The Charleston is one of the features that makes American Mahjong distinct. Before normal drawing and discarding begin, all four players pass unwanted tiles around the table to improve their hands.
For a beginner, the directions can feel like a memory test. The structure is simpler than it looks:
- First Charleston: Right, Across, Left
- Second Charleston: Left, Across, Right
- Courtesy Pass: Across
This guide explains each pass, when a blind pass is allowed, which tiles cannot be passed, and how to make better Charleston decisions without locking yourself into a hand too early.
If the tile names are still unfamiliar, keep our American Mahjong Tiles Explained guide open beside this article.
What is the purpose of the Charleston?
After the deal, your tiles may point toward several possible hands on the current American Mahjong card. The Charleston lets you trade tiles that do not support those possibilities and receive new ones before the game officially begins.
The phase rewards flexibility. You are not simply getting rid of your three “worst” tiles. You are deciding which tiles preserve the greatest number of realistic paths.
All Charleston tiles are passed face down. Do not reveal or name them.
Charleston passing order at a glance
| Phase | Pass 1 | Pass 2 | Pass 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Charleston | Right | Across | Left |
| Second Charleston | Left | Across | Right |
| Courtesy Pass | Across | — | — |
Use these two short mnemonics:
- RAL: Right, Across, Left
- LAR: Left, Across, Right
The first Charleston is mandatory in a standard four-player game. The second occurs only if all four players agree.
Before the first pass
Organize your tiles and study the current card before selecting anything to pass. Look for:
- Pairs and groups of identical tiles
- Repeated numbers across two or three suits
- Strong suit concentration
- Winds and Dragons that support more than one hand
- Flowers and Jokers
Choose two or three related possibilities rather than one exact line. A useful starting direction might be “even numbers in two suits” or “Winds with matching Dragons,” not a commitment to every tile in one hand.
First Charleston: Right, Across, Left
The first Charleston is mandatory. Each player passes exactly three face-down tiles in each round.
First pass: Right
Select three tiles from your hand and pass them to the player on your right. You receive three tiles from the player on your left.
Do not pick up your incoming tiles until you have placed your own pass on the table. This keeps the exchange clear and prevents your decision from being influenced after the pass is committed.
Second pass: Across
Pass three tiles to the player seated directly opposite you. You receive three from that same player.
This is often the first moment when the direction of your hand becomes clearer. Recheck the card after adding the received tiles to your rack.
Third pass: Left
Pass three tiles to the player on your left and receive three from the right.
This pass allows the blind-pass option. If you do not want to release three tiles from your own hand, you may pass one, two, or all three incoming tiles onward without looking at them. Your total pass must still contain exactly three tiles.
What is a blind pass?
A blind pass—sometimes called “stealing”—lets you use unseen incoming tiles to complete the third pass of a Charleston.
Example:
- You have only one tile you are comfortable passing.
- Three tiles arrive from your right during the first Charleston’s final pass.
- Without looking at them, you add two of those incoming tiles to your one chosen tile.
- You pass all three to the player on your left.
- You keep and examine the one incoming tile that remains.
The central rule is simple: you cannot look at a tile and then blind-pass it. Once you view the incoming tiles, the option is gone for that pass.
Blind passing is allowed only on the third pass of either Charleston:
- First Charleston’s Left pass
- Second Charleston’s Right pass
Second Charleston: Left, Across, Right
After the first Charleston is complete, any player may stop the sequence. A second Charleston happens only when all four players agree.
If everyone agrees, perform three more passes:
- Three tiles to the left
- Three tiles across
- Three tiles to the right
The third pass to the right allows a blind pass under the same rules described above.
An objection must be made before anyone looks at tiles received in the second Charleston’s first pass. No player needs to explain why they want to stop.
The courtesy pass
The courtesy pass is an optional final exchange between opposite players. Each opposite pair decides independently how many tiles to trade.
Partners may pass 0, 1, 2, or 3 tiles. The player who wants to pass fewer determines the number exchanged.
