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Free player cheat sheet · Mahjong Land SD
American Mahjong cheat sheet
The tiles, the Charleston, Joker rules, reading the card and who pays, plus the rules players miss most often. Rules follow the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL). Always play from this year's card.
- 152 tiles
- 14 tiles to win
- 8 Jokers
- 4 players
- Play moves to the right
Rules that are easy to miss
These come up at almost every table, even with experienced players.
No calling for a pair
Call a discard only to finish a pung, kong, quint or sextet, or to declare Mahjong. A tile that completes a single or pair can be called only for Mahjong.
The window closes fast
A discard can be called until the next player has drawn and racked a tile. Say "Call" clearly, then take the tile.
Mahjong beats an exposure
If two players call the same tile, Mahjong wins. If both want it for the same reason, the player next in turn after the discarder gets it.
Redeem Jokers from any exposure
On your turn, swap the matching tile for a Joker in anyone's exposed group, yours included. You can make several swaps in one turn.
A discarded Joker is dead
Nobody can call a Joker from the discards, and a discard can't be used to swap for an exposed Joker. Only tiles from your rack redeem Jokers.
Never in a single or pair
Jokers fill groups of three or more only. They can't stand in for a pair, a single tile, or one tile of NEWS or a year like 2026.
Jokers can't be passed
Not in the Charleston and not in the courtesy pass. Flowers can be passed.
The blind pass
On the last pass of each Charleston (first Left, second Right) you may pass along 1 to 3 of the tiles you just received without looking at them.
One player can stop the second Charleston
The first Charleston is required. Any one player may decline the second. In the courtesy pass, the player who wants fewer tiles sets the number.
C means concealed
On a hand marked C you can't call discards for exposures. You may call only the final tile, for Mahjong.
Colors mean suits, not specific suits
One color in a hand means one suit, three colors mean three different suits. A dragon in the same color as a number matches that suit.
Soap counts as zero
In year hands such as 2026, the White Dragon (Soap) is the 0. Flowers are interchangeable, so any Flower matches any other.
A quint needs a Joker
There are only four of each tile, so a quint or sextet needs Jokers. Flowers are the exception, with eight in the set.
A dead hand still pays
A hand goes dead when it has the wrong tile count or its exposures can't match any hand on the card. That player stops playing but still pays if someone else wins.
Jokerless doubles the value
A winning hand with no Jokers is worth double. Hands that can never use Jokers, such as Singles and Pairs, don't get the bonus.
Verify before you declare
Check your 14 tiles against the card before saying Mahjong. Everyone should check it before tiles are mixed.
The set152 tiles
The Charleston3 tiles a pass
First Charleston (required)
Second Charleston (optional)
Courtesy pass
Last, you and the player across may trade 0 to 3 tiles. The smaller number wins.
Tip: pass whole groups you've decided against, not your only tile of a kind.
A turn
- Setup: each player builds a wall 19 stacks long, two tiles high. East rolls the dice to break the wall.
- Deal: East gets 14 tiles, everyone else 13. East starts by discarding.
- Your turn: draw from the wall, redeem any Jokers you can, then discard one tile.
- Name every discard out loud, for example "Five Dot" or "Flower."
- Calling a discard: say "Call," take the tile, expose the full group face up, then discard. Play continues to your right.
- Exposures are final. Once a group is on the table it can't be rearranged, and everyone can read your hand from it.
Reading the card
- The NMJL publishes a new card every spring. Last year's hands no longer count.
- Hands are grouped into sections such as 2468, Like Numbers, 369, Consecutive Run, Winds & Dragons, and Singles & Pairs.
- X means you may expose groups. C means the hand stays concealed until Mahjong.
- The number beside each hand is its value, usually 25 to 50 or more.
- Pick two or three possible hands after the Charleston, then narrow down to one as tiles come.
Who pays25-point hand
| How it was won | Discarder | Others, each |
|---|---|---|
| On a discard | 50 | 25 |
| Drawn from the wall | — | 50 |
| Jokerless, on a discard | 100 | 50 |
| Jokerless, from the wall | — | 100 |
Whoever throws the winning tile pays double. When the winner draws the tile themselves, all three pay double. If the wall runs out with no winner, it's a wall game and nobody pays.
Strategy & defense
- Keep your Jokers. They're worth more in your rack than any single tile you could pass.
- Count dead tiles. If three of a tile are already discarded or exposed, only one is left, so plan around it.
- Watch exposures. Two or three exposed groups usually point to one hand on the card. Don't throw its missing tiles.
- Play safe late. When someone looks close to Mahjong, discard tiles that are already on the table.
- Stay flexible until you've collected about half of a hand.
Learn it at the table with Luli
Beginner classes walk you through the tiles, the card, the Charleston and your first full game in San Diego.
Mahjong Land SD · American Mahjong lessons in San Diego · mahjonglandsandiego.com · 619-208-6972
Lessons with Luli: beginner classes, private lessons and mahjong parties.