Beginner guides Guide 6 of 14

The Charleston, step by step

Three tiles right, three across, three left. The passing ritual that opens every game, in the order it happens.

What it is for

Your first 13 tiles are random. The Charleston is a round of passing, before any play, that lets everyone trade away tiles they do not want. Done well, it moves you a few tiles closer to a real hand before the first draw.

The first Charleston

Everyone takes part. There are three passes of three tiles each.

  1. Right. Pass three tiles to the player on your right.
  2. Across. Pass three tiles to the player opposite you.
  3. Left. Pass three tiles to the player on your left.

Right→Across→Left

Many players remember it as "right, over, left." Everyone passes at the same moment. Put your three tiles face-down, slide them over, and only then pick up the three that came to you.

The blind pass

On the last pass of each Charleston you may pass blind. That is the pass to the left in the first Charleston, and the pass to the right in the second. It means sending one, two, or all three of the tiles that just arrived straight on to the next player without looking at them, and making up the rest from your own rack. Use it when your rack has nothing left you are willing to give away.

The vote

After the first Charleston the table decides whether to do a second. Everyone has to agree. If any one player says no, the second Charleston is skipped and the table goes straight to the courtesy pass. A player who likes their hand will usually say no.

The second Charleston

If everyone agrees, the order reverses.

Left→Across→Right

  1. Left.
  2. Across.
  3. Right. This last pass may be blind as well.

The courtesy pass

To finish, you and the player across from you may trade up to three tiles. You each say how many you would like to exchange, and the smaller number wins. If either of you says none, no tiles move.

Three rules that never change

  • Jokers are never passed. Not in the first Charleston, the second, or the courtesy pass.
  • Passes are face-down. Look only at the tiles you receive.
  • Pass first, then pick up. You choose what to give before you see what you get.

Tables vary

Some groups always play the second Charleston. Some limit blind passes. Ask before the first pass, not during it.

Next: choosing which three tiles to give away.