Keep this next to your rack for your first games. To print it, use your browser's Print command: the page prints without the menus. Every line here is the rule the school's table plays; the full version with every house-rule option is on the rules page. For three printed pages with every tile drawn, the wall set up and split, and the Charleston in pictures, print our quick reference.
The tiles: 152
One of each kind: three bams, three craks, three dots, the four winds, the green, red and white dragons, a flower and a joker.
- Bams, craks, dots: 1 to 9, four of each.
- Winds: north, east, west, south, four of each.
- Dragons: green goes with bams, red with craks, white (soap) with dots. Soap is also a zero in year hands.
- Flowers: eight, all the same tile.
- Jokers: eight.
Before play
- East gets 14 tiles, everyone else 13.
- Find two or three lines on the card your tiles are closest to. Do not decide yet.
The Charleston, in order
| Pass | Direction | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| First | right, across, left | yes |
| Second | left, across, right | only if all four agree |
| Courtesy | across | optional, 0 to 3 tiles, the same number each way |
- Three tiles a pass, everyone at once.
- Never pass a joker.
- The last pass of each Charleston may be blind: pass on one, two or three of the tiles you just received, unseen, to make up the three.
A turn
- Take the next tile from the wall.
- Throw one tile face up and say its name out loud.
- You always end your turn with 13 tiles.
Calling a discard
- Anyone may call the tile just thrown, not only the next player.
- Call it only to make a group of three or more, unless it finishes your whole hand.
- Lay the group face up (an exposure), then throw. Play continues from your seat.
- Two calls for one tile: mah jongg beats an exposure; otherwise the player next in turn wins it.
- An exposure cannot be taken back.
Jokers
- A joker stands in for a tile in a group of three or more only. Never in a single or a pair.
- On your turn, after you draw, you may take a joker from any exposure by handing over the real tile it stands for.
- A thrown joker is dead: nobody may take it.
- A concealed line (C) may still take a joker off a face-up group.
Allowed: two 3 Craks and a joker make three of a kind. Not allowed: a 3 Crak and a joker as a pair.
Winning and paying
| How the hand ends | Who pays |
|---|---|
| Mah jongg on a discard | the thrower pays 2x the hand's value, the other two 1x |
| Mah jongg on a tile you drew | all three pay 2x |
| The wall runs out | nobody pays (a wall game) |
| A win with no jokers | every payment above doubles again (not in Singles and Pairs or Quints) |
- If every line on the card is impossible for you, your hand is dead: keep playing, do not win, still pay.
Table habits
- Name every tile you throw. A tile not named correctly cannot be called.
- Say your call before you touch the tile.
- Do not throw your hand in before a mah jongg has been checked.
- More on this in At the table.
Practise it
The lessons teach each part with the tiles drawn, the drills ask one decision at a time, and the table deals you a whole game against three opponents, with help that explains every move. All free, no account needed.
Questions
Is there a printable cheat sheet for American Mah Jongg?
Yes, this page. Use your browser's Print command and it prints on its own without the site's menus. It covers the tiles, the Charleston, a turn, calling, jokers and paying.
Does this cheat sheet include the hands on the card?
No. The hands change every year and come from the card you play. The National Mah Jongg League publishes its card each spring; the school's own practice card is free to play at the table.
What is the most important rule for beginners to remember?
Jokers can never be used in a single or a pair, and you can only call a discard to make a group of three or more unless it finishes your hand. Those two catch most new players.