What makes American Mahjong different?
American Mahjong is commonly played by four people with racks, jokers, a Charleston tile exchange, and an annually updated card of valid hands. It shares Chinese roots with other Mahjong traditions while using its own table customs and scoring structure.
What you need
- An American Mahjong tile set, including jokers.
- Four racks and pushers.
- A current rules-and-hands card for each player.
- A table or game mat with enough room to build four walls.
The basic flow
- Mix the tiles and build four walls.
- Deal tiles and complete the Charleston when the rules call for it.
- Draw and discard in turn while building a hand shown on the card.
- Call eligible discards, use jokers where allowed, and declare Mahjong when the hand is complete.
Start with a lesson
The quickest way to become comfortable is to learn at a real table. Explore our lessons or visit the Gilt Mahjong Club.