How to Play American Mahjong: A Beginner’s Guide

Your Grandmother’s Favorite Game (And Soon, Yours Too)

So your aunt keeps pestering you about joining her Tuesday game. Your neighbor raves about her mahjong group like it’s a secret society. And somewhere between TikTok and your best friend’s living room, you’ve realized: American Mahjong is having a moment.

Good news: you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to break down how to play American Mahjong in a way that won’t make your brain explode. No PhD required. Just a willingness to shuffle some tiles and maybe trash-talk your loved ones a little.

What Even Is American Mahjong?

American Mahjong (or Mah Jongg, if you’re feeling fancy) is a tile-based game that’s equal parts strategy, luck, and controlled chaos. Four players sit around a table, draw and discard tiles, and race to complete a winning hand. Think of it as rummy’s more stylish, click-clacking cousin.

The “American” part matters because this isn’t the same game played in China, Hong Kong, or Japan. American Mahjong has its own rules, its own scoring system, and one crucial twist: the card. More on that in a minute.

What You Need to Play

Before you can shuffle tiles like a pro, you’ll need a few things:

The Tiles (152 of them)

Your mahjong set includes several types of tiles.

The Three Suits (numbered 1-9 in each):

🀇 Craks (Characters) – Chinese numerals, often in red and black
🀐 Bams (Bamboos) – Bamboo sticks, mostly green
🀙 Dots (Circles) – Colorful circles

Honor Tiles:

🀀🀁🀂🀃 Winds – East, South, West, North (four of each)
🀄🀅🀆 Dragons – Red, Green, and White/Soap (four of each)

Special Tiles:

🀢 Flowers – Eight unique decorative tiles
🀫 Jokers – Eight wild cards that make American Mahjong uniquely chaotic

If you’re looking for your first set, make sure it’s a 152-tile American set—those extra tiles (including Jokers and Flowers) are non-negotiable.

The Card

This is where American Mahjong gets interesting. Every year, new cards are released with valid winning hands. You need a current card. It’s not optional. The hands change annually, which keeps the game fresh but also means last year’s winning strategy might be completely useless today.

Think of the card as your treasure map. Every hand you’re trying to build? It’s on that card.

Racks and Pushers

Each player gets a rack (to hide your tiles from nosy opponents) and a pusher (to help build and push the wall). Some people think they’re optional. Those people are wrong.

The Basic Setup

Building the Wall

Everyone grabs tiles face-down and arranges them into a two-tiered wall: 19 tiles long, 2 tiles high. Push all four walls together to form a square in the center. This is your tile supply for the game.

Breaking the Wall and Dealing

One player rolls dice to determine where to “break” the wall. Tiles are then dealt in a specific pattern until each player has 13 tiles. (The game’s starter, or “East,” gets 14 to kick things off.)

Now peek at your hand. Panic quietly. This is normal.

How the Game Actually Works

The Goal

Build one of the hands on your card using exactly 14 tiles. That’s it. That’s the whole point.

But here’s the rub: these hands require specific combinations of tiles, colors, and numbers. Some hands use only odd numbers. Some require pairs of matching suits. Some are so complicated you’ll need a minute just to read them.

The Flow: Pick, Rack, Discard

On your turn, you either:

Draw a tile from the wall, OR
Call a discarded tile from another player (more on this below)

Then you decide what to keep and discard one tile face-up. The goal is always to get closer to completing a hand from your card.

Calling Tiles

If someone discards a tile you need, you can “call” it—but only under certain conditions:

For an exposure: If the tile completes a pung (three of a kind), kong (four of a kind), quint (five of a kind with Jokers), or sextet (six of a kind), you can take it, reveal those tiles on your rack, and discard.
For Mahjong: If that tile completes your entire hand, shout “Mahjong!” (or just say it calmly—we won’t judge).

Important: You can call any player’s discard for Mahjong, but for exposures, you can generally only call from the player who just discarded. There are nuances here, but that’s the basics.

Jokers: Your Best Friends 🀫

Jokers are wild tiles that can substitute for any tile in groups of three or more (pungs, kongs, quints). They cannot be used in pairs or singles. These chaotic little helpers are what make American Mahjong so fun—and occasionally infuriating when someone steals the tile you needed.

You can also swap a Joker out of an exposure if you have the natural tile it’s replacing. This is called “redeeming” and it’s deeply satisfying.

Scoring and Winning

When someone calls Mahjong, the game stops. Points are awarded based on:

The value of the winning hand (listed on the card)
Whether the player was “self-picked” (drew the winning tile) vs. winning off a discard
Who discarded the winning tile (they might owe more)

Different groups use different scoring conventions. Some play for nickels. Some play for pride. Either way, winning feels great.

Pro Tips for Your First Game

Study your card before game day. Seriously, spend 20 minutes just looking at it. The hands will start making sense.
Start with the simpler hands. Look for hands marked with lower point values—they’re usually easier to complete.
Watch what’s being discarded. If you’re collecting 7s and everyone keeps throwing them, you’re in good shape. If no 7s are appearing, maybe pivot.
Don’t fall in love with a hand. Flexibility wins games. If your original plan isn’t coming together, switch to something else on your card.
Ask questions. Experienced players love teaching newbies. It makes them feel wise and powerful.

Ready to Join the Table?

American Mahjong has survived for over a century because it’s genuinely fun. It’s social, strategic, and the sound of those tiles clicking together is oddly therapeutic. Plus, it’s an excuse to snack, chat, and spend quality time with people you actually like.

If you’re ready to dive in, grab a tile set, snag a current card, and find three friends willing to learn with you. The first game will be confusing. By the third game, you’ll be hooked.

Welcome to the society.

Need a card for your games? Check out our mahjong card with fresh combinations designed to keep your games exciting.