How to choose a hand in American mahjong

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Last checked: 14 November 2026. Sources: public pages on the League rules. See how American Mahjong Coach is made.

The eight steps

1. Sort your rack. Put each suit together in number order. Give flowers, winds, dragons and jokers a fixed place. Each teacher uses an own order. Choose one and keep it.
2. Look for pairs and groups of three. They point to a section of the card.
3. Check that your pairs work together. A second pair helps only if some hand uses both pairs. Keep the pair that has more tiles to go with it.
4. No pairs? Look for a trend. More even numbers or more odd numbers. High numbers or low numbers. A group of 3, 6 and 9. Several winds or dragons. Numbers close together, for a run.
5. Choose a section, not a line. You choose the line during or after the Charleston.
6. Keep two or three options. Options that share tiles are best, because one pass then harms neither.
7. Count your tiles for each option. Count the jokers too. The higher count is the better option.
8. If two options are equal, take the one that needs fewer pairs that you do not hold. After that, take an exposed hand before a concealed hand.

An example rack

• Pairs: two 2 Bams and two 8 Craks.
• Trend: seven of the nine number tiles are even: 2, 2, 4, 6, 6, 8, 8.
• Direction: a section with even numbers. The two pairs and the joker support it.
• Tiles that fit least: the 3 Dot, the 9 Dot and the North.

This is one way to read the rack. The card of the year decides which hands exist.

Why pairs matter most

A joker cannot be in a pair. You cannot call a discard for a pair, except for mah jongg. So you must pick each tile of a pair yourself. A pair that you hold already is worth more than a pung that you hold half.

For the same reason, count how many pairs and singles a hand still needs, and not only how many tiles.

Exposed before concealed

A concealed hand (C on the card) is harder, because you cannot call a discard until the last tile. Teachers tell new players to prefer exposed hands (X).

Let your jokers help you choose

• Two or more jokers: look at hands with quints.
• Several jokers: do not choose a hand of only singles and pairs. It can use no joker.
• No jokers: a hand of singles and pairs loses nothing.

Numbers that teachers give

• Two or three options during the first Charleston. Most teachers agree on this.
• Three spare tiles. While you have three tiles that fit none of your options, you do not have to decide. With two or fewer, you must drop an option.
• How many tiles after the Charleston? Teachers do not agree. One teacher gives 7 to 8 tiles for one hand as a good mark. Another teacher says that no fixed number exists. Use the count as a guide.

Where teachers disagree

• When to commit. Some teachers say: pick one hand early and stay with it. Other teachers say: stay in a section until you have no spare tiles left. The common middle is a section now, and a line later.
• High values. One teacher aims for hands with a high value. Other teachers say that a new player must take the hand that is easiest to make.

Expect to change

Your first choice is a start. Each pass of the Charleston brings new tiles. One tournament player says that she ends on another hand than her first choice about half the time. When you change, go to a hand that uses the tiles you hold.

Do not take long

The other players wait for the Charleston. Speed comes with practice: deal 13 tiles at home, choose a section, and do it again.

Related guides

• The Charleston in American mahjongThe six passes in order, the blind pass, the courtesy pass, and what teachers advise.
• How to read the mahjong cardLetters, numbers, the three colours, the notes in brackets, X and C. With own example hands.
• How many jokers are in American mahjong?Eight. Plus where a joker can go, the exchange, and the Charleston rule.
• American mahjong rulesThe full game in plain words, from the deal to the payment.

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