How to play Mah-jongg

Mah-jongg is a centuries-old version of rummy played with tiles instead of cards. The playing pieces may be foreign, but the game is simple to learn.

Step 1: Count the pieces

Step 2: Know the suits

Step 3: Understand the honor

Step 4: Examine the bonus

Each tile has significance in Chinese; for non-Chinese speakers, being able to differentiate between tiles is enough to play the game.

Step 5: Shuffle and deal the tiles

Step 6: Types of melds

Step 7: Begin play

Step 8: Pick up a discarded tile

If a player creates a meld by drawing a discard, the meld must be shown to the group, but not if it’s created by drawing from the draw pile.

Step 9: Play continues

Step 10: Win a hand

Step 11: Score the game

Step 12: Continuing the game

Fact: Mah-jongg originated in 19th-century China, and before World War I each Chinese province had its own rule variations and name for the game.