Overview

Mahjong is a traditional tile-based game for 4 players. Players draw and discard tiles to form a winning hand of 14 tiles matching specific patterns. The game combines elements of skill, strategy, and luck. This summary covers American Mahjong rules (with annual scorecard and jokers).

Components

• 152 tiles total:
  • 108 Suit tiles: Circles/Dots (36), Bamboos/Bams (36), Characters/Craks (36) – 4 of each number 1-9
  • 16 Wind tiles: North, South, East, West (4 each)
  • 12 Dragon tiles: Red, Green, White/Soap (4 each)
  • 8 Flower/Season tiles
  • 8 Joker tiles
• 2 dice
• Scoring sticks/coins
• 4 racks and pushers
• Annual scorecard (National Mah Jongg League)

Setup

1. Shuffle all 152 tiles face-down in the center.
2. Each player builds a wall: 2 tiles high, 19 tiles across.
3. Determine dealer (East) by highest dice roll. Positions are East, South, West, North.
4. East rolls dice to determine where to break the wall.
5. Deal tiles: each player takes 4 tiles three times (12 total), then East takes 2 more, others take 1 more.
6. Result: East has 14 tiles; other players have 13 tiles.

Turn Structure

The Charleston (pre-game tile exchange)

First Charleston (mandatory):

1. Pass 3 tiles right
2. Pass 3 tiles across
3. Pass 3 tiles left

Second Charleston (optional, all must agree): Same directions.

Courtesy Pass (optional): Exchange up to 3 tiles with the player across.

Gameplay

1. East discards first (having 14 tiles), announcing the tile aloud.
2. Next player draws from the wall OR claims the discard.
3. Player keeps the drawn tile or discards a different tile, announcing it.
4. Play continues clockwise.

Actions

Drawing

On your turn, draw the top tile from the wall. Add it to your hand, then discard one tile.

Calling/Claiming Discards

Any player may claim a just-discarded tile to complete:

• Pung (3 identical tiles)
• Kong (4 identical tiles)
• Quint (5 identical – requires jokers)
• Sextet (6 identical – requires jokers)
• Mahjong (completing a winning hand)

You cannot call a discard to complete a pair (unless it completes Mahjong). Called sets are placed face-up (exposed). Mahjong calls take priority over other claims.

Joker Rules

• Jokers substitute for tiles in sets of 3 or more identical tiles.
• Cannot use jokers in pairs or singles.
• You may exchange a real tile for an opponent’s exposed joker, then discard.
• Discarded jokers are dead and cannot be claimed.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Declaring Mahjong

A player wins by forming a 14-tile hand matching a pattern on the annual scorecard and declaring “Mahjong.” The hand is exposed for verification.

Payouts

Situation	Payout
Win from discard	Discarder pays 2x; others pay 1x
Win from wall	All pay 2x
Win without jokers/singles/pairs (from discard)	Discarder pays 4x; others pay 2x
Win without jokers/singles/pairs (from wall)	All pay 4x
No one wins (wall empty)	Draw, no payouts

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Dead hand: If a player has the wrong number of tiles, their hand is dead (eliminated from that round).
• Miscalled tile: Becomes dead. If this prevents another player’s Mahjong, the miscaller pays 4x hand value.
• Concealed hands: Some scorecard patterns require a concealed hand (only draw from wall; no calling discards except for the final Mahjong tile).
• Exposed vs. Concealed: Scorecard marks hands as X (exposed) or C (concealed).
• Erroneous Mahjong (exposed hand): Hand is dead. (Concealed hand: no penalty, game continues.)
• After each game, dealer rotates right.

Player Reference

Set Type	Tiles Required
Pair	2 identical
Pung	3 identical
Kong	4 identical
Quint	5 identical (with jokers)
Sextet	6 identical (with jokers)