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How does the Charleston work in American Mahjong?

The Charleston is the exchange of tiles after the deal and before East's first discard. In the first Charleston, which is compulsory, everyone passes three tiles right, then three across, then three left, all at the same moment. An optional second Charleston runs the other way, left, across, right, and an optional courtesy pass of up to three tiles with the player across always ends it.

Answered by Prim. Last reviewed 2026-10-15.

What the Charleston is for

The deal hands you thirteen tiles you did not choose, fourteen if you are East. The Charleston is your chance to improve them before a single tile is played. You send away what does nothing for you and take in what three other players did not want, and somewhere in that traffic a hand begins to take shape.

It comes after the deal and the tile count, and it ends before East's opening discard. Nothing is called, nothing is exposed, and nobody can go dead while it runs. The game proper has not yet begun.

The first Charleston: right, across, left

The first Charleston is compulsory. Every player passes, even one whose dealt hand already looks perfect. There are three passes, always in this order: three tiles to the player on your right, three to the player across, three to the player on your left.

Each pass is made face down, and all four players pass at the same moment. It is not taken in turns. Choose your three, set them out, and only then pick up the three that have arrived. You pass before you look.

Three tiles go on every pass, however precious your rack. On the last pass of the first Charleston, the left, a player who cannot spare three may blind pass: take one, two or three of the tiles coming in and send them straight on, unseen.

The second Charleston: left, across, right

When the first Charleston ends, the table may play a second. It is optional, and any one player may stop it without giving a reason, so long as nobody has yet looked at tiles received in it. Someone at the table asks whether anyone wants to stop; a single no ends it.

If it goes ahead, it runs in reverse: three left, three across, three right. The blind pass is allowed again on its last pass, the right. Once it has started and tiles have been looked at, it is played to the end.

The courtesy pass ends it

Last of all comes the courtesy pass, with the player across from you only. Each of you may offer none, one, two or three tiles. The player who wants fewer sets the number, and if either of you wants none, nothing crosses. It is always the final pass, whether or not a second Charleston was played.

The rules that hold throughout

A Joker may never be passed, on any pass, courtesy included. A Joker slipped into a pass is handed back and the passer owes another tile in its place.

Count your tiles before the Charleston and again after it. A wrong count found at this stage means the hands are thrown in and dealt again, which is a nuisance but not a disaster. When the passing is over, East holds fourteen tiles and opens the game with a discard.

New to the words? Charleston · First Charleston · Second Charleston · Courtesy pass