Printable American Mahjong Cheat Sheet for Beginners (Free)
Everything a beginner forgets mid-game, compressed onto one page. Print this cheat sheet, tuck it under your rack, and your first month of games gets dramatically smoother.
What’s on the Cheat Sheet
- The game flow: deal → Charleston → draw & discard → mahjong.
- The full Charleston sequence: right, across, left, (left, across, right).
- What you can call: pungs, kongs, quints and the winning tile only.
- Joker rules: legal in pungs/kongs/quints, never in pairs, never passable, never callable.
- Payment rules: discarder pays double, self-pick everyone pays double.
- Dead-hand triggers: wrong tile count, false mahjong, bad exposure.
Quick Reference Table
| Situation | Rule |
|---|---|
| Calling a pair | Only as the winning tile |
| Calling a joker | Never — discarded jokers are dead |
| Passing jokers in the Charleston | Never allowed |
| Calling for a concealed hand | Only the winning tile |
| Win on a discard | Discarder pays double, others pay single |
| Win by self-pick | Everyone pays double |
How to Print and Use It
Print at 100% scale on letter paper — one per player. Laminate a copy for your regular table; it survives years of game nights. Keep it visible beside your rack, not under it: the point is glancing, not hiding.
Pair It With These Guides
The cheat sheet summarizes rules — learn the “why” in American mahjong rules basics and the complete beginner’s guide. Grab the Charleston cheat sheet too while you are printing.