This table is waiting for your arrival

Quick start

Your first game, in five steps.

1. 1

   Grab your Genesis set

   One box: 160 tiles, four racks with pushers, a playing mat, a storage bag, dice and instructions.

   Get Genesis on Amazon↗
2. 2

   Set aside the spares

   Put the 6 Blanks and 2 of the Jokers back in the bag. You play with 152 tiles, including 8 Jokers.

3. 3

   Build the walls

   Spread the mat and turn every tile face down. Each player builds a wall 19 stacks long and 2 tiles high, then push the four walls into a square.

4. 4

   Deal, then trade

   East rolls the dice, breaks the wall and deals: 14 tiles for East, 13 for everyone else. Then trade in the Charleston: pass 3 tiles face down to the right, across, then left. Never pass a Joker.

5. 5

   Play

   Draw one, discard one, moving right. When your tiles complete a hand on the card, say “Mahjong!”

You'll also need this year's National Mah Jongg League card, sold separately. Everyone at the table needs the same edition.