Primer
How to play, slowly.
A short orientation for the first night at the table. Not a rulebook — a way in. We'll send the full card with your set.
The set
152 tiles in the American set — three suits (Dots, Bams, and Cracks) plus Winds, Dragons, Flowers, and Jokers. Most Chinese variants play with 144. Four racks, two dice, and betting coins round out the table.
The table
Four players, one round each as East, South, West, and North. The Wall is built, broken, and dealt — thirteen tiles to each hand.
The turn
Draw a tile, decide, discard. Call for a tile out of turn to complete a Pung, Kong, or Quint. The goal is a complete hand from the current card.
The win
Mahjong is called when your fourteenth tile completes the hand. Score, settle, shuffle. Next round, next wind.
The bettor
An optional fifth player. The bettor sits out the hand, backs one of the four seated players, and wins or loses alongside them — the easiest way to keep a fifth friend at the table.
Want a host to walk you through it?
We keep a short list of Colorado hosts who teach. Write to us and we'll make an introduction.
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