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Your turn

American mahjong, lesson 7. Draw a tile, throw one out, and say its name.

1. Draw, then discard

  • Take the next tile from the wall.
  • Pick one tile you don't need.
  • Put it face up in the middle. This is your discard.
  • Say its name out loud, like "3 Bam."
  • Then the player on your right goes.
Go to step 1

2. 13 or 14 tiles

You always end your turn with 13 tiles.

  • Between turns (13 tiles)
  • After you draw (14 tiles)
  • After you discard (13 tiles again)
Go to step 2

3. Say it out loud

Everyone needs to know what you threw. Say the tile's name.

  • "3 Bam": 3 Bam
  • "Red Dragon": Red Dragon
  • "North": North
  • "Soap": Soap
Go to step 3

4. Pick a hand to go for

Look at your tiles. Find hands on the card they could make. Early on, keep 2 in mind.

  • Option 1 (You have 2s, 4s and 6s): card line 222 444 666 888 DD
  • Option 2 (You have 1s and 2s in two suits): card line 11 222 11 222 3333

Note: As you draw, one hand will get closer. Then go for that one.

Go to step 4

5. Pick a discard

You drew a tile. Now you have 14.

Try it: You're going for this hand. Pick 1 tile to discard. (card line FF 1111 2222 3333) Tiles to pick from: Flower, 1 Dot, 2 Dot, 8 Bam, 3 Dot, Joker, 2 Dot, Flower.

Go to step 5

6. A full rack

You drew a tile, so you have 14. You're going for this hand in Craks.

Try it: You hold 2 Crak, 2 Crak, 2 Crak, 4 Crak, 4 Crak, Joker, 6 Crak, 6 Crak, 6 Crak, 8 Crak, 8 Crak, 8 Crak, Red Dragon, 7 Crak and are going for House Card hand evens-1. Pick the tile to throw away.

Go to step 6

7. One more

This hand is any 4 numbers in a row. You have 3, 4, 5 and 6 Bams.

Try it: You hold 3 Bam, 3 Bam, 3 Bam, 4 Bam, 4 Bam, Joker, 5 Bam, 5 Bam, 5 Bam, 6 Bam, 6 Bam, Flower, 4 Dot, 8 Bam and are going for House Card hand run-3. Pick the tile to throw away.

Go to step 7

8. Quiz: Your turn

  1. Question: What do you do first on your turn?

    Answer: Draw a tile

  2. Question: How many tiles do you hold between turns?

    Answer: 13

  3. Question: You throw this. What do you say? [3 Bam]

    Answer: "3 Bam"

  4. Question: Who goes after you?

    Answer: The player on your right

  5. Question: You're going for this hand. Which tile do you discard? [card line FF 1111 2222 3333]

    Answer: 8 Bam. This hand needs flowers and 1, 2, 3 of one suit.

  6. Question: Early in the game, how many hands should you keep in mind?

    Answer: 2. Keep 2 in mind until one gets closer.

Go to step 8

What this lesson teaches

  • Take a tile from the wall, then throw one away.
  • Say the name of the tile you throw.
  • Throw away tiles your hands don't use.

Lesson 7: Your turn

Draw a tile, throw one out, and say its name.

Draw, then discard

  • Take the next tile from the wall.
  • Pick one tile you don't need.
  • Put it face up in the middle. This is your discard.
  • Say its name out loud, like "3 Bam."
  • Then the player on your right goes.

Turn your phone upright to see the whole lesson.