiles and a quick-start guide.

The goal of the game

Like most mahjong, the goal is to be the first player to complete a 14-tile winning hand that matches a pattern on the current NMJL card. You build that hand by drawing and discarding tiles, collecting sets:

• Pung — three identical tiles (e.g., three Red dragons).
• Kong — four identical tiles.
• Chow / run — three consecutive tiles in the same suit (e.g., 3-4-5 dots).
• Pair — two identical tiles.

Unlike Chinese mahjong, where almost any valid combination of sets and a pair can win, American mahjong requires your final arrangement to match a specific hand printed on the year’s NMJL card. That card is what makes the game both approachable (you know exactly what to aim for) and endlessly fresh (the hands change every year).

Setting up: building the wall

1. Each player uses their pusher to push 19 tiles into a wall on their side, two tiles high.
2. The four walls form a square in the center of the mahjong mat.
3. The dealer (East wind) rolls to “break” the wall and play begins.
4. Tiles are dealt counterclockwise: each player receives 13 tiles, and East (the dealer) receives 14.

Tip: a quiet padded mat keeps the clatter down and makes a long game night far more pleasant. It also protects your table from scratches when tiles are pushed and slid across the surface.

The Charleston: American mahjong’s signature move

Before regular turns begin, every American mahjong hand opens with the Charleston — a mandatory three-round tile exchange that exists only in the American version of the game. This is one of the features that makes American mahjong feel distinctively different from its Chinese cousin.

Here is how it works:

1. First pass (right): Each player selects three tiles from their rack (face down) and passes them to the player on their right. Everyone picks up their new tiles at the same time.
2. Second pass (across): Each player passes three tiles to the player sitting across the table.
3. Third pass (left): Each player passes three tiles to the player on their left.

After these three passes, there is an optional “courtesy Charleston”: any player may ask “Does anyone want to do a second Charleston?” If all four players agree, a second three-round exchange is performed — this time in the reverse order (left, across, right). After the courtesy Charleston (or if nobody asks for one), regular play begins with East’s first discard.

Charleston strategy tips

• Pass tiles you do not need — but think carefully. A tile useless to you might be exactly what the player on your right is collecting. Some players deliberately “feed” tiles that mislead.
• Do not pass jokers unless your group’s rules require it (some do not allow joker passing at all). Jokers are too valuable to give away.
• Keep your target hand flexible during the Charleston. You may receive tiles that suggest a better hand than the one you originally planned. Be willing to pivot.
• Count carefully. You must pass exactly three tiles each round and end with exactly 13 tiles (14 for East).

The Charleston is what gives American mahjong its social, interactive feel — you are shaping each other’s hands from the very first moment, not just your own.

The first time you sit through a Charleston, it feels chaotic. Tiles slide right, then across, then left, and somebody at the table always mutters “wait, which way now?” By the third hand, nobody asks anymore — the rhythm clicks, and the exchange becomes one of the most satisfying parts of the game.

How a turn works

On your turn you do three things:

1. Draw one tile from the wall (or claim a discarded tile to complete a pung/kong).
2. Assess your hand and decide what you no longer need.
3. Discard one tile face-up into the center.

Play passes clockwise. The moment a player can arrange all 14 of their tiles into a valid hand from the NMJL card, they call “Mahjong!” and win the hand.

Claiming a discard

If another player discards a tile you need, you may claim it out of turn to complete a pung, kong, or — when it gives you a winning hand — to call Mahjong. Claiming for a pung or kong interrupts the normal turn order and play continues from you. You cannot claim a discard just to complete a chow (run) unless it is the tile that gives you Mahjong. This is different from Chinese mahjong, where chow claims are common.

Reading the NMJL card

The National Mah Jongg League card is the heart of American mahjong. Each year the league publishes a new card listing every legal winning hand. Hands are grouped by family:

• Numbers — runs and pungs built from numbered suits.
• Winds/Dragons — honor-tile combinations.
• Flowers — hands that use flower/season tiles.
• Jokers — many hands let you substitute jokers for any tile.

