Setting Up a Game
A standard game of Cantonese Mahjong involves 4 players. Here's how to get started.
① Seating & Turn Order
Players sit around a square table. Turns go counter-clockwise.
Draw and discard: Dealer → Right → Opposite → Left → Dealer...
② Building the Wall
- 1. Shuffle all 136 tiles face-down on the table.
- 2. Each player builds a wall in front of them: 2 tiles high, 18 stacks (36 tiles per wall).
- 3. Push all four walls together to form a square.
③ Choosing the Dealer (定庄)
- First game: Each player rolls two dice. Highest total becomes the dealer.
- Dealer stays: If the dealer wins or the hand ends in a draw.
- Dealer passes: If a non-dealer wins, the next player clockwise becomes the new dealer.
④ Opening the Wall (掷骰开门)
The dealer rolls two dice to decide where to break the wall.
| Dice Total | Wall to Break |
|---|---|
| 5 or 9 | Dealer's own wall |
| 2, 6, or 10 | Player to dealer's right |
| 3, 7, or 11 | Player opposite the dealer |
| 4, 8, or 12 | Player to dealer's left |
Count the smaller dice number from the right edge of the target wall. Skip that many stacks, then start taking tiles from the next stack.
Example:Dice show 3 + 5 = 8. Small number = 3. Break the opponent's wall, skip 3 stacks from the right, start drawing from stack #4.
⑤ Drawing Tiles
- 1. Dealer draws 2 stacks (4 tiles), then the next player draws 2 stacks, and so on counter-clockwise.
- 2. Repeat for 3 rounds = each player has 12 tiles.
- 3. Dealer takes 2 more tiles (total 14). Each non-dealer takes 1 more (total 13).
- 4. Dealer starts the game by discarding 1 tile face-up.
✅ Dealer: 14 tiles (draws and discards first). Others: 13 tiles.
⑥ Normal Play Flow
1. Draw 1 tile from the wall.
2. Check if you can declare Mahjong (win).
3. Optional: Declare Kong (if you have 4 identical).
4. Discard 1 tile face-up to the center.
5. Other players may call Pung, Kong, or Mahjong on your discard.
6. If no one calls, the next player draws and repeats.