For example:
- You want to pass three.
- The player opposite wants to pass one.
- Both of you exchange one tile.
If either player wants to pass zero, that pair makes no courtesy exchange.
The courtesy pass can follow the first Charleston when the second is stopped, or follow a completed second Charleston.
Can you pass a Joker during the Charleston?
No. Jokers cannot be passed during any part of the Charleston, including a courtesy pass. Only natural tiles—Dots, Bams, Craks, Winds, Dragons, and Flowers—may be passed.
If a Joker is included by mistake, return it immediately and replace it with a natural tile.
Beginner strategy: what should you keep?
Keep Jokers
You cannot pass them, and their flexibility makes them valuable once your hand direction becomes clear.
Protect useful pairs
Pairs can be difficult to rebuild because only four copies of a natural tile exist. A pair that supports several possible hands is usually worth keeping.
Favor flexible groups
Keep tiles that work in more than one card line. Consecutive numbers, repeated numbers across suits, and related Winds or Dragons may preserve several options.
Notice suit concentration
Six or seven tiles in one suit may be meaningful, but do not keep every tile in that suit automatically. Compare the exact numbers with realistic hands on the card.
Treat Flowers as strategic, not automatically good or bad
Flowers are valuable only when your possible hands need them. Keep them when they support multiple options; pass them when none of your realistic directions use Flowers.
Re-evaluate after every pass
The hand you considered best after the deal may not be best after the Across pass. New tiles are information. Let them change your plan.
What should you pass?
Good early passes are tiles that:
- Fit none of your two or three likely hands
- Are isolated from the numbers and suits you are building
- Duplicate a category your likely hand does not use
- Would require too many additional pieces to become useful
When several tiles are equally expendable, consider what you may be sending to the next player. Avoid feeding an obvious pattern when you already have clues about that player’s direction, although information is limited during the Charleston.
Common Charleston mistakes
Passing before checking the card
Three random discards can destroy a promising hand. Identify possible directions first.
Committing to one line after the deal
The Charleston can transform your rack. Keep overlapping options until the received tiles provide a clearer direction.
Looking at tiles intended for a blind pass
Once you look, they can no longer be passed blind.
Passing a Joker
Jokers must stay in your hand throughout the Charleston.
Picking up before passing
Place your selected pass down before examining the tiles sent to you.
Assuming the second Charleston is automatic
It requires unanimous agreement. Any player may stop after the mandatory first Charleston.
Revealing passed tiles
Every pass remains face down, including the courtesy pass.
When does the game officially begin?
The game begins after all Charleston phases and the courtesy pass are complete. East then discards one tile face up and names it. East now has 13 tiles, matching the other players, and normal play continues counterclockwise.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Charleston always required?
The first Charleston is required in a standard four-player game, except for rare special situations such as East already holding a valid winning hand before it begins. The second Charleston is optional and requires unanimous agreement.
Do two- or three-player games use the Charleston?
Under the American Mah Jongg Association’s player-count adjustments, two- and three-player games omit the Charleston.
Can I pass fewer than three tiles?
During the six main passes, you must pass three tiles. On the third pass of either Charleston, unseen incoming tiles may help complete that total through a blind pass. During the courtesy pass, opposite players may agree to exchange 0, 1, 2, or 3.
Can I change the tiles I selected?
Only while the receiving player has not looked at the pass and you have not viewed your incoming tiles. Once either condition changes, the pass is committed.
Should I stop the second Charleston?
Stop when your hand is strong enough that three additional forced passes are more likely to weaken your options than improve them. You do not need to explain the decision to the table.
Remember RAL, then LAR
The passing directions become automatic with repetition:
Right → Across → Left Left → Across → Right Courtesy → Across
Focus less on memorizing every possible hand and more on keeping flexible tiles, protecting hard-to-replace pairs, and reconsidering your direction after each exchange.
Continue with our How to Play American Mahjong guide, review the American Mahjong tile reference, or explore our American Mahjong Sets.