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MAHJ — Lesson 4

Setup & Dealing

From a pile of tiles to "Charleston, ready?"

Goal: Set up a fresh game from scratch — mix the tiles, build the wall, roll for East, break it, and deal

Estimated time: 8–11 minutesNeedsLesson 3UnlocksLesson 5

Why it matters: Setup is where new players feel most lost. After this, you'll own it — something even some intermediate players get wrong.

Step 1 of 18

Where We're Going

Before the first turn, there are just 4 setup steps:

1

Mix

Shuffle the 152 tiles face-down.

2

Build

Make four walls.

3

Pick East

Choose who starts as East.

4

Break & Deal

Break the wall, then deal.

13 each · East 14

That's the whole setup — we'll do each part together next.

📖 Official rules source▼

The NMJL® publishes Mah Jongg Made Easy, the League's own rulebook — these lessons follow it.