American Mahjong in a minute
American Mahjong is a four-player tile game played with 152 tiles, including eight jokers. You win by matching one of the hands printed on this year's card, the only hands that count.
- Pass tiles in the Charleston. Everyone passes three tiles right, across and left, then the table can agree a second Charleston and a courtesy pass.
- Draw a tile, then discard a tile. East starts with 14 tiles and discards first. After that, every turn is one draw and one discard.
- Call discards to expose groups. Take a discard to finish a pung, kong, quint or sextet and show it face up. There are no runs to call.
- Call Mah Jongg with a hand from the card. The table checks your hand against this year's card before anyone pays.
Jokers fill groups of three or more but never a pair or a single. A match runs four hands, with the deal moving round the table and the scores carried over.
What's at the table
American Mahjong has more bookkeeping than most tile games. The table keeps track of it so the conversation can stay on the game.
The Charleston, passed together
Everyone picks three tiles and the table passes them at once: right, across, left, then the optional second Charleston and courtesy pass. Jokers can't be passed, so they stay put.
Eight jokers, with the right limits
Jokers fill pungs, kongs, quints and sextets but never pairs or singles. Hold the real tile for an exposed joker and you can swap it into your hand on your turn.
Calls without the scramble
When a tile is discarded, everyone who wants it calls and the table settles who gets it. Mah Jongg beats an exposure, and a discarded joker can't be called.
Mah Jongg checked for you
A winning call is checked against this year's card before anyone pays, so nobody has to dig out the card mid-game to settle an argument.
A match, not just a hand
Each match runs four hands with the deal moving round the table, and the scores carry over until the last hand.
See each other while you play
Private tables have an optional video call and a chat, so it feels closer to sitting round the same table.
Learn American Mahjong
Before you play
How many people can play?
A table has four seats. Start with one, two or three people and AI players fill the empty seats.
Can I practise against AI?
Yes. Solo mode deals you in against three AI players, so you can learn the Charleston and the calls without waiting for a group.
Do I need the card?
To plan your hands, yes. The table checks a Mah Jongg call against this year's card for you, but it doesn't print the card's hands. Those belong to the National Mah Jongg League, which sells the card.
Do I need an account or an app?
No. Open the game in a modern browser, type a name and take a seat.
Is it free?
Yes. Private tables, public matches and games against AI are all free to play.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. The table works in a phone or tablet browser as well as on a computer, and players on different devices can share a table.
