BAM!🀢
it’s Mahjong Monday
Learn · Practice · Play
🀫 The 2026 Card
American Mah Jongg is played from the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) card — a fresh one comes out every April with 50+ winning hands. The 2026 card is current. Here’s how to read it and what’s new this year.
📘 Learn to Play
New to the table? Start here. American Mah Jongg is a 4-player game — tiles, the Charleston pass, then race to match a hand on the card.
- 🌱Beginner’s guide — Getting startedI Love Mahj · tiles, setup & first game›
- 🎓Mahj 101 — step-by-step courseSouthern Sparrow · built around the official card›
- 📝Beginner’s guide to American MahjongOh My Mahjong · rules & the Charleston explained›
- ♟️Strategy & winning tipsI Love Mahj · for when you’re ready to level up›
▶️ Watch & Learn
Sometimes it just clicks when you can see it. These are friendly, beginner-paced video lessons.
💡 Tips for New Players
- Learn the tiles first. Three suits — Dots, Bams (bamboo 🎋), and Cracks — numbered 1–9, plus Winds (N E W S), Dragons, Flowers and Jokers.
- Don’t memorize the whole card. Pick 2–3 hands that look easy and play those your first few games. The rest sinks in fast.
- The Charleston. Before play you pass 3 tiles right, 3 across, 3 left — it’s how you trade junk for tiles you need.
- Watch the discards. What others throw tells you which hands are safe to chase and which to drop.
- Jokers are gold — but they can’t be used for singles or pairs, and they only stand in for pungs/groups.
- It’s social. Nobody plays a clean first game. Bring snacks, ask questions, have fun. 🎉