Now that you know the tiles and Card, let’s walk through how a game actually plays out. American Mahjong has a unique rhythm with some features you won’t find in Asian variants.

Game Setup

What You Need

152 tile set
4 players (East, South, West, North)
Official NMJL Cards for everyone
Racks to hold your tiles
Bettor chips or coins (optional)

Building the Walls

Mix the tiles face-down on the table
Each player builds a wall: 19 tiles long, 2 tiles high (38 tiles total per side)
The four walls form a square in the center of the table

The Deal

East (dealer) rolls dice to determine where to break the wall
Starting from the break, each player receives 13 tiles
East gets 14 tiles (one extra to start)
Players organize tiles on their racks, hidden from opponents

The Charleston

This is unique to American Mahjong! Before regular play begins, there’s a Charleston — a structured tile exchange.

First Charleston (mandatory)

Right pass:

Each player selects 3 unwanted tiles
Everyone passes these 3 tiles to the player on their right
Simultaneously

Across pass:

Select 3 more tiles
Pass across to the opposite player

Left pass:

Select 3 more tiles
Pass to the player on your left

Optional courtesy pass:

Players across from each other can agree to pass 0-3 more tiles

Second Charleston (optional)

The same sequence repeats IF all four players agree. If anyone says no, it stops.

Why Charleston? It lets you discard tiles that don’t fit your hand and potentially get tiles that do. Be strategic — don’t pass Jokers unless you have a clear plan!

Regular Play

After the Charleston, regular play begins.

Turn Structure

Starting with East and going counterclockwise:

Draw a tile from the wall
Decide whether to keep it or discard it
Discard one tile face-up, calling it out
Opportunity for opponents to claim the discarded tile

Calling Tiles

Unlike Riichi mahjong where you can take any discard for a sequence, in American Mahjong you can only call a tile to:

Expose a combination from your hand:

Show 3 or 4 matching tiles (including the called tile)
Place them face-up on your rack
You skip your next draw

Example: You need 6 Dots and have three 6 Dots. Someone discards a 6 Dot. You call “Take!” and expose your three 6 Dots plus the called tile face-up.

Important rules:

You can only call the most recent discard
Multiple people can call the same tile — Mah Jongg takes priority, then whoever called first
Once exposed, those tiles can’t be rearranged

Using Your Rack

Players organize tiles on a rack with three sections:

Concealed tiles (face toward you, hidden)
Exposed tiles (face-up, public)
Discards (face-up in center)

Winning: Mah Jongg!

To win, you need 14 tiles that exactly match one hand on the Card.

Winning Methods

1. Self-Pick (most common):

You draw the tile you need from the wall
Call “Mah Jongg!”
Show your hand

2. Off a Discard:

Someone discards the exact tile you need
Call “Mah Jongg!” immediately
Show your hand

Declaring Mah Jongg

When you win:

Call “Mah Jongg!” loudly and clearly
Reveal your entire hand
Show which Card hand you’re matching
Collect payment (if playing for money)

Dead Hands

Your hand is dead (can’t win) if:

You expose tiles that don’t match any possible Card hand
You call a tile incorrectly
You have the wrong number of tiles

Be careful! Declaring Mah Jongg with an invalid hand results in penalties.

Scoring

American Mahjong scoring is simpler than Asian variants:

Basic Payment

The winner shows their hand and collects based on the point value on the Card
Typical values: 25¢, 30¢, 35¢, 40¢, 50¢, 75¢

Who pays?

If you self-pick: All three opponents pay you
If you win off a discard: Only the person who discarded pays you (usually double)

Example: You win with a 50-point hand by self-pick. Each opponent pays you 50¢ = $1.50 total.

Variations

Some groups play with:

Doubles for Jokerless hands
Bonuses for all concealed hands
Payment for flowers

Always clarify payment rules before starting!

Round Progression

One round = One complete game from deal to Mah Jongg (or wall exhaustion)
Typically play four rounds, one with each player as East
Or play for a set time period (2-3 hours is common)

Wall Exhaustion

If all tiles are drawn and no one has won:

The round is a draw
East remains East (or passes based on group rules)
No payments
Reshuffle and start fresh

Key Takeaways

Charleston = Pass unwanted tiles before regular play
Draw → Discard = Basic turn structure
Call tiles only to expose groups that match your hand
Mah Jongg = 14 tiles exactly matching a Card hand
Scoring = Based on point value of your winning hand

Next Chapter: Building Hands - Learn strategy for choosing and building toward winning hands.