American Mah Jongg is a four-player game, but there are good ways to play it with two. Here are the three, from the League's own rule to the one most people mean.
1. The League's rule: play the hand, skip the Charleston
The National Mah Jongg League's rule for two players keeps almost everything:
- Sit opposite each other and build the walls as usual. All 152 tiles are used.
- The dealer takes 14 tiles and the other player 13, as in a four-player game.
- There is no Charleston. The dealer throws first and play begins.
- Draw, throw, call and win exactly as in the four-player game.
It is quick to learn because nothing new is added. The catch is that with only two players, most of the tiles stay in the wall, and calling a discard is rarer, so hands run long.
2. Siamese Mah Jongg: two racks each
Most people searching for two-handed mah jongg mean Siamese Mah Jongg. It is a separate game, created by Gladys Grad and sold under its own trademark, not a League game, but it is played with American-style hands.
- Each player sits behind two racks.
- The dealer ends up with 28 tiles and the other player 27.
- There is no Charleston.
- You may move tiles between your own two racks as you play.
- To win the game you need two mah jonggs, one on each rack. The second is paid double.
One of a Siamese player's two racks, part-built: with two racks you can work on two hands at once and move tiles between them.
Siamese Mah Jongg, explained has the setup and scoring.
3. Play the four-seat game with two people
The two-player versions change the game. If what you want is the real thing, the full four-seat game with a Charleston, calls coming from three directions and a card's worth of choices, two people can have it online.
At Mahjongg School, one of you starts a table and sends the other the link. When you start, every empty seat is taken by one of the school's strong computer players, who read the discards and never see your tiles. You play the hand exactly as it is played at a table of four, and each of you gets a report card afterwards.
Questions
Can you play American Mah Jongg with two players?
Yes. The National Mah Jongg League's rule is to sit opposite, deal as usual (14 tiles to the dealer, 13 to the other player) and skip the Charleston. Siamese Mah Jongg is a popular two-player variant with two racks each.
Is there a Charleston with two players?
No. Both the League's two-player rule and Siamese Mah Jongg skip the Charleston.
How can two people play a full game of mah jongg?
Online, with computer players in the empty seats. At Mahjongg School two people sit at one table and two strong computer players fill the other seats, so the full four-player game, Charleston included, is played.
Sources
The League's two-player rule, as quoted from its rulebook: Sloperama, Mah-Jongg FAQ 13a and Mahj Life. Siamese: Mah Jongg Madness, Siamese rules and I Love Mahj.