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How to Set Up American Mahjong
The short answer: Shuffle all 152 tiles — 144 standard plus 8 jokers — and build 4 walls of 19 stacks, 2 tiles each. Deal 13 tiles to each player, dealer included. Run the Charleston, pick a hand from the NMJL card, rack your tiles. Setup takes about 5 minutes. First time at an American…
How to Read a Mahjong Card
The short answer: a mahjong card is the yearly list of hands you may win with, and each line is one hand. Letters tell you the suit: D is dots, B is bamboos, C is characters, N, E, S, W are winds, F is flowers. Numbers tell you the tile. Read the line, build the…
How to Order the 2026 Mahjong Card
The short answer: order straight from the National Mahjong League (NMJL) website, and join as a member first if you play regularly — members get a discount. The card also shows up on Amazon and in bookstores, and the NMJL app carries a digital copy. Every spring, thousands of players line up for the new…
What Is the Charleston in Mahjong?
The short answer: the Charleston is the opening tile-passing ritual of American mahjong. You pass three tiles to the right, three across the table, and three to the left. It trades unwanted tiles for useful ones before real play starts, and it takes about a minute. If you have ever watched an American mahjong table,…
When Does the 2026 Mahjong Card Come Out?
The short answer: the NMJL releases the 2026 card in early spring, usually March or April, and it officially takes effect around April 1st at most clubs. Pre-orders open before release, so order early if you want the card in your hands on day one. There is a moment every spring when the whole American…
What Is a Mahjong Card?
The short answer: a mahjong card is the yearly list of winning hands published by the National Mahjong League. In American mahjong you can only go out on a hand that appears on the card, which is why the card is the most important thing on the table. Ask any American mahjong player what makes…
How to Do the Charleston in Mahjong
The short answer: The Charleston in Mahjong is the opening exchange before anyone draws. Pick 3 tiles you do not want, then pass 3 tiles to the right, 3 across, and 3 to the left, in that order — 3 rounds in total. Most tables add an optional blind pass afterward. House rules can adjust…
What Is a Blind Pass in Mahjong?
The short answer: A blind pass is an optional fourth exchange in American Mahjong, played right after the Charleston. Each player who joins passes 3 tiles face down, in a direction the table chooses, without showing what they send. It is a way to improve your hand without revealing what you are building. House rules…
When Can You Stop the Charleston in Mahjong?
The short answer: You cannot stop the main Charleston — the 3 required passes, right, across, left, finish for everyone. After those 3 rounds, players may call stop to skip the optional blind pass. Most tables let each player opt out. Some strict clubs force the blind pass, so your house rules decide. Somewhere after…
Why Is It Called the Charleston in Mahjong?
The short answer: Nobody knows for sure, but the standard story is that the name comes from the Charleston dance, the huge 1920s craze. The passes move tiles back and forth between players like dancers swapping partners. The 1920s were also when American Mahjong exploded, so the name fit and stuck. American Mahjong has its…