How to Play

Focused lessons for setup, turns, drawing, discarding, calling, and completing a hand.

Use these lessons to solve specific gameplay questions about setup, drawing, discarding, calling, exposing, and completing a legal hand.

First American Mahjong Game Checklist

Arrive prepared, follow the table confidently, and know which questions to ask.

Introduce the game without overwhelming new players with every exception at once.

Follow normal American mahjong play and understand when a discard may be called.

A beginner-friendly guide to using and exchanging jokers in American mahjong.

Learn what each major card section is asking you to build.

Structure a teaching game that explains decisions without turning every turn into a lecture.

Understand the standard four-player table and practical options when the group is smaller.

Use a predictable rotation so extra players receive fair table time without disrupting active hands.

Protect active games by making player changes only at a clear and fair stopping point.

See why American and riichi mahjong use familiar tiles but create very different games.

Understand how American and Hong Kong mahjong differ despite using many of the same core tiles.

Understand when “American mahjong” means NMJL-style play and when a table may be using another convention.