What should I know before my first mahjong night?
Bring the current card if you have one, know the joker rule cold, and tell the table you are new before the first Charleston. Ask about house rules and money up front. Groups are used to beginners, and most players remember being one.
You are holding a bottle of wine in a stranger's driveway, running through tile names in your head. Here is what will help once you get inside.
Bring a card
Each player uses their own copy of the current National Mah Jongg League card. If you do not have one yet, ask the host. Somebody usually has a spare from a friend who quit. Large print versions exist and nobody will judge.
Know these cold
- You win with 14 tiles that match one line on the card.
- Jokers fill groups of three or more. Never a single, never a pair.
- Charleston order: right, across, left. Then, if everyone agrees, left, across, right.
- Say the name of every tile you discard, out loud.
Ask before you play
Tables differ. Ask how much each game costs (often a small amount, sometimes nothing), whether they play with a time limit, and what happens if someone calls mahjong by mistake. That last one comes with a penalty at many tables. Better to hear it before it happens to you.
Table manners
Keep your rack tidy and your tiles facing you. Do not touch other people's discards except when calling one. When you call a tile, say "call" clearly before the next player draws. If you are unsure, it is fine to say so. Slowing down is normal for the first few weeks.
Expect to lose
You will lose most games for a while. That is how everyone starts. Watch which hands the winners chose from their starting racks. The game is mostly that decision, made again every hand.
A quick warm up the day of
Play two or three practice hands that afternoon. It wakes up the tile names in your head and you will walk in less nervous.
Sparrow has a short brush up lesson for exactly this, plus a day seven rehearsal that walks you through a whole night at the table. It takes about five minutes, so the parking lot counts.
Quick answers
Do I need my own mahjong card?
Yes. Each player normally uses their own copy of the current card.
Do you play for money at mahjong night?
Many groups play for small stakes. Ask the host before the first game.
What happens if I call mahjong by mistake?
Many tables have a penalty for a false mahjong. Ask about house rules before you start.
Should I tell the group I am a beginner?
Yes. Most tables slow down for new players and will help you through the first few games.
Sparrow teaches American mahjong to total beginners in seven short days, with unlimited practice hands. See how it works.