How to practice mahjong solo

To practice American mahjong alone, draw 13 random tiles, sort them, and find the section of the card they lean toward. Keep two or three possible hands, then run a mock Charleston: set aside three tiles and draw three new ones, three times. For more practice, keep drawing and discarding and count how many turns it takes to finish a hand.

Draw and sort

Take 13 tiles at random from a face-down pile. Sort suits in number order, then winds, dragons, flowers and jokers.

Choose, don't force

Look for the section your tiles lean toward and pick two or three hands that could work. Don't force a hand your tiles don't support.

Mock Charleston

Set aside three tiles you don't want and draw three new ones. Repeat for all three passes, keeping pairs and jokers.

Play it out

Keep drawing one tile and discarding one. Count the turns until you finish a hand and try to beat your number.

Why it works

It trains the two hardest skills for new players: choosing a hand and deciding what to pass.

Free Charleston trainer · Charleston strategy · Choosing a hand