Mahjong Rules
Here's a reference of the rules covered in class!
Setting up
When playing online, the set-up of the game is done for you, and you can just start playing. For those playing in person with physical sets, here are the steps to set up the game:
Arrange the 4 players around a small square table
Lay a rack in front of each player
Place all tiles in the center face down and shuffle them
Each player builds a "wall" of tiles, 19 tiles long and 2 tiles tall, in front of their rack
Players roll dice and the highest score is designated as "East"
East rolls the dice and breaks their wall at the position indicated by the dice (starting from the right)
East takes the next 4 tiles after the break in the wall
Moving in a counter-clockwise fashion, each player takes 4 tiles, until they all have 12 tiles. Tiles are initially picked from East's (partial) wall, then from the next wall (in clockwise order)
East takes 2 more tiles from the wall (the first and third on top of the wall) and other players (in counter-clockwise order) pick 1 tile each
East now has 14 tiles and the other players have 13
Tiles are placed on the tilted side of each player's rack (visible only to them)
At this point, players will start ordering their tiles on their racks, analyzing their options and planning their hands.
The Charleston
The Charleston is unique to American Mah Jongg and involves passing unwanted tiles between players in the following fashion:
First Charleston (mandatory)
All players pass 3 tiles to the player on their right
All players pass 3 tiles to the player across from them
All players pass 3 tiles to the player on their left. However, this time, players do not need to pass their own tiles. They should choose between 0-3 of their own tiles and any shortfall should be made up of tiles received from the player on their right. These tiles should be passed without first looking at them. This is known as a "blind pass".
Second Charleston (optional)
If all players agree, another Charleston is conducted, starting with a pass to the left this time. If one or more players wish to stop at this point, players move to the Courtesy Pass directly (see below).
All players pass 3 tiles to the player on their left
All players pass 3 tiles to the player across from them
All players pass 3 tiles to the player on their right. This can include 0-3 of their own tiles, supplemented with tiles received, as before (see note above regarding "blind passes")
Courtesy Pass
Each player tells the person opposite them how many tiles they wish to pass (0-3 tiles). Players exchange tiles equal to the lower of the two numbers
Note that jokers cannot be passed during the Charleston.
Once the Charleston has been completed, players move into the game proper. As stated previously, the goal of the game is to end up with a set of tiles matching one of the hands on the card.
Order of Play
This section will cover the general order of play. Subsequent sections will explain each part and the rules associated with them.
Since East has 14 tiles, this player starts the game by discarding a tile. The turn then moves to the player on their right who picks a tile from the wall, then discards a tile. Any player can decide to call a discard to make an exposure (see below). The calling player then discards a tile. Play continues in a counter-clockwise direction, with each player picking a tile from the wall and discarding a tile until someone calls Mah Jongg or there are no more tiles to pick (this is called a “wall game”). We’ll cover the various aspects in a little more details below.
Walls
Walls are pushed out in turn once all tiles have been picked from the previous wall. This process moves in a clockwise direction, with the right-most end of the wall being pushed towards the center of the table, leaving the left-most end closest to the player pushing out.
Drawing & Racking
A player starts their turn by drawing a tile from the wall that is currently in play. This tile is selected from the end of the wall closest to the center of the table and it is placed on the tilted side of their rack (visible to them only). The racking of a tile is the signal that the previously discarded tile can no longer be called.
Once all tiles have been picked from the active wall, the next wall (in clockwise order) is pushed out. Tiles are then picked from this wall.
In some online games, the tile is automatically drawn and given to you; in others, you have to click a button to expressly request it.
Discarding
After drawing a tile (or calling a discard), players will re-examine their hand and decide what tile they wish to discard next. In an in-person game, the player would place this tile on the table, face up, and announce it verbally (eg: "one bam" or "north").
In online games, you usually discard a tile by double-clicking it or dragging it to the center of the game, and the tile is announced by the computer.
Once a tile is discarded it cannot be taken back. Discarding a tile signals the end of that player’s turn.
