How to Set Up American Mahjong: Walls, Racks and Dealing

Build the four walls

Leave enough room between the racks for the walls and a central discard area. Turn every tile face down and mix thoroughly, then have each player build a wall of 19 stacks, two tiles high. Each wall contains 38 tiles.

Four walls of 38 use all 152 playing tiles. Leave spares in the box, and keep drinks outside the space you need for the walls.

Where to break the wall

Designate the dealer, called East. East rolls the dice and counts that many two-tile stacks from the right end of their own wall, as viewed from East’s seat. Make the break immediately to the left of the counted stacks.

For example, with a total of seven, count seven stacks rather than seven individual tiles. The first tiles for the deal come from the section immediately to the left of the break. The counted section remains for the end of the wall sequence.

East is called the dealer, but players collect their own tiles in turn rather than having one person distribute everyone’s hand.

The deal, step by step

1. First round: East takes two stacks — four tiles — from the start of the available wall. Each player to the right takes the next four in turn.
2. Second and third rounds: Repeat that same pattern until everyone has 12 tiles.
3. East’s final two: East takes the top tile of the first remaining stack, then the top of the third.
4. Everyone else’s final tile: Going right from East, each player takes one more tile from the available end, always top before bottom.

The result is 14 tiles for East and 13 for each other player. Check everyone’s count before the Charleston.

From the first turn to East’s discard

Players take turns to the right, counterclockwise around the table. The sequence of walls is the opposite: it progresses to the left, clockwise. When East’s first available wall section is exhausted, the player to East’s left serves the next wall.

For each wall that is served, draw from its right-hand end as seen by the player serving it, taking a stack’s top tile before its bottom tile. Keep the starting end clear so nobody guesses where to draw.

Serving the next wall does not give that player a turn. Continue from whoever was next to draw.

Once everyone has the right number of tiles, rack them and look at your card. The normal four-player opening continues with the Charleston, followed by any agreed courtesy exchange. East discards after the passing is finished.

East starts ordinary play by discarding one tile, without first drawing another. After that discard, every player has 13 tiles in total. The next player to the right draws and discards unless someone makes a legal call.

During later play, count both concealed tiles and exposed tiles as part of your hand. You normally have 13 between turns and 14 after acquiring a tile, before discarding or declaring a valid win.

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