All Games American Mahjong Mahjong Training Contact

How to Play American Mahjong

A beginner-friendly guide to NMJL Mah Jongg — tiles, rules, and strategy

Quick Navigation

  1. The Game at a Glance
  2. The Tiles (152)
  3. Setup & Dealing
  4. The Charleston
  5. Turn-by-Turn Gameplay
  6. Calling Tiles & Exposures
  7. Joker Rules
  8. Winning (Mah Jongg!)
  9. Reading the NMJL Card
  10. Scoring & Payouts
  11. Dead Hands
  12. Strategy Tips

The Game at a Glance

American Mahjong is a 4-player tile game governed by the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL). Players draw and discard tiles to build a 14-tile hand that matches one of the patterns on the official NMJL card, which changes every year.

Players
4
Tiles
152
Hand Size
14 tiles
Goal
Match the Card

The Tiles (152)

Tile TypeCountDetails
Craks (Characters) 36 Numbers 1–9, four of each. Red-colored suit.
Bams (Bamboo) 36 Numbers 1–9, four of each. Green-colored suit.
Dots (Circles) 36 Numbers 1–9, four of each. Blue-colored suit.
Winds 16 North, East, South, West — four of each.
Dragons 12 Red (matches Craks), Green (matches Bams), White/Soap (matches Dots) — four of each.
Flowers 8 All identical. Used in most hand patterns as pairs (FF).
Jokers 8 Wild tiles. Substitute in pungs, kongs, and quints only. Never for pairs or singles.
💡
Soap = Zero. The white dragon (also called “Soap”) doubles as the number zero in year hands (e.g., 2025 → tiles for 2, 0, 2, 5).
💡
Dragon–suit matching: Red Dragon pairs with Craks, Green Dragon pairs with Bams, and White Dragon (Soap) pairs with Dots. This matters for certain card patterns.

Setup & Dealing

1
Build Walls
Each player builds a wall of 19 stacked tile pairs (38 tiles), face-down.
›
2
Pick East
Players roll dice. Highest roll becomes East (deals first).
›
3
Break the Wall
East rolls dice again. Count that many stacks from the right end of East’s wall and push them forward.
›
4
Deal
Starting right of the break, each player takes 2 stacks (4 tiles) at a time, counterclockwise, until everyone has 12. Then East takes tiles 1 & 3 from the top; others draw one each.
ⓘ
Result: East starts with 14 tiles; everyone else has 13. East discards first without drawing.

The Charleston

Before play begins, players pass unwanted tiles to each other in a structured exchange. This is one of the most strategic phases of the game.

First Charleston (mandatory)

  1. Right. Pass 3 tiles face-down to the player on your right.
  2. Across. Pass 3 tiles across the table.
  3. Left. Pass 3 tiles to the player on your left.

Second Charleston (optional — all must agree)

  1. Left. Pass 3 tiles left.
  2. Across. Pass 3 tiles across.
  3. Right. Pass 3 tiles right.

Courtesy Pass

After both Charlestons, the player across from you may agree to exchange 0–3 additional tiles.

⚠
Jokers may never be passed during the Charleston. You must pass exactly 3 tiles each round (except during a “blind pass” on certain left/right passes where you can steal from the incoming tiles to make up 3).
ⓘ
Strategy: Don’t commit to a specific hand during the Charleston. Pass tiles that don’t fit any of your potential hands. Discard “hot” tiles (flowers, dragons) early — before opponents solidify their hands and can call them.

Turn-by-Turn Gameplay

1
East Discards
East already has 14 tiles. Discard one face-up and announce it aloud.
›
2
Draw
Next player (counterclockwise) draws one tile from the wall.
›
3
Organize
Add the drawn tile to your hand. Look for matches with your target pattern.
›
4
Discard
Discard one unwanted tile face-up. Name it aloud. Play continues.
💡
Critical rule: Once a tile touches the table or is fully named, it cannot be taken back. Think before you discard!

Calling Tiles & Exposures

When another player discards a tile you need, you can call it to complete a pung, kong, or quint. Say “Call” or “Pause” before the next player draws.

GroupSizeCan Call?Jokers?
Single1 tileNoNo
Pair2 tilesOnly for Mah JonggNo
Pung3 identical tilesYesYes
Kong4 identical tilesYesYes
Quint5 identical tilesYesYes (required)
⚠
Exposing reveals your hand. When you call a tile, you must place the completed group face-up on your rack. Experienced players will read your exposures to deduce your hand — delay calling until you’re confident in your direction.

