# How to set up mahjong

To set up American mahjong, mix all 152 tiles face down. Build four walls, each 19 stacks long and two tiles high. East rolls the dice to break the wall. Then deal 13 tiles to each player and 14 to East.

It takes a few minutes once you have done it a few times. Here is each step.

## The table

Seat four players around a square table. Each player gets a rack and a card. Put two dice in the middle. A soft cloth or mat on the table makes the tiles quieter and easier to mix.

If you are new, check the tile count before your first game. You need all 152, including 8 jokers and 8 flowers. Extra blank tiles are spares and stay in the box.

## Choose East

One player is East, the dealer. For the first hand, each player rolls the dice and the highest roll is East. The other seats follow to East's right: South, West, then North.

Play always moves to the right. After each hand, the player on East's right becomes the new East, so everyone takes a turn as dealer.

## Build the wall

1. Turn every tile face down and mix them well with your hands.
2. Each player builds a row of 19 tiles in front of their rack.
3. Stack a second row of 19 on top. Your wall is now 19 stacks long and 2 tiles high.
4. Push the four walls together to form a square in the middle of the table.

Four walls of 38 tiles is 152, every tile in the set. If you have a tile left over, or a gap, recount before you deal. Many racks have a pusher arm that slides your wall toward the center.

## Break the wall

1. East rolls two dice and adds them up.
2. East counts that many stacks along their own wall, starting from the right end.
3. East splits the wall at that point. The deal starts at the split.

If East rolls a 7, East counts 7 stacks from the right end of their wall and separates the wall there.

## Deal the tiles

1. East takes 4 tiles (2 stacks) from the wall at the split.
2. Then each player, going to the right, takes 4 tiles.
3. Go around three times. Everyone now has 12 tiles.
4. Everyone takes 1 more tile. East takes 2.

East ends up with 14 tiles. Everyone else has 13. Stand your tiles up on your rack facing you, and sort them by suit.

Tiles: Flower | 2 Dot, 2 Dot, 5 Dot | 3 Bam, 4 Bam, 4 Bam | 6 Crak, 9 Crak | North, North | Soap | Joker. A dealt hand of 13, sorted: flowers, then each suit, then winds, dragons and jokers.

## Before play starts

Next comes the [Charleston](https://learnmahjongquick.com/guides/mahjong-charleston), where everyone passes tiles. After the Charleston, East starts play by discarding one tile. East doesn't draw first, since East already has 14.

From then on, each player draws from the wall where the deal ended, discards, and play moves right. [How to play American mahjong](https://learnmahjongquick.com/guides/how-to-play-american-mahjong) covers the rest of the game.

## Tips for a faster setup

- Everyone mixes and builds at once. Don't wait for East.
- Build your wall against the front of your rack so it stays straight.
- Count your tiles before the Charleston: 13, or 14 for East.
- Keep the dice in the same spot each hand so no one hunts for them.

## Questions

**How many tiles long is a mahjong wall?**

In American mahjong, each player's wall is 19 tiles long and 2 tiles high. Four walls hold all 152 tiles.

**Who rolls the dice in mahjong?**

East rolls two dice to decide where to break the wall. For the very first hand, players often roll to decide who is East.

**How many tiles does each player get?**

East gets 14 tiles and the other three players get 13.

**Does East draw on the first turn?**

No. East already has 14 tiles, so East starts by discarding one.

Web version: https://learnmahjongquick.com/guides/how-to-set-up-mahjong