Lesson 2 of 6
Tiles, card and Charleston
4 min

How to Do the Charleston in American Mahjong

Before the first tile is drawn, everybody passes tiles. Play the whole Charleston at the real table: the three passes, the vote on a second Charleston, and the courtesy pass across.

Step 1 of 5

Pass three tiles, three times
The Charleston is a round of passing that comes before anyone draws. The first Charleston is compulsory: three passes of three tiles, first to the player on your right (South), then across (West), then to your left (North). Everyone passes at once, so three tiles also arrive each time: from your left on the pass to the right, from across, then from your right.

Pass what doesn't fit. You hold eight Dots and a joker, so this hand is heading somewhere Dot-shaped. The four raised tiles are your strays: a 9 Bam, a North Wind, a Green Dragon and a 1 Crak.
The first Charleston
Make all three passes. Select three tiles to raise them, then press Pass tiles. Look at what arrives before you choose the next three. After the third pass, the table asks whether you want a second Charleston; answer it either way.
Your move
Make the three passes without giving away a Dot or the joker, then vote on a second Charleston.
A second Charleston?
After the first Charleston comes a vote. If all four players vote yes, there is a second Charleston: three more passes, this time to the left, across, then to the right. Playboard's bots always vote no, so against them you go straight on.

You vote yes, and North votes no. What happens next?
Question
The courtesy pass
Last comes the courtesy pass, with the player across from you only. Each of you offers up to three tiles, and they change hands only if you both offer the same number. At a real table you don't see your partner's offer before you choose; here, West is offering two. Playboard's bots offer nothing, so against them nothing changes hands.

Then play starts. You are East, the dealer, so you draw the 14th tile and make the first discard.
Your move
Offer West your two strays, then make the first discard of the hand.
When the numbers don't match
On Playboard, the courtesy pass happens only when both players offer the same number of tiles.

You offer three tiles, and West offers one. What happens?
Question

What you learned

The first Charleston is three passes of three tiles: right, across, then left.
Pass what doesn't fit your hand, and never pass a joker.
A second Charleston, to the left, across and to the right, happens only if all four players vote yes.
In the courtesy pass you trade up to three tiles with the player across, and only when you both offer the same number.
Then East, the dealer, draws the 14th tile and discards first.