The Charleston in American Mahjong: How It Works, Step by Step

Before anyone picks a single tile from the wall, American mahjong has a ritual that no other version of the game has: the Charleston. It's a series of tile passes between players, and it's where you turn a messy opening rack into a hand you can actually build.

It's also the part that confuses new players the most, so here's the whole thing, one pass at a time.

What is the Charleston?

The Charleston is a structured exchange of tiles that happens right after the deal. Every player passes three tiles to another player and receives three in return. It happens in a set order, and it gives everyone a chance to get rid of tiles they don't want and pick up ones they might.

Jokers can never be passed during the Charleston. If you're dealt one, it's yours to keep.

The first Charleston (required)

The first Charleston is mandatory. Every player takes part, in this order:

1. Right. Pass three tiles to the player on your right.
2. Across. Pass three tiles to the player across from you (often called "over").
3. Left. Pass three tiles to the player on your left.

A helpful habit: pick your tiles for the next pass before you look at what's coming in. It keeps the table moving and stops you from second-guessing.

The second Charleston (optional)

After the first Charleston, the table can do a second one, in the reverse order: left, across, right.

Here's the catch: the second Charleston only happens if everyone agrees. Any single player can stop it. If you already like your hand and don't want to risk breaking it up, you can say so, and the table goes straight to the courtesy pass.

The courtesy pass

The last step is the optional courtesy pass, which is only between you and the player across from you. Each of you can offer zero, one, two, or three tiles. If you disagree on the number, you both go with the smaller one. So if you want to pass three and your partner only wants to pass one, you each pass one.

Blind passing

On two of the passes, the first left and the last right, you're allowed to "blind pass" (sometimes called "stealing"). Instead of passing tiles from your own rack, you pass along some or all of the tiles you just received without looking at them. It's a great move when you don't want to give up anything from your hand.

We wrote a whole article on this one: Why Would Anyone Do a Blind Pass?

What should you pass?

This is where strategy comes in. A few guidelines that help most players:

• Keep your options open early. On the first pass, don't commit to one hand. Look for two or three hands your tiles could grow into.
• Pass tiles that don't fit any of them. Odd singles in a suit you don't need are usually safe to let go.
• Hold on to pairs, flowers, and jokers. Pairs and flowers show up in lots of hands, and jokers can't be passed anyway.
• Narrow down as you go. By the second Charleston you should be leaning toward one or two hands on the card.
• Don't pass what your left neighbor obviously wants. If the tiles you get from her tell you something about her hand, use it.

Your first discard after the Charleston matters just as much. Read The First Discard for why.

Practice makes the Charleston faster

The Charleston gets easier the more hands you've seen, because you start recognizing what your tiles can become. That's the fastest skill to build with practice, and it's exactly what Bird Bam practice modes are designed for.

New to the game? Start with How to Play American Mahjong and American Mahjong Rules Explained.

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