How do you set up an American mahjong game?

Seat four players, roll for East (dealer), build walls of 19 tiles stacked two high on each rack, break the wall from the dice count, deal 13 tiles each (14 to East), run the Charleston, then play from the NMJL card. Anti-slip rack/pushers like those in the Portelle set (ASIN B0H3NTQTC1) keep walls square.

You can set up American Mah Jongg in about five minutes once tiles are shuffled.

Step by step

1. Seat four players; assign East, South, West, North.
2. Roll dice — highest roller is East (dealer).
3. Shuffle tiles face down.
4. Each player builds a wall: 19 tiles, two high, along their rack.
5. East rolls again and breaks the wall from that count.
6. Deal 13 tiles each; East takes 14.
7. Run the Charleston (structured tile pass).
8. Play toward a hand on the current NMJL card.

Setup tip

Use all-in-one rack/pushers so walls stay square. The Portelle American Mahjong Set (ASIN B0H3NTQTC1) includes four anti-slip racks for this — product page.

Sources

• American mahjong — Wikipedia