Small Table Mahj / Charleston
The Charleston is the tile-passing round before play. Everyone passes 3 tiles right, then across, then left. If no one stops it, a second round goes left, across, right. Then each pair across from each other may trade 0 to 3 tiles in the courtesy pass.
Three tiles a pass, jokers never
| Round | Passes |
|---|---|
| First (required) | 1 Right, 2 Across, 3 Left |
| Second (anyone can stop it) | 4 Left, 5 Across, 6 Right |
| Courtesy (optional) | Across, 0 to 3 tiles, as the two of you agree |
Blind pass: on the last pass of each round (3 and 6), you may pass on 1 to 3 of the tiles just passed to you without looking at them. Jokers are never passed.
The first round sends 3 tiles to each other player once. The second round comes back the other way. Across the six passes, each player can move up to 18 tiles they don't want and take 18 in. That is how a weak deal becomes a playable hand before the first discard.
On pass 3 (left), you have only two tiles you're willing to give up. Pass those two and one tile from the three just handed to you from across, without looking at it. That is a blind pass, also called stealing. It is only allowed on the last pass of each round.
The League's short-handed rules skip the Charleston. See two players and three players, including the ghost-player house rule for tables that keep it.
The first round is. Any player can stop the second round, and the courtesy pass is optional.
No, never, the courtesy pass included.
On the last pass of each round, passing on tiles you just received without looking at them, when you don't have three tiles you want to give up.
After the Charleston, each player may trade 0 to 3 tiles with the player across. If you ask for 3 and they offer 1, you both pass 1.
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.