Small Table MahjAmerican mahjong, short a player
Mahjong for two or three players
Pick your count. Get the setup in plain words and a card to print, free, no sign-up.
Two players
Sit across, build all four walls, skip the Charleston.
Open the two-player card →Three players
One empty seat, no Charleston, or keep it with a ghost player.
Open the three-player card →Each page has a one-page setup card to print: two players or three players.
What changes at a small table
| Step | Four | Three | Two |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walls | One each | All four | All four, two each |
| Deal | 13 each, 14 for East | Same, skip the empty seat | Same, two seats |
| Charleston (the tile-passing round) | Yes | No (or a ghost player) | No |
| Card and calls | This year's card | No change | No change |
More cards to print
- American mahjong cheat sheet
- How to play American mahjong
- How to set up: walls, dice, the deal
- The Charleston, pass by pass
- Joker rules
- The 152 tiles, named and counted
- How to read the card
- Scoring and a score sheet
- Mahjong with five players
- Practice alone: solo drills
- American vs. Chinese mahjong
The short version
The League's short-handed rules keep the walls and the card and drop the Charleston, because the passes only work with four real hands. Tables that miss the Charleston use house rules instead. Each page names the common versions and where they come from, so your table can agree before the deal.
Small Table Mahj is an independent guide written in our own words. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Mah Jongg League, and it shows no hands from the League's card. Buy this year's card from the League.