Your first real game

Before the first tile

Tell the table you are new. Then ask three things.

• Do you always play the second Charleston, or vote?
• How do you settle it when two people call the same tile?
• Are we playing for money, points, or nothing?

House rules are normal. Asking about them before you start is good manners. Asking in the middle of a hand is not.

Say things out loud

A real table runs on a few spoken words. Use them every time, even when it feels obvious.

When you discard	Name the tile. "Three crak."
When you call	The tile, then the call. "Five dot, pung."
When you take a joker	"Exchanging for the joker."
When you win	"Mahjong." Say it first, then show the hand.

A winning hand laid down in silence is easy to miss, and some tables will not count it.

Keep your hands to yourself

• Draw only your own tile, from the open end of the wall, and only on your turn.
• Keep your tiles behind your rack.
• Do not touch anyone else's rack, wall, or exposed tiles. If you want a closer look, ask.

Charleston manners

Pass face-down. Set your three tiles in front of you, and wait until everyone has passed before you pick up what came to you. Look only at the tiles you receive.

The pace

Gentle but steady. Nobody minds a new player thinking. What slows a table down is silence. If you need a moment, say so.

"Give me a second."

When you get something wrong

You will. You will call for a pair, or pick up before a pass is finished, or forget to name a discard. Someone will tell you, you will fix it, and the game goes on. That is how everyone at the table learned.

What to bring

• Your own copy of the card your group plays.
• The cheat sheet, tucked beside it.
• Small change, if the table plays for money.