The Charleston in American Mahjong: Complete Beginner’s Guide
The Charleston is the ritual that makes American mahjong American: six (or three) passes of tiles around the table before play begins. Learn the sequence once and it becomes the best part of the night.
The Passing Sequence
The Charleston is a fixed choreography of passes, 3 tiles at a time. The first Charleston is mandatory; the second is optional and happens only if all four players agree.
| Pass | Direction | Tiles |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | To the player on your right | 3 |
| 2 | To the player across from you | 3 |
| 3 | To the player on your left | 3 (blind pass allowed) |
| 4 (optional) | To the player on your left | 3 |
| 5 (optional) | Across | 3 |
| 6 (optional) | To the player on your right | 3 (blind pass allowed) |
Blind Passing
On pass 3 and pass 6 you may “blind pass”: take up to 3 tiles you just received and pass them along without looking, topping up from your own hand if needed. Never blind pass a tile you cannot afford to lose sight of — a blind-passed flower that completes your hand is gone.
The Courtesy Pass
After the Charleston, the two players sitting across from each other exchange a final courtesy pass of 0, 1, 2 or 3 tiles — both must agree on the number. Then East discards and the game begins. Full details in the courtesy pass explained.
What to Pass (and What to Keep)
- Never pass: jokers, flowers, and tiles you have already committed to a hand.
- Great passes: isolated tiles that fit none of your 2–3 candidate hands.
- Pass toward a decision — the Charleston’s job is to narrow you to one or two hands.
- Watch what comes back: three passes of the same number family tells you what the table is dumping.
- Do not pass matching pairs carelessly — you may be gifting someone a pung.
Charleston Strategy for Beginners
Enter the Charleston with 2–3 hands in mind from the same card category, so every pass still leaves you options. If the passes break your primary hand, pivot on pass 4 rather than forcing dead tiles through the second Charleston. See how to pick a hand for the decision framework.