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MAHJ — Lesson 9

Starting the Game

What happens each turn once play begins

Goal: Understand the turn-by-turn flow so you know exactly what to do on your turn

Estimated time: 12–15 minutesNeedsLesson 8UnlocksLesson 10

Why it matters: Once tiles start moving, knowing turn order and the calling window keeps you from missing tiles — or breaking a rule by accident.

Step 1 of 21

Play Begins

The Charleston is done — the passing is over, and the real game begins. From here, players take turns around the table, one at a time.

East starts things off with a discard, and for this example, you're East. The first thing to get comfortable with is the direction of play: it moves to your right, counter-clockwise around the table.

Play moves right

around the table, counter-clockwise

You discard to start. Tap whose turn is next.

A little more detail

East starts. With 14 tiles, East doesn't draw — it just discards, and that first discard officially starts the game.

A call can jump the order. If a player calls a discard, they take it, expose their group, and discard. Then play continues with the player on the caller's right.

When a wall runs out, the player on your left pushes out the next wall.