Each hand on the card also shows a letter (like “1” or “2” in each category) and the hand’s value in cents or quarters, which tells you how much the hand is worth when scored. Beginners should pick one simple hand from the card before the game starts and build toward it, rather than chasing several at once.

How jokers work (and when they don’t)

Jokers are the wild tiles that make American mahjong more forgiving and more strategic than many other variants. But they have specific rules:

• Jokers can substitute for any tile in a pung (three-of-a-kind), kong (four-of-a-kind), or a quint (five-of-a-kind). For example, if your hand calls for three Red dragons and you have two Red dragons plus one joker, that counts as a completed pung.
• Jokers cannot be used in a pair. The two tiles that form the pair at the end of your hand must be genuine matching tiles — no jokers allowed.
• Jokers cannot be used as a single tile in a run (chow). A run of 3-4-5 dots must be real dots; you cannot replace the 4 with a joker.
• Jokers cannot be used in a singles group (a group of single, non-matching tiles that some hands require). If a hand shows individual tiles separated by commas, those must be real tiles.
• You can reclaim a joker during the game: if you hold the real tile that a joker on the table is standing in for, and it is your turn, you may swap the real tile for the joker and take the joker into your hand. This is called “exchanging for a joker” and is one of the most exciting plays in the game.

A common beginner mistake is trying to win with a pair that includes a joker — that hand is not valid. Always double-check your pair before calling Mahjong.

A simple beginner strategy

• Choose your target hand early and discard everything that does not help it.
• Keep jokers — they are wild and valuable.
• Watch discards so you do not chase tiles nobody can give you.
• Use your pushers; they speed up the wall and save your hands.
• Be willing to switch hands if the tiles you draw and receive during the Charleston point to a different, easier hand on the card.
• Track what has been discarded. If three of the tile you need are already in the discard pile, you cannot complete a pung of it — pivot early.

Basic scoring: charity and table stakes

American mahjong is usually played for low-stakes real money — traditionally quarters — in a format called “charity” or table stakes. The scoring is simple compared to Chinese mahjong:

• Each hand on the NMJL card lists a value (commonly 25¢, 50¢, or higher for difficult hands).
• When you win by calling Mahjong, every player pays you the value of the hand.
• If you win on a self-drawn tile (you drew the winning tile yourself rather than claiming someone’s discard), each player pays you double.
• If you win by claiming another player’s discard, the player who discarded that tile pays you double, and the other two players pay the single value.
• Some groups add a small bonus for winning with a joker-free hand.

Always agree on stakes and any house rules before the first hand. The NMJL card itself includes a standard scoring summary on the back.

Mahjong etiquette: the unwritten rules

American mahjong is a social game, and good etiquette keeps the table friendly:

• Do not announce another player’s tiles. If you notice someone is close to winning, keep it to yourself. Saying “she only needs one more!” is considered coaching and is frowned upon.
• Do not tell other players what to discard. Even gentle suggestions like “you probably don’t need that” are out of bounds.
• Do not discuss strategy mid-hand with players who are still building their hands. Save the analysis for between games.
• Keep your hand hidden. Tiles stay on your rack, faces toward you. Do not flash them when drawing or discarding.
• Discard cleanly. Place your discarded tile face-up in the center area and say the tile’s name (e.g., “three bam”) so everyone has a fair chance to hear and claim it.
• Call “Mahjong” clearly. If you win, say it out loud and show your hand so the table can verify it against the card.
• Be gracious whether you win or lose. American mahjong is as much about the company as the competition.

Common beginner mistakes

• Chasing too many hands. Pick one and commit.
• Forgetting the card. If your hand is not on the card, it does not count.
• Miscounting. You must have exactly 14 tiles when you call Mahjong (your pair plus completed sets).
• Using a joker in a pair. This is the most common reason a “winning” hand is rejected.
• Passing a joker in the Charleston when your group does not allow it.
• Not claiming a discard you need because you were not paying attention. Once the next player draws, it is too late.

Ready to play?

Start with a complete American mahjong set, add a quiet mat and pushers, and invite three friends. Within an hour you will be hooked — and within a month you will have a regular mahjong game night.

For more, see our guide to the difference between American and Chinese mahjong and our best beginner set buying guide.