Four players, a 152-tile American set, racks, two dice for a physical game, and the same current annual card for everyone. The card defines the valid 14-tile hands; no complete card hand is reproduced here.
See all tile families and counts →1. Sit down and choose East
East is the dealer and first player. In a home game the host commonly starts; in a public game, players can each roll two dice and the highest total takes East. Play moves counterclockwise, to each player's right. East moves to the next player to the right after the hand ends.
1 → 2 → 3 → 4
2. Mix, build, and break the wall
Turn all 152 tiles face down and mix them. Each player builds a wall behind their rack: 19 stacks long × 2 tiles high = 38 tiles. East rolls two dice, pushes out the right end of East's wall, and counts the top tiles from that right end toward the left by the dice total. The break marks where dealing starts.
4 wallsRight seat's wall 19 × 2
Original layout diagram; tile faces below use linked, sourced reference artwork. The wall break is shown conceptually—the exact split depends on the dice total. Wall-building rule ↗
3. Deal 4 at a time, then finish 14 / 13
East takes the first 4 tiles (two stacks). The next player to East's right takes 4, then the player across, then the player to East's left. Repeat that circuit three times: everyone now has 12 tiles. East takes two more, specifically the top tile of the first and third available stacks; each other player takes one more in turn.
4 eachRound 2
8 eachRound 3
12 eachFinish
East 14 · others 13
Playing online? You normally join or start a four-seat table and the software handles seat assignment, shuffle, dice or wall break, and deal. At the start of play, the same hand counts matter: East has 14; each other seat has 13. Check the platform's selected card and rules before you begin.
4. Rack and read your card
Put the dealt tiles on the sloped side of your rack. One useful first sort is Flowers, Bams, Craks, Dots, Winds, Dragons, and Jokers. Tiles from different sets can look different; use the number and family, including the Chinese character on a Crak or Wind, to identify them. Compare your rack with complete lines on your current card and keep more than one possibility in mind.
Thirteen tiles shown. This is an illustrative sort, not a dealt hand or winning card line. Open any tile to view its artwork source.
5. Pass before the first discard
The first Charleston moves three face-down tiles right, across, then left. The second Charleston, if the table agrees to play it, goes left, across, then right. Keep 13 tiles if you are not East, or 14 if you are East, after each exchange. Never pass a Joker. See the direction guide for the blind-pass and courtesy-pass details.
Rare exception: if East's dealt 14 tiles already match a complete card hand, East declares Mah Jongg before the Charleston. A valid hand after a completed Charleston phase can also end the hand. Charleston exceptions ↗
6. East discards; the turns begin
East starts with 14 and discards one unwanted tile face up, naming it aloud. East now has 13. The player to East's right takes the next turn: draw a wall tile or claim the most recent discard when allowed, check the hand, optionally exchange a Joker, then discard and name one tile. Continue counterclockwise. A successful discard claim can jump over players; the player who claimed then discards.
7. When a tile is discarded: Chow, Pung, or Kong?
Chow / 吃 · sequence
A 3–4–5 sequence. You cannot call a discard to make a Chow in this American card-based game. This is a key difference from several Chinese Mahjong rulesets.
Pung / 碰 · three alike
If your rack holds two 5 Craks and the latest discard is a 5 Crak, you may call it and expose a Pung when your chosen card line permits that exposed group.
Kong / 杠 · four alike
Four matching tiles. You may call a discarded 7 Bam to complete a Kong when the exact card line permits an exposure. An exposed group goes on top of the rack.
A normal discard claim makes a permitted Pung, Kong, Quint, or Sextet—not a Single or Pair. You may claim a non-Joker discard for the final tile of a valid Mah Jongg, including a Single or Pair. A Concealed line cannot expose groups during ordinary play.
8. A Joker during this hand
Suppose a permitted card line needs a Pung of 5 Craks. Two 5 Craks plus a Joker can fill that group in your concealed rack. Jokers can represent tiles in groups of three or more identical tiles; they cannot fill a Single or Pair.
Later, on your turn after drawing or completing a claim, if another player has an exposed 5 Crak group containing a Joker and you hold a natural 5 Crak, you may exchange your 5 Crak for that Joker. A discarded Joker is dead and cannot be claimed. See the full Joker guide →
These small groups teach the move; they are not a complete, valid annual-card hand.
9. End the hand: Mah Jongg or wall game
You win when your 14 tiles match one whole line on the card in use. Check suits and colors, Flowers, Winds, Dragons, exposure or Concealed marking, and the rule for each Joker. The last tile can come from your draw, a permitted discarded tile, or a Joker exchange. Announce “Mah Jongg” and let the table verify the hand. If the wall is exhausted without a valid Mah Jongg, it is a wall game and no one wins.
- Count 14 tiles, including exposed groups.
- Point to one complete line on the current card.
- Match every group and any Concealed / exposure condition.
- Check Jokers are only in eligible groups.
This walkthrough deliberately does not invent a winning 14-tile card line. Bring the actual current card to make the final check.
After someone wins
Use the printed value V of the matched line. In the American Mah Jongg Association's base payment summary, when the final tile was discarded, the discarder pays 2 × V and each other player pays V. On a self-pick, each other player pays 2 × V. Bonuses and special cases can change this; check the card and the table's agreed rules.