Your First Mahjong Game Night: A Friendly Checklist

Your first mahjong game night is supposed to be fun, not a test. The people who invited you want you to come back, so they'll be patient. This checklist covers what's actually worth preparing and what you can happily leave for later. Feel free to print it and tick things off.

What to bring

• ☐ The current year's card. American mahjong uses a card of winning hands that changes every year, and each player usually has their own. Order the official card from the National Mah Jongg League. A large-print version is available too, and many players love it. If it hasn't arrived in time, ask your host whether there's a spare.
• ☐ Small change for payouts. Most social games play for small stakes. A few dollars in quarters, dimes, and nickels, or some one-dollar bills, in a little pouch is perfect. Ask your host what's typical.
• ☐ Reading glasses, if you use them. The card has small print and the tiles have fine detail.
• ☐ A set or rack, only if asked. The host usually provides these. If you've been asked to bring one, check our guide to what's in an American set.
• ☐ A small snack or drink to share, if that's the group's custom. Ask, and keep it tidy and non-greasy.

What to learn beforehand

You don't need to learn everything. These three things will make the biggest difference, in this order:

• ☐ The tiles. Learn to recognize the three suits (Bams, Craks, Dots), the winds, the dragons, flowers, and jokers. Our free tile quiz gets most people there in an evening or two.
• ☐ The Charleston. This is the tile-passing round before play starts, and it's where most beginners feel lost. Practice it with the Charleston simulator and read the Charleston rules.
• ☐ How to read the card. Learn what the colors, numbers, and the letters X and C mean. Our guide on how to read the mahjong card walks through it using original practice hands.

Here's the kind of hand you'll learn to read. It's one of our practice hands, not a hand from the official card:

Even numbers

Even Steven

X25¢

FF224446668888

Two suits: the 2s and 4s share one suit, the 6s and 8s share a different suit.

One way to complete it:

Want the big picture first? Skim how to play American mahjong. It's fine if it doesn't all stick yet; it will make sense once the tiles are in your hands.

What to expect in the first hour

1. Hellos and seats. Four players sit around a square table, one on each side.
2. Building the wall. Tiles go face down and get mixed (people often call it "washing" the tiles). Then each player builds a wall in front of their rack, 19 stacks of two tiles, and the walls are pushed together into a square.
3. Rolling the dice. The dealer, called East, rolls to decide where the wall is broken, then tiles are dealt. East gets 14 tiles; everyone else gets 13.
4. The Charleston. Everyone passes three tiles right, across, and left, with an optional second round and courtesy pass. This takes a while at first, and that's okay.
5. Play. Players take turns picking a tile and discarding one, naming each discard out loud, until someone completes a hand from the card.
6. Mahjong, or a wall game. Someone wins and gets paid, or the wall runs out with no winner, which is called a wall game. Then everyone mixes the tiles and starts again.

A beginner game can easily take a half hour or more. Expect to play a few games in an evening, not a dozen.

Phrases you'll hear

• "Three bam," "five crak," "two dot." Players name each tile as they discard it.
• "Soap." The white dragon. It also stands for zero on the card.
• "Call!" Someone wants the tile that was just discarded.
• "Exposure." A group of tiles placed face up on a rack after calling a tile.
• "Blind pass." Passing tiles in the Charleston without looking at them first.
• "Courtesy?" Asking the player across from you whether they want a final small trade.
• "Hot tile." A tile that might give someone else Mahjong.
• "Dead hand." A hand that can no longer win.
• "Mahjong!" Someone has won.

For the full list, keep our mahjong glossary handy.

How to ask for help

• ☐ Say you're new at the start. "This is my first game, please be patient with me" sets a kind tone right away.
• ☐ Ask before you act. "Can I call that?" or "Am I allowed to pass this?" is always welcome.
• ☐ Ask someone to look at your hand. Many tables let a beginner play with tiles showing for the first game or two, so someone can coach. Just ask.
• ☐ Ask about house rules. Every group has a few. "Is there anything your group does differently?" is a great question.

What not to worry about

One more thing: manners

Name your discards, wait a beat before picking from the wall, keep snacks away from the tiles, and pay promptly when someone wins. That covers most of it. Our mahjong etiquette guide has the rest.

You're going to have a lovely time. Bring your card, bring some coins, and bring your curiosity. You've got this.