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Your turn

Hong Kong mahjong, lesson 3. Draw a tile, discard one, and set aside bonus tiles.

1. The start

  • There are 4 players. Each seat has a wind: East, South, West or North.
  • East is the dealer. East starts with 14 tiles. Everyone else gets 13.
  • The rest of the tiles stay face down. This is the wall.
  • East goes first by discarding one tile.
  • If East wins, or the hand is a draw, East deals again. If anyone else wins, the deal moves to the player on East's right. Some tables pass the deal after a draw too.
Go to step 1

2. Draw, then discard

  • Take the next tile from the wall. Now you have 14.
  • Pick one tile you don't need.
  • Put it face up in the middle and say its name. This is your discard.
  • Now you have 13 again.
Go to step 2

3. Who goes next

  • Play goes counter-clockwise.
  • The player on your right goes after you.
  • The player on your left goes before you.
  • If you know American mahjong: the direction is the same, and there's no Charleston.
Go to step 3

4. Bonus tiles

If you draw a flower or season, it doesn't stay in your hand.

  • Set it aside (Face up, next to your tiles): Flower 2
  • Draw again (Take a new tile from the back end of the wall)

Note: Bonus tiles don't count toward your 14. Do this at the start too, if you were dealt any.

Go to step 4

5. Set it aside

You just drew a tile.

Try it: Pick the bonus tile to set aside. Tiles to pick from: 2 Dot, 3 Dot, 7 Bam, Season 3, 5 Crak, Red Dragon, 9 Dot.

Go to step 5

6. Pick a discard

These are some of your tiles.

Try it: Pick the 1 tile that fits with nothing. Tiles to pick from: 3 Dot, 4 Dot, 5 Dot, 7 Bam, 7 Bam, North, 8 Crak, 8 Crak.

Go to step 6

7. When the wall runs low

  • The last 14 tiles are kept back. You take replacement tiles for flowers and kongs from the back end, but you never take a normal turn's tile from those 14.
  • If no one has won when only those are left, the hand ends. It's a draw. No one scores.
  • Shuffle and deal again. East stays the dealer.
  • Tables vary on how many tiles they keep back.
Go to step 7

8. Quiz: Your turn

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

    Answer: 13

  2. Question: You draw this. What do you do? [Flower 2]

    Answer: Set it aside, draw again

  3. Question: Who goes after you?

    Answer: The player on your right

  4. Question: Who goes first? [East]

    Answer: East

  5. Question: Only the last 14 tiles are left. No one has won. What happens?

    Answer: It's a draw

Go to step 8

What this lesson teaches

  • Draw a tile, then discard one. You end with 13 tiles.
  • Play goes counter-clockwise: the player on your right is next.
  • Set aside flowers and seasons, then draw a new tile.

Lesson 3: Your turn

Draw a tile, discard one, and set aside bonus tiles.

The start

  • There are 4 players. Each seat has a wind: East, South, West or North.
  • East is the dealer. East starts with 14 tiles. Everyone else gets 13.
  • The rest of the tiles stay face down. This is the wall.
  • East goes first by discarding one tile.
  • If East wins, or the hand is a draw, East deals again. If anyone else wins, the deal moves to the player on East's right. Some tables pass the deal after a draw too.

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