American mahjong cheat sheet
Everything a beginner needs on one page, except the hands. Those are on the National Mah Jongg League card, which every player buys each year. Print this sheet and keep it next to your rack.
Tiles (152)
Bams, Craks, Dots 1–9 ×4 (108) · Winds N E W S ×4 (16) · Dragons ×4 (12) · Flowers 8 · Jokers 8.
Dragons ↔ suits
Red ↔ Craks · Green ↔ Bams · White (Soap) ↔ Dots. Soap = zero in year hands.
Setup
Walls 19 × 2 each. East breaks the wall. Take 4 at a time to 12, then 1 each; East +1. East 14, others 13.
Charleston
1st (required): right → across → left (blind OK on left).
2nd (optional; any player can stop): left → across → right (blind OK on right).
Courtesy: 0–3 across, lower number wins.
Never pass a joker.
Your turn
Pick → discard face up → name it. Play moves right. East opens by discarding.
Calling
Pung 3 · Kong 4 · Quint 5 · Sextet 6. Call → expose on rack → discard. No calling for a pair unless it's mahjong. Mahjong beats an exposure; otherwise next in turn.
Jokers
Only in groups of 3+. Never singles or pairs. Redeem on your turn with the real tile. Discarded jokers are dead.
Paying
On a discard: discarder ×2, others ×1. Self-picked: all ×2. Jokerless: ×2 (not for singles & pairs).
Dead hand
Can't match any card hand, or wrong tile count → keep picking & discarding, can't call or win, still pay.
Show Me Mahj cheat sheet, v2026-09. Not affiliated with the National Mah Jongg League. Full lessons