How many tiles are in an American Mahjong set?
152: three suits of 36 (craks, bams, dots), 16 winds, 12 dragons, 8 flowers, and 8 jokers. A set sold with 144 tiles is a Chinese set with no jokers and will not work for the American game without adding them.
Is American Mahjong hard to learn?
The rules take an evening. The skill that takes longer is looking at thirteen tiles and recognising which category of hand they are pointing at, and that comes from seeing many hands read out loud. Most people are comfortable at a table within two to three weeks of light daily practice.
What is the Charleston in mahjong?
The passing ritual before play: each player passes three tiles right, then across, then left, with an optional second round and a courtesy pass. It is mandatory the first time and it is where most hands are actually decided.
Can a joker be used in a pair?
No. A joker may stand in for any tile in a pung, kong, or quint, but never in a pair and never as a single tile. This one rule shapes most joker strategy.
Can you pass a joker in the Charleston?
Not in the Charleston itself. It is technically legal in the optional courtesy pass at the end, and almost never a good idea.
What is a pung, a kong, and a quint?
Three, four, and five identical tiles respectively. All three can include jokers and can be completed by calling a discard. A quint always contains at least one joker because only four of any natural tile exist.
When can you call a discarded tile?
Immediately after it is discarded and before the next player draws, to complete a pung, kong, or quint, or to complete your winning hand. You cannot call for a pair except the winning one, and there is no calling for runs.
What makes a hand dead in mahjong?
An exposure that matches no card line, an exposure on a hand the card requires to be concealed, or holding the wrong number of tiles. A dead hand keeps playing but cannot win.
What happens if the wall runs out?
The hand is a wall game: nobody wins and nobody pays. Most groups keep the same dealer and redeal.
How is American Mahjong scored?
Each hand on the card has a point value. On a win, all three opponents pay the winner; if the winner drew the last tile, everyone pays double, and if it was called from a discard, the player who threw it pays double. Many groups add a bonus for a jokerless hand.
Do I need the current year's card?
Yes. The National Mah Jongg League issues a new card every April and the hands change, so an old card describes hands that no longer count. Buy it from the League; one per player.
What is soap in mahjong?
The white dragon. Its blank or framed face looks like a bar of soap, and it doubles as a zero on card lines that call for one.
Can you play American Mahjong with three players?
Yes. The tile count stays the same, the wall lasts longer, and the Charleston adapts to right, left, right since there is no player across. Two-handed play is possible but loses most of the strategy.
What is the difference between American and Chinese mahjong?
American Mahjong uses jokers, a passing round (the Charleston), and an annual card of allowed hands published by the National Mah Jongg League. Chinese variants have no jokers or Charleston, allow runs, and score by counting sets rather than matching a card.
Is it mahjong, mah jongg, or mah-jongg?
All are used. The National Mah Jongg League spells it Mah Jongg; most players and most search engines write mahjong. They are the same game.
How do I know which hand to go for?
Look at your tiles before you open the card. Count your most-repeated number, look at which suits your tiles cluster in, and notice pairs and runs. That points you to two or three card categories to check rather than the whole sheet. Our free coach does this read on your actual tiles and explains why.
What should I pass in the Charleston?
Pass tiles that do not serve the direction your hand is heading, usually isolated middle numbers in your weakest suit. Keep anything already part of a pair or pung. If you have no direction yet, pass your most isolated tiles and re-read as new ones arrive.
Is School of Mahjong affiliated with the National Mah Jongg League?
No. We are an independent teaching site. We teach structure, mechanics, and strategy, and we never reproduce any year's card. The card itself you buy from the League.
What does the Club membership include?
The AI coach on call for your own hands, a fresh coached hand every morning, all ten lessons and the 14-day course, drills and the simulator, and every new card taught the week it lands each April. $14.99 a month or $149 a year, cancel or pause any time.
Is the coach a real person?
No. Mei is an AI coach, and we say so everywhere she appears. She reads hands using the same analysis engine as the rest of the site, explains her reasoning in plain English, and a real person reads every reply to her emails.