How to run a mahjong group

Pick a day, a time and hosts

Most groups meet on the same day and time: every week, every other week, or something like the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month. Groups call it Mahj night, Mahj Monday or simply Mahj day.

• Set the hosts for the season at the start, with each date’s address, so nobody has to ask.
• Ask for a yes or no for every date, so you know how many tables to set up.
• Keep a waitlist when seats run out: the first to reply get the seats, and the rest move up in order when someone drops out.
• Send a reminder before each Mahj day.

How many players: tables of 4 and 3

Mahjong is played four to a table, and a table of three works too. Fill tables of four first. If one or two players are left over, they wait in a line and rotate in. If three are left over, they make a table of three.

A table of three plays with all the tiles. Officially there’s no Charleston with three players, but many groups play a three-player Charleston anyway. Scoring works the same, with one fewer player paying (see the payment tables).

The waiting line

With more players than seats, use one waiting line shared by every table. After each game at a table, if anyone is waiting, the East who just played gets up and goes to the end of the line, and the first person in line takes that seat.

The deal still passes to the right of the player who got up, so the newcomer isn’t East straight away. Points belong to the player, not the seat, so nobody loses anything by waiting.

Some groups also mix the tables up every round of four games, with new seats at random, so everyone plays with everyone over the day.

Subs, late arrivals and early leavers

• Keep a list of subs. When you’re short, text them: the first to say yes gets the seat.
• Someone arrives late: if a table of three has an empty seat and nobody is waiting, they take it when that table’s game ends. Otherwise they join the end of the waiting line.
• Someone leaves early: the first in line takes their seat, or the table plays on as three. The points they won or lost stay theirs.

What each table needs

• An American mahjong set: 152 tiles, jokers included.
• Four racks and a pair of dice.
• This year’s card for every player.
• A scorekeeper, with a score sheet or an app.
• Coins, if your group plays for money.

Running a Mahj day, step by step

1. Check who’s here. Count the players before anyone sits down.
2. Make the tables. Fill tables of four. If 3 players are left over, they make a table of three; if 1 or 2 are left over, they start a waiting line.
3. Pick East. At each table, everyone rolls the dice, and the highest roll is the first East.
4. Play and score each game. The table’s scorekeeper records who won, what the hand was worth, thrown or self-picked, and jokerless.
5. Rotate the waiting line. After each game, if anyone is waiting, that game’s East steps out to the end of the line and the first in line sits down.
6. Total up and award prizes. At the end of the day, add up each player’s points and award the day’s prizes.

House rules to agree on

Write these down and share them, so new players and subs know what to expect:

• The pie: whether you play one, and how much. It caps how far one player can go down in a day.
• Switching tables: never, every round of four games, or every few rounds.
• Points or coins, and how and when you settle up.
• The Charleston at a table of three.
• Any payment house rules, like the thrower paying for the whole table, a wall-game pot, or betting by whoever is waiting.

Keeping score

Give each table one scorekeeper. After every game they note who won, the hand’s value, whether it was thrown or self-picked, and whether it was jokerless, and work out the payments. Every game adds up to zero. The full rules, with examples, are in How to keep score in American mahjong.

Prizes

Points decide most prizes. Popular ones:

• Most points for the day or the season.
• Most Mahjs, for the player who won the most games.
• Most jokerless Mahjs.
• Biggest hand: the highest-value hand won.
• Fewest points, a booby prize.
• Most winning tiles thrown, a “most generous” prize.
• The organizer’s pick, like a door prize.

If your group collects dues, pay the prizes from them, and agree ahead of time how a tie is settled.

Seasons

Keeping standings over a season gives every Mahj day something to play for. Common choices are the calendar year; the card year, April to March, since the new card comes out each April; or months your group picks. At the end, crown the season’s champions and start fresh.

The checklist

• Date, time, host and address set
• RSVPs in, with subs asked for any empty seats
• A set, four racks and dice for each table
• This year’s card for every player
• Tables planned: fours, a three if needed, and a waiting line
• A scorekeeper at each table
• House rules written down: pie, switching tables, payments
• Coins, if you play for money
• Snacks and drinks
• Prizes, and an envelope for dues

Questions people ask

How many players do you need for a mahjong group?

Four make a table, and three can play. Any number works: one or two extra players wait in a line and rotate in after each game, and three extra make a table of three.

What do you do with five mahjong players?

Four play and one waits. After each game, the East who just played gets up and the waiting player sits in, so everyone takes turns sitting out.

Can you play American mahjong with three players?

Yes. A table of three uses all the tiles, and the scoring works the same with one fewer player paying. Officially there’s no Charleston with three, but many groups play a three-player Charleston.

When does the new mahjong card come out?

Each April, which is why many groups run their season from April to March.

How do you keep score across several tables?

Give each table a scorekeeper, and keep each player’s points with the player, not the seat, so totals follow people when they move or wait.