Master American Mahjong in 5 Minutes: Your Quick-Start Guide!
Learn the basics rules of American Mahjong, such as Suits, Honors, Jokers, Flowers, Charleston and other rules, Master how to play American Mahjong in 5 minutes! Let's do this! 🤠
Alright, let's dive right in. Forget everything you think you know about Mahjong from movies or other versions. American Mahjong is its own unique beast—it's fast, strategic, and a whole lot of fun. The goal isn't just to get any old winning hand; it's to match a specific hand from the official National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) card for the year.
Think of it like a scavenger hunt where everyone is trying to find the right treasures first!
Step 1: Meet Your Tools - The Tiles ✨
An American Mahjong set has 152 tiles. Let's break them down:
- Suits (108 tiles): These are the numbered tiles.
- Bams (Bamboos): Numbered 1 through 9. They look like bamboo sticks.
- Craks (Characters): Numbered 1 through 9. They have the Chinese character for "ten thousand" on them.
- Dots (Circles): Numbered 1 through 9. They look like little circles or coins.
- Honors (28 tiles): No numbers, just symbols.
- Winds: North, East, South, West.
- Dragons: Red Dragon (looks like a red box or character), Green Dragon (a green character), and White Dragon (a blank tile, often with a frame). The White Dragon is also called "Soap."
- Flowers (8 tiles): These are bonus tiles, usually with pictures of flowers or seasons on them. They match any suit!
- Jokers (8 tiles): The ultimate wild cards! 🃏 A Joker can be used to substitute for any tile in a Pung, Kong, Quint, or Sextet (we'll cover those in a sec). The only thing it can't be used for is a Pair or a single tile.
Step 2: The Goal - Use The Magic Card! 📜
Every year, the NMJL releases a new card with a list of winning hands. Your entire game revolves around this card. You are trying to collect tiles to form one of the specific combinations listed on it. This is the single most important rule!
A hand is usually made of 14 tiles, typically arranged in sets:
- Pair (2 identical tiles)
- Pung (3 identical tiles)
- Kong (4 identical tiles)
- Quint (5 identical tiles, requires Jokers)
- Sextet (6 identical tiles, requires Jokers)
Step 3: The Dance - The Charleston 💃
This is what makes American Mahjong truly unique! Before the game starts, you do a ritual tile exchange called "The Charleston." It’s a series of three passes to get rid of tiles you don't want and hopefully get ones you do.
- First Right: Pass 3 unwanted tiles to the player on your right.
- First Across: Pass 3 unwanted tiles to the player across from you.
- First Left: Pass 3 unwanted tiles to the player on your left. You have the option to "blind pass" this last one, meaning you can pass fewer than 3 tiles.
After this, there's an optional "Courtesy Pass" with the player across from you for up to 3 more tiles. The goal is to quickly shape your hand towards a potential winning hand on the card.
Step 4: The Game Play - Draw and Discard 🎲
Now the real game begins! The flow is simple:
- Draw: On your turn, you draw one tile from the wall.
- Decide: Look at your hand and the card. Does the new tile help you? Which tile helps you the least?
- Discard: Discard one tile from your hand into the center of the table, announcing its name out loud (e.g., "Three Bam," "Red Dragon").
This continues around the table.
Calling a Tile: If a player discards a tile you need to complete a Pung, Kong, Quint, or Sextet (but NOT a pair!), you can shout "Call!" You then take that tile, expose the set face-up in front of you (this is called an exposure), and then discard a tile. Your turn is then skipped, and play continues with the player to your right.
Step 5: The Victory - "Mahjong!" 🏆
You win the game when you complete a 14-tile hand that exactly matches one of the hands on the NMJL card.
When you get your final, winning tile (either by drawing it yourself or calling for a discard), you declare loudly and proudly: "MAHJONG!"
You've done it! You've successfully navigated the tiles, danced the Charleston, and achieved your goal.
The 5-Minute Recap:
- Get The Card: Your goal is to match a hand on the official NMJL card.
- Know Your Tiles: Learn the Suits (Bams, Craks, Dots), Honors (Winds, Dragons), Flowers, and powerful Jokers.
- Do The Charleston: Pass unwanted tiles to your opponents before the game starts.
- Draw and Discard: On your turn, draw one tile and discard one tile.
- Call for Sets: Call for a discarded tile if it completes a set of 3 or more.
- Yell "Mahjong!": When your 14 tiles match a hand on the card, you win!
That's it! You now know the fundamental flow of American Mahjong. Of course, there are finer points, but this is everything you need to sit down and play your first game. So grab a set, find that card, and get ready to have a blast！