Mahj Play

Rules Guide

American Mahjong rules for beginners.

This guide explains the table flow a new player needs before joining an online American Mah Jongg game.

Practice the rules Charleston guide

American Mah Jongg

Goal Of The Hand

Build one complete hand from the table card. A hand is usually fourteen tiles arranged into groups such as singles, pairs, pungs, kongs, quints, flowers, winds, dragons, or numbered suits.

Turn Flow

After Charleston, players draw, discard, and watch the latest discard. A player may claim the discard only when it legally helps a matching hand line.

Ending A Hand

A hand ends when someone declares Mah Jongg with a complete valid pattern, or when the wall is empty and nobody has completed a hand.

Keep learning

Next useful pages

Learn / How To Read American Mahjong CardHow to Read an American Mahjong Card | Beginner GuideLearn how American Mahjong card lines work, including hand names, tile groups, values, exposed hands, and concealed hands.Learn / Calling And ExposuresCalling and Exposures in American Mahjong | Mahj PlayLearn when to claim discards, expose groups, avoid illegal calls, and read opponents' exposed tiles in American Mahjong.Learn / Scoring American MahjongAmerican Mahjong Scoring Basics | Mahj PlayLearn simple American Mahjong scoring concepts: hand values, wins on discard, self-draw wins, and table standings.