Mahjong 101 — Learn to Play American Mahjong 🀄

Ready to learn Mahjong? Mahjong 101 is where your journey begins!

This 2.5-hour beginner class is designed for brand-new players or anyone who wants to refresh the fundamentals. No experience is necessary—we’ll walk you through the game step by step in a relaxed, welcoming environment.

During Mahjong 101, you’ll learn the basics of American Mahjong, including:

• Getting familiar with the tiles and what they mean

• How to set up the game

• Understanding the Charleston

• How to read and use the NMJL card

• Building a hand

• The basic rules of play

• Mahjong terminology

• What happens during a turn

• How to call tiles

• How to recognize a Mahjong

• Plenty of hands-on practice

Take Mahjong 101 More Than Once!

You are welcome to take Mahjong 101 as many times as you'd like. In fact, we recommend taking the class at least twice.

Mahjong has a lot of moving pieces, and you don't need to remember everything after your first class. Your first class is about understanding how the game works. The second time through, things start clicking—and you'll usually notice details you missed the first time.

Once you're feeling comfortable with the basics, we encourage you to join one of our Open Play sessions. Playing regularly is one of the best ways to build confidence, get faster at recognizing hands, and become comfortable playing with different people.

Ready for the Next Step? Try Guided Play!

Mahjong 101 teaches you HOW to play. Guided Play teaches you how to become a BETTER player.

Once you understand the fundamentals, our Guided Play sessions are the perfect next step.

During Guided Play, you'll actually play games while receiving help along the way. We'll work on things like strategy, choosing and changing hands, reading the board, making smarter discards, recognizing opportunities, understanding defensive play, and improving your overall decision-making.

Think of it as the bridge between “I know the rules” and “I actually know what I'm doing!”

Your Mahjong Journey

Mahjong 101 → Mahjong 101 Again → Guided Play → Open Play → Play, play, play!

Come learn, make mistakes, ask questions, meet new people, and have fun. You don't have to be “good at games” to learn Mahjong—you just have to start. 🀄💕