In person
The classic way to play. A real table, four racks, and the click of tiles — most American mahjong is still played face to face.
Organised clubs
Many towns have a regular American mahjong group, often affiliated with the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL), which publishes the annual card the whole game is built on. Library branches, recreation departments and senior centres frequently host weekly tables that welcome beginners.
JCCs and community halls
Jewish Community Centres in particular have long been home to American mahjong, but community centres, churches and cultural associations of many kinds run open tables. These are usually the most relaxed place to learn — nobody minds if you ask what a joker is.
Four friends, one set
The backbone of the game. A host provides tiles and racks, everyone brings the current year's card, and the table agrees its own house rules before the first deal. See etiquette for what to bring and how to be a good guest.
Learn-then-play
Many clubs run a beginner night or a short course before opening the tables. If you are new, start there — playing under someone who can answer questions is worth more than a month of reading.
Online
The game travelled onto the internet quickly. You can play from your kitchen table against people you have never met — useful if there is no club nearby.
Zoom & live-table rooms
Players gather on a video call and play on a shared digital board, or hold physical tiles up to the camera. These groups exploded in popularity and remain a friendly way to meet players across the country and beyond.
Apps & websites
Several apps and websites host American mahjong tables you can join solo or with friends. We do not endorse any one product — try a few, read their rules, and pick the one your group uses. The fundamentals on this site apply wherever you play.
Online manners are the same manners
The etiquette that keeps a live table happy — announce your calls clearly, agree house rules up front, don't gloat, don't stall — applies just as much through a screen. Read the etiquette guide before your first online table.
How to find a group near you
You almost certainly have more options than you think. A short search and a friendly email usually does it.
- Search the obvious places. Your public library, parks-and-rec department, and local JCC or community centre are the three most common hosts. A web search for "American mahjong" plus your town name is a good start.
- Ask at the game shop. Board-game cafés and local game stores often know the mahjong players in town, even if they don't run tables themselves.
- Look for the current card. Any group playing by the NMJL standard will be using the same annual card this site is built around — so everything you have learned here transfers directly.
- Watch for mismatched rulesets. Some groups play Wright-Patterson or other variants. That is fine — just know which one before you sit down, or read our rule variants page so nothing surprises you.
- Avoid pay-to-play "guaranteed win" schemes. American mahjong is a social hobby with luck and skill in equal measure. Anyone selling a sure thing is not selling the real game.
Your first session
A little preparation removes almost all first-time nerves.
The essentials
- Your current-year NMJL card
- A rack (or use the host's)
- This site's cheat sheets
- Curiosity, not pressure
House rules up front
- Scoring method (points only)
- What a dead hand settles as
- Wrong-call penalties, if any
- Whether jokers are exchanged freely
Good-table habits
- Announce calls clearly
- Don't slow the game to argue
- Ask if unsure — everyone was new
- Thank the host on the way out
Tournaments
When you are ready for something bigger, organised events take the same game and add structure, scoring and a room full of serious players.
| # | Event type | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Local club tournaments | Low-pressure, often charity-linked, a great first taste of timed, scored play. |
| 2 | NMJL national events | The National Mah Jongg League organises large national tournaments each year — hundreds of players, multiple sessions, official scoring. |
| 3 | World championship | A Mah Jongg World Championship is held in Las Vegas, drawing players from many countries for a multi-day competition. |
Numbers for attendance and prize pools change year to year and vary by event — we do not publish them here because they are not consistent across years. For current figures, check the organiser's own announcement. See the tournaments guide for how these events actually run.
One honest note
American Mahjong School is a learning resource, not a club and not a forum. We do not host games, run tables, or operate a player community — and we have deliberately not built one, because our job is to teach the game clearly, not to moderate a social network. Everything above points you to the real-world and online places where the game is actually played. When you get there, the card, the Charleston and the jokers will all feel familiar — because that is exactly what this site prepared you for.