What is the Charleston in American Mahjong?

The Charleston is the round of tile passing that happens after the deal and before anyone picks from the wall. It is where most new players lose the thread. Here is the order, what to do at each pass, and the two decisions that cause the arguments.

The short version

1. First Charleston: pass three tiles right, then across, then left. This always happens.
2. Decide together whether to do a second Charleston. One no stops it for everyone.
3. Second Charleston: pass three tiles left, then across, then right.
4. Courtesy pass: you and the player across from you may swap up to three tiles.
5. East, who holds fourteen tiles, discards one and the game begins.

Why the Charleston exists

Everyone is dealt thirteen tiles, and East takes a fourteenth. That extra tile is why East goes first: East opens the game by discarding one. Before that, you need to steer your thirteen toward one of the hands on your card. The Charleston lets you get rid of tiles that do not fit and pick up tiles that might. Everyone passes at the same time, so nobody sees what anyone else is holding.

The rules that apply to every pass

• You always pass exactly three tiles.
• Tiles are passed face down.
• Jokers are never passed. Not in the Charleston, not in the courtesy pass.
• Pass your three tiles before you look at the three coming to you. This keeps everyone honest and keeps the table moving.

The first Charleston

Pass 1: right

Choose three tiles you do not want and slide them face down to the player on your right. Pick up the three the player on your left slid to you.

Pass 2: across

Three tiles to the player opposite you, and three back from them.

Pass 3: left, with the blind pass

Three tiles to the player on your left. This pass has a special option. If you have nothing you want to give up, you may pass some or all of the three tiles you just received from across without looking at them. Take one, two, or three of those unseen tiles, add enough of your own to make three, and pass. Players call this passing blind, or stealing.

The decision: second Charleston or not

The second Charleston is optional. Before it starts, anyone at the table may say they would rather not, and that one no is enough. Nobody has to give a reason. Usually it means their hand is already close and they do not want to break it up.

The decision has to be made before the second Charleston begins. Once anyone has looked at the tiles they received on the first pass of the second Charleston, it is too late to stop. The whole second Charleston is played out.

If it stops, skip straight to the courtesy pass.

The second Charleston

The same three passes in reverse: left, then across, then right. The last pass to the right allows the blind pass again, exactly as the first left did.

The courtesy pass

After all the passing is over, whether or not there was a second Charleston, you and the player across from you may swap tiles one last time. You can exchange none, one, two, or three. Agree on the number first. If you want two and they want one, you swap one. The smaller number wins, and either of you can choose none.

The other two players at the table make their own decision. It has nothing to do with yours.

When there is no Charleston

• Three players. A three-player game skips the Charleston. East discards and play begins.
• East is dealt a complete hand. It is rare, but if East has Mah Jongg straight from the deal there is no Charleston. The hand is scored.

Common mix-ups

• Passing a joker. Never allowed. If one goes across by accident, return it right away and swap in a natural tile. There is no penalty once it is put right.
• Forgetting which way the second Charleston goes. It is the mirror image of the first: left, across, right.
• Looking at incoming tiles before passing. Pass first, then look.
• Trying to stop the second Charleston partway through. Once anyone has looked at tiles from that first left pass, it goes to the end.
• Doing the courtesy pass with a neighbor. It is only ever with the player across from you.
• Passing blind on the wrong pass. Only the first left and the last right allow it.

Keep it moving

Nobody remembers all of this on their third game night. The Charleston counter puts the current pass on the phone in the middle of the table: which pass, which direction, and whether a blind pass is allowed. Tap once per pass.

These are the rules our group plays by, checked against the standard American game by an experienced player. Some tables do things a little differently. When they do, the table's rule wins.