Before the tiles are dealt
Four players arrange their racks and use a suitable American Mah Jongg set. The group mixes and builds tile walls according to its rules, establishes player positions and prepares to distribute tiles. Your instructor may use the wind indicator or other aids.
Do not worry if you cannot remember the exact wall-building sequence from a written description. It is a physical routine, and a slow live demonstration is usually much clearer.
The opening exchange
Many American Mah Jongg groups use the Charleston, a structured exchange of tiles at the start of a hand. This distinguishes American play from many other variants. The precise sequence and choices must follow the rules your group uses, so rely on your current official instructions rather than an oversimplified online diagram.
A useful beginner habit is to listen for each named step and handle the indicated tiles carefully. Ask your instructor to announce the stage aloud during a teaching game. The objective at this point is to understand the flow, not to devise an advanced opening strategy.
Turns, discards and calls
Once normal play begins, players draw or receive tiles through permitted actions and discard tiles as the game proceeds. Some situations allow a player to call for a discard; others do not. The details depend on the current rules and the hand being pursued.
Watch whose turn it is, where discards are placed and when exposed groupings remain visible. These public pieces of information are part of the strategy. Keep your own concealed tiles private unless the rules require an exposure.
What it means to win
The object is to complete a permitted hand on the current annual card under the governing rules. You will hear players refer to the card often; this is normal, especially for beginners. The card organizes potential winning combinations that can change from year to year.
If your first game ends without a win, that is not a failure. After the hand, ask which decision was most important and what you could try differently next time. A brief discussion can teach more than guessing through several more hands.
This is independent educational information, not an official rulebook. For definitive American Mah Jongg play, consult your current official annual card and the rules used by your group.