See the Big Picture

Four players, one per side. One player is the dealer, called East — the dice decide the first East. After each game the dealer role passes to the next player to the right, and play always moves counterclockwise around the table.

• Mix: all tiles go face down and get mixed on the mat.
• Build: each player builds a row of face-down tiles in front of their rack, 19 tiles long and 2 high. This is the wall; the four rows form a square.
• Deal: East rolls the dice to determine where distribution starts, and tiles are handed out in batches until each player has 13. East has 14.
• Look: players stand their tiles on their racks, facing themselves.

Every tile in the game is always in exactly one of four places:

Collect 14 tiles that exactly match one line on the card. Early on, keep several possible lines in mind; narrow to one as play continues.

Before regular play, everyone passes 3 tiles they don't want, face down, all at the same time, in a set order: right, across, left. The table may then repeat it in reverse — that second round is optional, but the first is required.

The purpose is simple: everyone improves their starting tiles. If you've played the card game Hearts, you already know the feeling. One firm rule: never pass a joker.

Between turns, every player holds 13 tiles. Once a discard is down, it can't be taken back.

• Pick one tile from the wall.
• Keep it or not.
• Discard one tile face up in the middle and say its name aloud.

When another player discards a tile you need, you may call it: claim it out loud before the next player's turn proceeds. The trade-off: you must place the group it completes face up on top of your rack. You get the tile; everyone sees part of your plan.

You may only call a discard to complete a group of 3 or more identical tiles, or to win. You can't call a tile just to make a pair — unless that pair wins the game. Some lines on the card must be kept fully hidden; for those, you can't call discards except the winning tile.

Jokers are wild: they stand in for a missing tile in a group of 3 or more identical tiles. Never in a pair, never as a single tile. If someone has revealed a group containing a joker and you hold the real tile it represents, you may swap your tile in on your turn and take the joker.

Someone wins: they call “Mahjong,” lay out their tiles, the others verify them against the card, and the others pay the winner. Or no one wins: the wall runs out, nobody pays, and the tiles are mixed for a new game. Either way, the dealer role passes.