# Your turn (Hong Kong mahjong, lesson 3)

Draw a tile, discard one, and set aside bonus tiles. Interactive version: https://learnmahjongquick.com/learn-hong-kong-mahjong/your-turn

### 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.

### 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.

### 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.

### 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.

### 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.

### 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.

### 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.

### 8. Quiz: Your turn

- Q: How many tiles do you hold between turns? A: 13
- Q: You draw this. What do you do? [Flower 2] A: Set it aside, draw again
- Q: Who goes after you? A: The player on your right
- Q: Who goes first? [East] A: East
- Q: Only the last 14 tiles are left. No one has won. What happens? A: It's a draw

## 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.