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American Mah Jongg Rules
Nine plain-English steps, from breaking the wall to calling “Mah Jongg.” Written for players who have never held a rack before.
Tile groups in a 152-tile American Mah Jongg set
| Group | Made up of | Tiles |
|---|---|---|
| Craks, Bams & Dots | 1–9, four of each in each suit | 108 |
| Winds | North, East, West, South — four of each | 16 |
| Dragons | Red, Green, White — four of each | 12 |
| Flowers | Interchangeable, no suit | 8 |
| Jokers | Wild, but only inside groups of three or more | 8 |
| Total | 152 |
Goal and Tiles
Match one hand on the current NMJL card — 14 tiles, exposed or concealed.
Complete one valid 14-tile hand from the current National Mah Jongg League card. Exposed tiles count toward the total. Follow the hand’s suit requirements and its printed instructions.
Craks take Red, Bams take Green, Dots take White. The White Dragon is also called Soap, where the card shows 0. Soap counts as zero and belongs to no suit.
Reading the Card
Same colour, same suit. Different colours, different suits.
Colours do not permanently stand for a particular suit — read them against the rest of the hand. Flowers, Winds and Soap used as zero are suitless. Follow every parenthetical instruction on the card.
A C hand stays concealed until you declare Mah Jongg. You may only claim a discard for an immediate win.
Build, Break, and Deal
Four walls, 19 stacks each. East breaks, everyone takes 13 — East takes 14.
- Pick East, the dealer. All left and right directions are from the seated player’s view, facing the centre.
- Mix all 152 tiles face down. Each player builds 19 stacks, two tiles high.
- East rolls two dice and pushes the right end of her wall toward the centre.
- Count top tiles from East’s right, equal to the dice total, and break after the counted stacks.
- Deal four tiles each, moving right, for three rounds. East then takes the top tiles of the first and third stacks.
Play right — turns move counter-clockwise. Walls left — serve the walls clockwise, and East’s reserved section is used last.
Charleston
Three tiles, face down, three directions. Never pass a Joker.
First pass · required, all four players
Second pass · optional, only with everyone’s agreement
- Pass three tiles each time, before you look at the ones coming in.
- Any player may stop the second round before its first incoming pass is viewed. Once viewed, the round must be finished.
- Blind pass — allowed only on the first round’s last Left or the second round’s last Right.
- Courtesy pass — opposite pairs exchange 0–3 tiles; use the smaller number both players agree on.
Never pass a Joker — not in the Charleston, not in a courtesy pass. If East already has Mah Jongg before the Charleston, they declare it instead of passing.
Taking Turns
Draw or claim, check, exchange, discard. Your hand moves 13 → 14 → 13.
East discards without drawing on the very first turn. If you keep the drawn tile and discard another, rack the drawn tile first. A discard is final once it is fully named or touches the playing area — whichever happens first.
Claiming Discards
An ordinary claim only completes an exposed group in an X hand.
Place the claimed discard on top of your rack, expose the whole group, then discard. Play continues to your right. Singles, pairs and C hands may claim only for an immediate Mah Jongg.
Claim only the latest correctly named, non-Joker discard, while the window is open. It closes when the next player racks the drawn tile, discards, declares Mah Jongg, or starts a Joker exchange. Mah Jongg outranks an ordinary exposure claim.
Jokers and Exchanges
Jokers fill groups of three or more — never a single or a pair.
On your turn, after drawing or completing a legal claim and before discarding, swap a matching natural tile for an exposed Joker on any rack, including your own. Concealed hands may exchange too. You may never call a discard just to redeem a Joker.
A discarded Joker cannot be claimed or exchanged. Don’t expose a group you completed from the wall unless you’re declaring Mah Jongg.
Winning and Scoring
Call it, show all 14 tiles, settle up.
Declare “Mah Jongg!” and reveal all 14 tiles for verification. In an ordinary four-player game:
| Win | Payment |
|---|---|
| Discard win | Discarder pays 2× hand value; the other two pay 1× each |
| Self-pick or Joker-exchange | Every opponent pays 2× |
| Jokerless | Double the card value first — except Singles and Pairs hands |
East gets no dealer bonus. Special penalties and dead-hand payments follow the applicable NMJL rules.
Ending and Starting Again
Wall game first, then East moves to the right.
- No winner after the wall is empty and the final claims resolve — wall game, no ordinary payments.
- East passes to the player on the right after every game.
- After four games the original East — the pivot — swaps seats with the player on their right and starts the next round.
- A player whose hand is declared dead stops playing and cannot win, but still owes any payments.
This is a beginner’s quick reference. For disputes and special situations, follow the current NMJL card, official instructions and League rulings.
