American Mahjong is a tile-based game that is part strategy, part luck, and all fun. Whether you're new to Mahjong or need a quick refresher, this guide has got you covered. Let’s dive in and get those tiles clicking!

​

The Goal of the Game

Your mission: Match your tiles to a pattern listed on the National Mahjong League (NMJL) card. 

​

What’s in the Set?

Here’s the scoop on your Four Friends Mahjong set:

 

152 TILES

Your Four Friends Mahjong set comes with 160 tiles, so be sure to set aside the extras before you start playing.

• 3 Suits (36 x 3 = 108):

  • Dots (think circles), numbered 1-9, 4 each

  • Bams (or bamboo), numbered 1-9, 4 each. (Number 1 is everyone's favorite "Bird Bam")

  • Cracks (or characters), numbered 1–9, 4 each

• Dragons (12):

  • Green Dragon, (goes with Bams) 4 each

  • White Dragon, sometimes called "Soap", goes with Dots (think of soap washing the bubble dots). 4 each

  • Red Dragon (goes with Craks) 4 each

• Winds (16)

  • North, East, South, West, 4 each

• Jokers: (10) Players typically play with 8 Jokers.

• Flowers: (8)

• Blanks: (6) 

• Other Goodies:

  • Dice, racks (to organize and hide your tiles), and pushers (to make it easy to swing out your wall).

  • All sets are different and that's half the fun - learning new tiles and enjoying the colorful art.

 

​Le​t’s Get Started!

 

Step 1: Take a Seat 

Find your Mahjong crew and settle in around a table. 

​

Step 2: Build the Wall

Each player stacks tiles into a wall: 19 tiles long, 2 tiles high.  

​

Step 3: Roll the Dice

East (the host) rolls first. Break the wall based on your dice roll. 

• Starting from the right side of your wall, count left to the number shown on your dice. 

• That number is where you break the wall.

• Keep those counted stacks in place, and push out the remainder of your wall to be distributed.

 

Step 4: Deal the Tiles

Tiles are distributed counterclockwise.  Some groups prefer each player to take turns picking up their own tiles (2 stacks at a time) from the wall until everyone has 13.  (The dealer gets 14 tiles.) Arrange your tiles on your rack—no peeking at others' tiles!

​

Pick a Hand

 

Here's the hardest part of the game: zeroing in on a hand. Sometimes it's obvious which pattern to pick. But often, it's agonizing when no pattern magically emerges. (Where are all the f-ing Jokers?) In this case, pick a general strategy, or a general section, such as winds, or odd numbers. Stay loose, be ready to pivot. Have a back up hand in mind. Take a deep breath and remember, IT'S JUST A GAME.

​

The Charleston: Time to Dance!

 

Before the game starts, let’s swap tiles. Miracles can happen during the Charleston, a series of 7 opportunities to exchange tiles with your opponents and improve your hand. 

 

Here's a handy acronym: "ROLLOR" - Right, Over, Left, Left, Over, Right

1. Pass 3 tiles to the right.

2. Pass 3 tiles across the table ("over")

3. Pass 3 tiles to the left. First Left pass has the option to blind pass up to 3 tiles. What is a "blind pass"?  Say you only want to pass along 2 tiles, not 3. Without peeking, pick one from the player on your right's group of 3 and pass it along with your 2 tiles to your left. ​

​​

• After First Left, you can do an optional second Charleston.  If you have a good hand and want to stop the Charleston, you may end it then and there.

​​

1.  Pass 3 tiles to left

2.  Pass 3 tiles across the table ("over")

3.  Pass 3 tiles to the right. Last Right pass has the option to blindly pass up to 3 tiles.

4.  Courtesy pass: You can negotiate with the player across from you to swap up to 3 tiles.

​

How to Play

 

1. Take Your Turn

• Draw a tile from the wall. Add it to your rack if you can use it. If you can't, discard it face up into the discard pile a the center of the table. 

• When you claim a discarded tile to complete a set, expose the set face up on the shelf of your rack for all to see. 

• You may call for a discarded tile only when it completes your pong, kong, or quint in an exposed hand. 

• If playing a concealed hand, you can only call for the final tile to complete your Mahjong.

• PRO TIP: A classic rookie mistake is accidentally claiming a discard, showing your tiles, then remembering you're playing a concealed hand.

 

2. Racking your Tile

• Before you discard a tile, you must "click" your tile on your rack. The clicking sound means that tile is dead and may longer be called. (You'll want to be a speedy racker to prevent opportunities for opponents.) ​

 

​3. Discarding a Tile

• End your turn by discarding one tile, face up, into the discard pile. Be sure to announce to the group the name of the tile you're discarding "2 Bam", "South", "4 Crack" etc. (This is a courtesy for those of us suffering from attention deficit.)

