THE GORGE MAHJ
LEARN TO PLAY
It looks complicated.
It isn't.
American Mah Jongg is a tile game for four people. You build one of the hands printed on this year's card, trading tiles until somebody gets there first. That's the whole game. Everything else is rhythm — and rhythm comes from playing, not reading.
THE FOUR THINGS WORTH KNOWING
start with these, learn the rest at the table
1
THE TILES
152 tiles: three suits of numbers (craks, bams, dots), winds, dragons, flowers, and eight jokers. You'll recognize them all by the end of one evening — they're pictures, not vocabulary.
2
the card
Every year the National Mah Jongg League prints a new card of roughly seventy legal hands. It sits in front of you the whole game. Nobody memorizes it — reading it well is the actual skill.
3
the charleston
Before play begins, everyone passes three tiles right, across, and left — twice, if the table agrees. It's where you shed what you don't need and where the game turns social and a little sneaky.
4
mah jongg!
Complete a hand exactly as the card prints it, say the word out loud, and the round is yours. Say it by mistake and you'll hear about it for weeks. Ask me how I know.
ANATOMY OF A HAND
what you're looking at
YOUR RACK
Thirteen tiles, hidden from everyone else, arranged however helps you think.
THE WALL
The undealt tiles in the middle. You draw one and discard one, around and around.
JOKERS
Wild in groups of three or more identical tiles — never in a pair, and never in a run or special same-suit set. Stealable off an exposure.
EXPOSURES
Sets you claim from a discard and turn face up — information you give away to gain a tile.
THE CARD
Face up beside your rack, all game. Glance, narrow, commit, change your mind.
A FIRST EVENING, START TO FINISH
TWO HOURS, ROUGHLY LIKE THIS
FIRST 15 MINUTES
SAY HELLO
Find a chair, meet three people, get a card and a cheat sheet in your hand.
NEXT 20
MEET THE TILES
We spread them out face up and name them. No pressure, no quiz.
THEN
ONE OPEN HAND
Everyone plays with racks visible and the card open, talking through each choice.
LAST STRETCH
A REAL GAME
Racks up, tiles hidden, and somebody at your table calls Mah Jongg for the first time.
SAID AT EVERY FIRST CLASS
COMMON WORRIES
None of these have ever stopped anybody. If yours isn't here, just ask me — I answer every message myself.
"I'm bad at games."
Good. Bring snacks. Nobody keeps score in week one, and half the table is as new as you.
"I don't know anyone."
You will by week two. Most people arrive alone; the game seats you with three others whether you like it or not.
"Do I need to buy a set?"
No. Tiles, racks and cards are provided at every class. If you plan to attend organized events or play elsewhere, you will need a card. Buy gear later, or never — see the shop when you're curious.
"Is it gambling?"
Quarters, at most, and only when the table wants to play for the purse. It's a great way to master the scoring, but you'll find that most games here play for nothing but the bragging.
"Am I too old / too young?"
Our tables run from twenties to nineties, often at the same time. It's the most reliably mixed room in the Gorge.
THREE WAYS TO START
pick whichever sounds least scary
MOST PEOPLE START HERE
Beginner Series
Two evenings, same people. By the second night you're playing unassisted.
SEE DATES →
LOW COST, NO COMMITMENT
Open Play
Book a seat, watch a hand over a drink, sit in when you're ready. Zero pressure.
FIND A TABLE →
YOU BRING THE TABLE
Private Lesson
Three friends and a kitchen table, a birthday, a staff party. I'll come to you.
REQUEST ONE→
come find a table
That's the whole invitation. Learn with us, play with us, or tell us about the game you already run.