Definition
A discard is the tile a player places face up in the centre after drawing, named aloud so that any player may call it.
Naming the tile is part of the rule, not a courtesy. A tile discarded silently, or named wrongly, can be challenged. Discards stay face up and are the table's shared memory of what has already gone.
At the table
Naming your discard out loud is part of the rule, not table manners, and a tile named wrongly can be challenged. The mistake beginners make is the silent discard. The table cannot call what it did not hear, the rhythm breaks, and you have taken information away from everyone including yourself.
Read the full guide: Calling and Exposing in American Mahjong: When, How, and When Not To.
Lesson 9, Defense: Reading the Table, teaches this in its step "Who gets a called discard". It comes with the Club. See what Lesson 9 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: Calling, Exposure, Meld, Racking. All 52 terms.