How to Charleston and Courtesy Pass in American Mahjong

The Charleston is a dance of the tiles, where players pass tiles, 3 at a time, around the table. This is a way for players to eliminate tiles they do not need for their hand and, hopefully, collect tiles that will help complete the hand they have selected.

R.O.L.L.O.R.:

Tiles are passed three at a time following this pattern: Right, Over, Left. Left, Over, Right. Use the acronym R.O.L.L.O.R. to remember this pattern.

The first three passes (Right, Over, Left) are mandatory. After the first Left, any player can stop the Charleston. If the table decides to continue, all three passes of the second Charleston are required (Left, Over, Right).

In the early passes of the Charleston, players usually collect tiles towards a section of the NMJL Card. As the Charleston continues, it becomes easier for a player to narrow down specific lines/hands in that section to choose the hand they will play.

WHEN TO STOP:

The second round of the Charleston is optional, but how can you know if you should stop of continue the Charleston for a second round? If, after the first three passes (Right, Over, Left), you have fewer than 5 tiles you want to get rid of, then stop! Remember, once you start the second round of the Charleston, you are committing to all three passes (Left, Over Right), so you do not want to end up in a situation where you are forced to pass tiles you want to keep. If you have 5+ tiles that you do not want for your mahjong line, then go ahead and do that second round.

CHOOSE YOUR LINE:

After the Charleston, players should work to choose a single line on the NMJL Card to play. Strategic players will try to also select a pivot or backup line in case they need to change hands during the game. If you need help choosing your line/hand, here is a helpful how to page.

COURTESY PASS:

Following the Charleston passes, there is one final pass available to players called the Courtesy Pass. Players exchange tiles with the person across the table from them. Each player says to the person sitting across from them how many tiles they are willing to exchange, between 0 and 3 tiles. The pair selects the lowest number and exchanges that number of tiles. For example if one player wants to exchange 3 and the other person in the pair wants to exchange only 1 tile, that pair exchanges 1 tile.