Written by a Certified Oh My Mahjong Instructor
How to Learn American Mahjong
A complete beginner’s guide: from “what even is mahjong?” to playing your first winning hand.
What Is American Mahjong?
American Mahjong is a tile-based game played by four players, each building a hand of 14 tiles toward a winning combination. It’s a game of strategy, memory, and a little luck, and it’s one of the fastest-growing social games in the United States.
Unlike the Chinese or Hong Kong versions you might have seen, American Mahjong is played using the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) card, a card that changes every year and contains all the winning hands for that year’s play. This is the version taught and played at most mahjong groups, clubs, and events across the US.
The Tiles
A standard American Mahjong set has 152 tiles, divided into several categories:
- Bams (Bamboo): numbered 1–9, shown with bamboo stalks
- Craks (Characters): numbered 1–9, shown with Chinese characters
- Dots: numbered 1–9, shown with circles
- Winds: North, South, East, West
- Dragons: Red (Crak), Green (Bam), White (Soap)
- Flowers: a flower is a flower is a flower; all are interchangeable
- Jokers: wild tiles, unique to American Mahjong
The NMJL Card
The NMJL card is updated every year and lists all the valid winning hands for that year. Learning to read the card, and choosing which hands to build toward, is the core skill of American Mahjong.
The card is organized into categories (Like Numbers, Quints, Consecutive Run, etc.) and uses numbers to describe the structure of each hand: 2 for a Pair, 3 for a Pung, 4 for a Kong, 5 for a Quint, 6 for a Sextet. It looks intimidating at first, but within one lesson, most students are reading it confidently.
How a Game Works
Each player starts with 13 tiles (except East, the dealer, who starts with 14). You take turns drawing and discarding tiles, trying to build one of the hands on the NMJL card. When you complete a hand, you call “Mahjong!” and win the hand.
How to Get Started
Take a Lesson
Taking lessons is the best and fastest way to learn. Most students go from zero to playing without an instructor in 2-3 lessons. Trying to learn from videos or books takes weeks. If you're in Las Vegas, that's us.
Get a Set
You don't need your own set to learn; instructors and groups provide them. But once you're hooked, you'll want your own. See our recommended sets below.
Buy the NMJL Card
The card costs about $14/year and can be ordered from the National Mah Jongg League website. A new card releases every spring.
Join a Group or Open Play
Playing with others is how you actually get good. Find players and local groups near you at findmymahjgame.com, and check our website for open play events happening around Las Vegas.
Recommended Mahjong Sets & Accessories
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Learn Mahjong in Las Vegas
If you’re in the Las Vegas Valley, I’d love to be your instructor. I offer beginner lessons (MAHJ101), intermediate lessons (MAHJ102), private lessons, and open play events across Las Vegas, Summerlin, and Henderson. Most students are playing confidently after their first session.