Setup and players
How to Set Up Mahjong
Quick answer
Mahjong setup starts with the dice. Everyone rolls, and the highest roll is East, the dealer. In American mahjong, each player builds a wall 19 stacks long and 2 tiles high. The four walls form a square. East rolls to break the wall. Then players take tiles until East has 14 and the others have 13.
At a glance
- Players: 4
- Tiles in play: 152 in an American set
- Each wall: 19 stacks long, 2 tiles high
- Dice: 2
- Starting tiles: East 14, everyone else 13
Who goes first in mahjong?
East goes first. East is the dealer, starts with 14 tiles and makes the first discard. A discard is a tile you throw away.
To pick East, everyone rolls the dice. The highest roll is East. South sits on East's right, West sits across and North sits on East's left. Play moves to the right.
How do you build the mahjong wall?
Each player builds one wall in front of their rack. A rack is the stand that holds your tiles. A stack is 2 tiles, one on top of the other.
- Mix the tiles. Turn all the tiles face down and mix them well.
- Build your wall. For American mahjong, make it 19 stacks long and 2 tiles high. That is 38 tiles.
- Make a square. Push the four walls together into a square in the middle of the table. If your racks have pushers, use them to slide the walls in.
Four walls of 38 use all 152 tiles. Many sets come with spare tiles, so set the extras aside.
Other styles use shorter walls. Chinese walls are 18 stacks long, for 144 tiles. Japanese riichi walls are 17 stacks, for 136 tiles.
How do you deal mahjong tiles?
In American mahjong, East breaks the wall, then everyone takes tiles from it. Each player usually picks up their own tiles.
- Roll. East rolls 2 dice and adds them up.
- Count. East counts that many stacks from the right end of East's own wall.
- Break the wall. East splits the wall at that spot.
- Take 4 at a time. Start with the stacks just left of the break. East takes 4 tiles, which is 2 stacks. Then South, West and North do the same.
- Go around 3 times. Now everyone has 12 tiles.
- Finish the deal. East takes 2 more tiles, and each other player takes 1. East has 14, and the others have 13.
Say East rolls a 3 and a 5. That makes 8. East counts 8 stacks from the right and breaks the wall there. Learn more about mahjong dice.
How is Chinese mahjong setup different?
Chinese and Hong Kong setup has the same basic steps, with a few changes.
- Walls: 18 stacks long for a 144-tile set.
- Dice: 2 or 3 dice.
- The break: The dealer rolls. Count around the table to the right, starting from the dealer. The total shows whose wall to break. That player counts the same number of stacks from the right and breaks it there.
- Seats: Many groups draw wind tiles face down to pick seats instead of rolling.
How do you start a mahjong game?
Once everyone has their tiles, stand them on your rack, facing you. In American mahjong, the Charleston comes next. It is a tile swap where you pass 3 tiles at a time.
Then East discards first, and play moves to the right. To learn each turn, read how to play mahjong.
Need racks for setup?
Our racks come in sets of 4, each with a pusher to slide your wall into place.
Questions people ask
Why is each mahjong wall 19 stacks long?
An American set has 152 tiles. Four walls, each 19 stacks long and 2 tiles high, hold all 152.
Do you need racks to set up mahjong?
In American mahjong, each player uses a rack. It holds your tiles and hides them from the others. See how to use mahjong racks.
How do you set up mahjong for 2 or 3 players?
Both skip the Charleston. With 3, leave one seat empty and still build all 4 walls. With 2, sit across from each other and build 2 walls each. See how many players mahjong needs.