Calling Priority

  1. Mah Jongg always beats any other call.
  2. If two players call for a group, the player whose turn is next (counterclockwise from the discarder) wins the call.
  3. You cannot call a tile to complete a pair (except as your winning tile), a single, or a NEWS grouping.

Joker Rules

Jokers are the most powerful — and most misunderstood — tiles in American Mahjong.

Where jokers work

Jokers substitute for any tile in a pung (3), kong (4), or quint (5). A group can be entirely jokers.

Where jokers don’t work

Jokers can never be used for pairs or singles. This is the most common mistake new players make.

Joker exchange

During your turn, you may swap a tile from your hand for an exposed joker on another player’s rack. You can make multiple exchanges per turn.

Dead jokers

A discarded joker is dead — no player can pick it up. Discard jokers only when they can’t help your hand (e.g., you’re playing a pairs-only pattern).

ⓘ
Strategy: Always redeem an exposed joker if you can — even if you don’t need it yet. This prevents opponents from getting it. If it’s truly useless, discard it next turn (it’ll be dead and safe).

Winning (Mah Jongg!)

Declare “Mah Jongg!” when your 14 tiles match a pattern on the NMJL card. You can win by:

Self-Pick
Draw your winning tile from the wall. Worth bonus points.
Discard
Call another player’s discard as your final tile. The discarder pays extra.
Joker Finesse
Exchange a tile for an exposed joker to complete your hand. Bonus points!

Special Wins

Win TypeDescription
Heavenly HandEast declares Mah Jongg immediately after the deal (before Charleston).
Earthly HandEast declares Mah Jongg after the Charleston, before gameplay begins.
Wall GameNo winner — the wall runs out of tiles. No one pays.

Reading the NMJL Card

The card organizes hands into categories. Each line shows the exact tiles needed. Learning to read the card quickly is the single most important skill.

CategoryWhat It MeansExample
2468 Even-numbered tiles only FF 2222 4444 66 88
13579 Odd-numbered tiles only FF 111 333 5555
Consecutive Runs of sequential numbers FF 1111 2222 3333
Winds & Dragons Honour tile combinations NN EE WW SS DDD
369 Multiples of three only FF 333 666 999
Quints Five-of-a-kind groups (need jokers) FFFFF 55555 88
Singles & Pairs No groups — concealed, no jokers. Highest value. 11 33 55 77 99 RR GG
Year Current year themed (Soap = 0) 20 25 DDD 222 555

Color Coding

Scoring & Payouts

Point Values

Each hand on the card has a point value based on difficulty (typically 25–50 points). Singles & Pairs hands are the highest.

BonusPoints
Self-picked win+10
Concealed hand (no exposures)+10
Jokerless hand+20
Joker finesse (exchange to win)+10

Who Pays?

ScenarioPayment
Self-pickAll players pay 2× hand value
Win from discard (0–2 exposures)Discarder pays 2×; others pay 1×
Win from discard (3+ exposures)Discarder pays the whole table
Jokerless self-pickAll players pay 4×
Jokerless from discardDiscarder pays 4×; others pay 2×

Dead Hands

Your hand becomes dead (out of the game) if you:

⚠
Dead but not gone. A dead player stops drawing and discarding, but other players can still exchange jokers from their exposed tiles. Play defensively if you suspect a dead hand — or call “dead” on an opponent to increase your draw opportunities.

Strategy Tips

Early Game

Don’t commit to a hand right away. Identify 2–3 potential patterns and keep your options open. Discard “hot” tiles (flowers, dragons) before opponents can call them.

Build Around Pairs

Pairs are the hardest groups to complete — you can’t use jokers and can’t call discards (except for Mah Jongg). Start by building around the pairs you already have.

Delay Exposures

Every exposure reveals information. Wait until you have 7–8 tiles toward your hand before calling. One exposure narrows possibilities; two usually identifies your exact hand.

Read Opponents

Watch exposures, track discards, and remember the Charleston. Two exposures from an opponent usually tell you their exact hand — stop feeding them tiles.

Know When to Switch

If key tiles have been discarded or exposed by others, pivot to your backup plan. Switching mid-game is better than chasing a dead hand.

End-Game Defense

When someone is close to winning, switch to full defense. Discard only tiles that have already appeared. If your hand is dead, focus entirely on preventing others from winning — this is good strategy, not bad etiquette.

Joker Discipline

Always redeem exposed jokers — even ones you don’t need. Split jokers across groups for flexibility. When opponents discard jokers, they’re signaling they’re very close to winning.

Master the Card

Study the current year’s card before playing. Recognize patterns at a glance so you can analyze your hand quickly without constantly consulting the card.

↑ Back to top