Calling a Tile
Once a tile has been discarded, players have the option to call it prior to the next player picking a tile from the wall. You would call the tile if you required it to complete a combination for the hand you are aiming for (ie, pung, kong or quint).
To call a discarded tile:
Announce the call verbally (saying "call" is sufficient)
Place the called tile face-up on top of your rack and add matching tiles (which can include jokers) from your rack to make the combination you require. This set of tiles is called an "exposure".
To complete your turn, discard a tile from your hand
Play now moves to the person on your right, unless your discarded tile is called
If a player calls a discarded tile and it’s the last tile needed to complete their hand, they would call "Mah Jongg" and place all their tiles on top of their rack (so that others can verify the hand is indeed valid).
There a several rules governing the calling of a tile:
You can only call a tile between the time it is discarded and the time the next player racks their pick from the wall
You can only call the most recently discarded tile (not previously discarded ones)
You can only call a tile to complete a combination of 3 tiles or more (pung, kong, quint) and not for a single or pair UNLESS this is the last tile you need to complete Mah Jongg
You may use jokers in place of regular tiles in your exposure. For instance, if you're calling a 5-crak to make a pung, the exposure can be three 5-craks, or two 5-craks and a joker, or one 5-crak and two jokers.
You can never call a discarded joker
You cannot call a tile for a concealed hand UNLESS this is the last tile you need to complete Mah Jongg
Once you have exposed, you can edit this exposure (for instance, from a pung to a kong) until you discard a tile. After that, the exposure cannot be removed or changed.
If 2 players call for the same tile:
The player closer to the discarding player (in counter-clockwise order) takes precedence
If a player is calling for Mah Jongg, they take precedence over players calling for an exposure
Using jokers
Jokers can substitute for a regular tile, but only in combinations of 3 or more tiles (ie, pungs, kongs, quints), never for singles or pairs. Remember that sequences like NEWS or 2020, though represented together on the card are really 4 single tiles. So you cannot use a joker for these.
Swapping a Joker
When it is your turn (either naturally based on order, or because you've just called a tile), you may swap an exposed joker for the corresponding tile in your rack.
For example, let's say Mary has exposed two 5-craks and two jokers. If you have a 5-crak, you can exchange this tile for Mary's joker. If you had two 5-craks you could exchange these for both jokers. You can also swap a tile you have in your hand for a joker in one of your own exposures.
Note that in-person, you would request the joker from another player, rather than just taking it from their rack.
Winning the Game!
When a player has 14 tiles that match one of the hands on the card, they can declare themselves the winner by calling “Mah Jongg”. They should announce it verbally and place all their tiles on top of their rack.
The winning player is awarded the number of points for that hand (as noted on the card), plus bonus points if the hand is jokerless or the last tile was self-picked (rather than a call). Players discarding the winning tile may be penalized.
There are payout rules for people playing for money and point accrual rules for tournaments. Some online games have their own rules as well. It is beyond the scope of this tutorial to discuss the various payout options.
Wall Games
If players run out of tiles from the wall before someone reaches Mah Jongg, the game results in a draw. This is called a "Wall Game".
Dead Hands
There are situations where a player's hand may be declared dead by other players. When this happens, the player stops participating in the game (ie, they can't pick from the wall, discard or call tiles) and the game continues with the remaining players.
Here are some conditions that would render a hand dead:
You call for Mah Jongg in error. For example, you claim Mah Jongg, but your tiles do not match a hand on the card, or they match a concealed hand when you have exposures
Your hand is no longer viable. For instance, your exposures indicate you can only be playing one particular hand, and that hand requires a pair of North winds. If there are already 3 North winds in the discards or exposures, there's no way you can complete your hand. So it is effectively dead.
In home games, according the NMJL rules, when a player calls another dead and the player disagrees, the conflict is resolved at the end of the game
In tournamanents and our online game, if you incorrectly call someone else's hand dead, your hand will be declared dead
You somehow end up with an incorrect number of tiles. You should have 13 tiles most of the time and 14 tiles when it's your turn or when you call Mah Jongg