​

4. Calling a Tile

Pick up a tile another player discarded.  

• Why do you call a tile?  To complete a grouping of 3 or more identical tiles. If you call a tile, you must expose that grouping. What you expose is locked in and must be in your final Mahjong.

• Who can call a tile?  Any player, not just the player who is next. If there is a stand-off, the player to the east has first dibs.

• When can you call a tile?  Only the most recently discarded tile, before the next player racks their tile.

• When a player calls a tile, play resumes to right of the person who called the tile, often resulting in players turns being skipped.

 

PLAY RIGHT

Players take turns counterclockwise.

 

WALLS LEFT

Use up all the tiles in one wall then use the wall to your left.

 

Jokers: Your Secret Weapon

 

Jokers are like the MVP of your Mahjong game—they can sub in for any tile in any situation except in pairs or singles. Keep an eye out for exposed Jokers on others' racks.

 

When can you use you use your Joker?

• Don't use them in pairs or singles (such as NEWS or 2025). Sad but true. JOKERS MAY NEVER BE USED IN SINGLES OR A PAIR! 

• Do use them in groupings of 3 or more: Pungs, Kongs, or Quints.

 

When can you take another player's exposed Joker?​

• If you’ve got the tile it’s replacing in their grouping, you can swap it out on your turn. This is a fantastic way to build a winning hand. 

• Here's how it's done: On your turn, draw a tile, rack it, then swap your tile for another person's Joker, then discard a tile.

 

Winning the Game: Declare Mahjong!

 

When your hand matches a winning pattern from the NMJL card, shout "Mahjong!" Lay out your tiles for validation. If your hand’s legit, the round ends and the scoring begins! Be sure to bring your coin purse with a stash of coins.

 

Scoring

 

Base Points

• Every winning hand has a value listed on the NMJL card, usually between 25–85 points, or cents.

• Some groups like to keep meticulous records of winners and losers for bragging rights and/or higher deferred payouts.

 

Double Payouts & Score Boosters

• If you drew the winning tile, all three opponents pay you double.

• If someone discarded your winning tile: that player pays double, while the others pay the listed amount.

• Winning on the last tile: talk about dramatic timing!

​

Tips and Tricks

1. Find a hand on the NMJL card to aim for early.

2. Be flexible—sometimes switching strategies mid-game is the smartest move.

3. Keep tabs on discards: track what’s been tossed to figure out what options you have left.

4. Pairs can make or break you. If you start out with a couple of pairs - you're golden - use them to your advantage.

​

Glossary of Mahjong Lingo

• Pung: 3 identical tiles.

• Kong: 4 identical tiles.

• Quint: 5 identical tiles (well, 4 identical tiles plus one Joker)

• Charleston: The pre-game tile swap.

• Joker: A wildcard tile that saves the day.

• Exposed Hand: (marked with an X on the NMJL card) allows players to call for a discard to complete a set, such as Pung or Kong. The set must be exposed for all to see on top of your rack.

• Concealed Hand: A hand you keep secret until shouting “Mahjong!” marked with a "C" on the NMJL card.

• Wall: a stack of tiles 19 long by 2 high. Start the game with 4 walls.

• Call: calling for a tile means picking up a discarded tile from the discard pile. 

• Rack: (noun) the angled shelf you use to line up, organize and keep hidden from your opponents. 

• Rack: (verb) the click sound your tile makes when touching the rack. Signifies that that tile is no longer in play.

• Shelf: the part of your rack where you display or expose your tile groupings.

• Soap: the White Dragon. Goes with dots. A fun way to remember this: the soap washes the dots or "bubbles".

• Dots: or circles, goes with White Dragon, numbered 1-9.

• Bam: short for Bamboo. Typically green, is numbered 1-9 and goes with Green Dragons.

• Bird Bam: This is a 1 Bam. Often the most beautiful tile and fan favorite.

• Flowers:  In some versions of the game, such as Chinese Mahjong, numbers 1-4 on the flowers are important for scoring. In American Mahjong, the numbers on flowers are irrelevant.

• Crack: or Crak, short for character, the Chinese number symbol. Typically red, this character is numbered 1-9 and goes with Red Dragon.

 

Now you’re ready to shuffle, swap, and strategize your way to Mahjong glory. Grab your tiles, rally your friends, and enjoy the ride—may the Jokers come your way! 🀄