American Mahjong or Mah Jongg is the version of the game that follows the rules and hands set forth by the National Mah Jongg League. American Mahjong differs from Chinese Mahjong in several ways. This How-To Guide for American Mahjong will focus on getting you set up to play. For more tips and tricks to mahjong gameplay, check out our Tips & Tricks section of this blog and follow us on instagram!
GAME SETUP:
Place a rack and pusher in front of each player, pusher facing out. Shuffle the tiles and turn them all face down. Build a wall in front of each rack and pusher. Each wall will be 2-tiles tall and 20-tiles long if using jokers and blanks. (19-long if playing without blanks)
DEALING:
Each player rolls the dice; highest roll deals first. The dealer rolls the dice again, counts in from the right the rolled number, and then pushes their wall out from that stack.
The dealer deals two stacks at a time (4 tiles) starting with themselves and then moving to the right, until all four players have 12 tiles. The dealer then takes the first and third top tiles and deals a single tile to each of the other players. Each player will have 13 tiles, and the dealer will have 14.
THE CHARLESTON:
The Charleston is the way players pass tiles they do not need after the deal. Tiles are passed three at a time around the table in the following order: Right, Over, Left, Left, Over Right (R.O.L.L.O.R).
The first three passes (Right, Over, Left) are required. After that, any player can choose to stop the Charleston.
After the Charleston, players have the option of doing a Courtesy Pass with the player across from them. The players agree how many tiles they are willing to pass, between zero and three tiles.
GAME PLAY:
The dealer takes the first turn by discarding their 14th tile. Tiles are discarded face up on the table, and the discarding player says the name of the tile being discarded.
Turns then move to the right. Each player begins their turn by drawing a tile from the wall. The player then racks their drawn tile and ends their turn by discarding a tile face up on the table.
CALLING:
When a Tile is discarded, it is “Live” until the next player draws their tile. If a player needs the Live Tile, the player can call it by exclaiming: “Pause,” “Call,” “Take,” or “Mine.”
When a player calls a tile, they must expose that section of their hand on top of their rack, with all tiles required. Jokers can be used in the exposed section, if it is 3 or more tiles.
A player cannot call a tile for a single or pair, unless it is the last tile required to mahj (win). A player cannot call a tile for any part of their hand when playing a closed/concealed hand, unless it is the last tile needed to mahj.
WINNING:
A player wins by being the first to match all 14 tiles to a specific hand from the National Mah Jongg League playing card.
When a player completes their hand, the player says, “Mahj!” and reveals their 14 tiles by placing them on top of their rack.
A player can call a tile the final (14th) tile to mahj/win, even if that tile is part of a single or pair, or if the player is playing a concealed hand.
If you'd like to have a Printable How to Play Mahjong Quick Guide, click here to download ours! It's great to keep on hand as a reference when teaching new friends to play your new favorite game!
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