Definition
Calling is claiming the most recent discard to complete a pung, kong, quint, or your winning hand, and the window stays open until the next player racks the tile they drew or discards.
Say it out loud before that moment, because a claim has to be spoken, then take the tile, expose the completed set on top of your rack, and discard. Handling or hovering over a tile does not close the window. Racking it or discarding does. You cannot call for a pair except the one that wins, and there is no calling for runs in American Mahjong.
At the table
Calling speeds you up and slows you down at the same time. It advances your hand by a tile, and it tells three opponents what you are collecting, so they can stop discarding the tiles you need. The mistake is calling because you can rather than because it helps. A useful test is whether the call gets you to a line you could name out loud.
Read the full guide: Calling and Exposing in American Mahjong: When, How, and When Not To.
Lesson 7, The Play: Calling & Exposures, is the lesson on this. It comes with the Club. See what Lesson 7 covers.
See it on real tiles. The AI coach reads a dealt hand, free, and names the direction it goes for, what to keep and what to pass, at the free read.
Want the coach on call? The Club adds the coach for your own tiles and for each morning’s hand, all 10 lessons, and every new NMJL card taught the week it lands, for $14.99 a month, cancel anytime. See what the Club includes.
Related: Exposure, Meld, Racking, Discard. All 52 terms.