While many variations of mahjong exist, most variations have some basic rules in common including how a piece is drawn and discarded, the use of suits (numbered tiles) and honors (winds and dragons), the basic kinds of melds allowed, how to deal the tiles and the order of play.

Two-Player Mah Jong One player plays East, the other West. The preliminaries are conducted in the same way as for the 4 player game, 4 walls are built and the game starts with East's discard. The game continues as with the standard game but with the following differences: No chows are allowed.

One of the most important rules of Mahjong is that a player cannot use a joker for a single or pair. A joker can substitute for a tile(s) in a pung, kong, or quint combination. Accordingly, a player cannot use a joker for “NEWS” or for the year (ex. “2021”), as these are a group of singles.

Absolutely! When playing with three people, the set-up and the deal are the same as 4-person American Mahjong although the dealer will only deal to three players. Per the NMJL rules, when playing with three players, there is no Charleston. However, many players have a table rule to include the Charleston.