Learn American mahjong in 12 short lessons

Start at lesson 1 and go in order: each lesson is a short animated video plus a written guide you can read in a few minutes. By lesson 12 you can sit down at a real table.

1. Lesson 1

   What is American mahjong?

   American mahjong in plain English: a four-player tile game where you build a hand that matches this year's card, and what you need to play.

2. Lesson 2

   The tiles

   Every tile in an American mahjong set, what it's called and how many there are: Bams, Craks, Dots, Winds, Dragons, Flowers and Jokers.

3. Lesson 3

   Setting up the table

   How to build the wall, choose East, break the wall and deal 13 tiles (14 to East) in American mahjong, step by step.

4. Lesson 4

   The Charleston

   The Charleston explained: pass 3 tiles right, across and left, the optional second Charleston, blind passes, the courtesy pass and the joker rule.

5. Lesson 5

   How the card works

   How to read the National Mah Jongg League card: sections, colours, X and C, and hand values, explained with our own practice examples.

6. Lesson 6

   Choosing a hand

   How beginners pick a hand: count pairs and jokers, find the section your tiles lean toward, keep options open through the Charleston, then commit.

7. Lesson 7

   Taking a turn

   Each turn in American mahjong: pick a tile from the wall, decide, discard one tile and say its name out loud. Play moves to the right.

8. Lesson 8

   Calling and exposing

   How to call a discard in American mahjong: say "call", expose your pung, kong, quint or sextet, then discard. Who gets the tile when two players call.

9. Lesson 9

   Jokers

   American mahjong joker rules: groups of three or more only, never singles or pairs, never passed in the Charleston, and how to redeem them.

10. Lesson 10

    Declaring mahjong and paying

    How to win in American mahjong and who pays: the discarder pays double, a self-picked win pays double, and jokerless hands double again.

11. Lesson 11

    Dead hands and mistakes

    What a dead hand is in American mahjong, the common ways beginners end up with one, what happens next, and how to avoid it.

12. Lesson 12

    Table etiquette

    Mahjong table etiquette for beginners: name your discards, keep your rack tidy, don't coach mid-game, and keep the pace friendly.