Guide
How the Charleston works
In American mahjong, the Charleston is the exchange of tiles before anyone plays the wall. Each pass is three tiles, face down. The tiles you pass show the table what you are building.
The first Charleston
The first three passes are required:
- Three tiles to the player on your right.
- Three tiles across the table.
- Three tiles to the player on your left.
On that last pass to the left, a blind pass is allowed: you may send on a tile you just received, without looking, if you do not want to give up three of your own. Blind passes are not used on an across pass.
Stopping, or going on
Any player may stop the Charleston after those three passes. No reason is required. If everyone agrees to continue, the second Charleston runs the other way: left, across, then right. Once that second round starts, it is finished. A blind pass is allowed on its last pass, to the right.
The courtesy pass
After the Charleston ends, opposite players may exchange zero, one, two, or three tiles. It is optional. The player who wants fewer tiles sets the number. If either player wants zero, nothing is exchanged. Jokers are not passed, in the Charleston or in the courtesy pass.
NowMahj does not reprint card hands. The official card is at nationalmahjonggleague.org.