14-Tile American Mahjong rules
What is 14-Tile Mahjong?
Let it be known that the first time I heard the American mahjong version called “14 tile mahjong” was in October 2026. Another version of American mahjong that I hadn’t heard about or played? Of course I was intrigued!
I had the basic rules of the game, so I convinced friends to try it with me at the Tuesday night meetup. These players are men and great players. We were all up for the challenge.
What are the rules for 14-Tile Mahjong?
Here are the 14 Tile Mahjong (also called Futures) rules:
Each player is dealt 14 tiles
Charleston as usual
East starts the game by fully naming a discard, picks up a tile from the wall and places it in their rack
When the tile is placed in the rack, the turn is complete
Play moves to the right
Discard, pick, rack
Standard American mahjong rules apply
To mahjong, you must wait for your next turn to declare (poker face!)
So what did I think about 14-Tile mahjong?
This game moves fast. Very fast. We had to thoughtfully discard and pick. Players thought about choices with the 14th tile in the rack during the other 3 players’ turns. It was exciting!
Let's hear from the expert
I loved 14 Tile mahjong. To confirm that we played correctly and how it all works, I consulted the 14 Tile American Mahjong guru, Ronni.
We chatted on the phone, and she is such an amazing character! I wanted her to speak directly to my audience, so I had her tell you all about her backstory, and her love of 14 Tile mahjong herself.
I proudly introduce Ronni!
The following is written by Ronni herself. Her personality and story shines through in every word!
A little background on me. Let’s see; I am Ronni Townsend, originally from Hull, Massachusetts. A very small seaside town surrounded on three sides by water; one way in and one way out. Population around 10,000.
I grew up listening to my mom playing mah jongg at night with her friends, while trying to sleep. I think one bam, two crak, was instilled in my head very early, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I was destined to be hooked on this game.
I used to put my firstborn girl in the playpen, along with my friends’ little ones, and we would play mah jongg. That oldest girl is now 52 ===== where did the time go?
When my husband was transferred to New York in 1974, we packed up and moved to New Jersey, close by the city. And there, I played 14 tiles too! After his retirement, we moved to Florida; the year 2012; Here, I started playing right away and lo and behold, we were playing 14 tiles again.
So, what is the big difference in 13 tile and 14 tile American Mah Jongg?
In a 14 tile game you throw and pick; just the opposite of 13.
But think about it; In 13, you have to pick and then decide what to throw and so forth; it slows the game down a little; But in a 14 tile game you throw and then pick. So you have time until it’s your turn again to decide what to throw. Hence, the game moves along a lot faster;
The one drawback is; In either game, once you throw, your turn is over. So just think about it; you throw your discard and pick a tile and woww!! That tile is your mah jongg;
But wait!! You discarded so your turn is over. You have to patiently wait for your turn again to say those two great words;
MAH JONGG!
So, I have been playing MJ for 51 years! It’s amazing to even say that; And, I’ve been teaching mah jongg for 31 years, and yes, I teach 14 tiles; I teach a class here at my clubhouse and have three other ladies who help out. We started this almost a year ago. It’s an eight-week course for 2 hours each week; We take either 3 or 4 tables full at a time and I love what I do.
I should mention, that we do NOT charge for this course. We have graduated 88 women and men!! Our next class starts up again with 20 players on January 8th. It truly is a labor of love! How can you not love this game?
I would love to take on any questions that your readers might have. We are in the midst of planning a mah jongg tournament for January 20th; A 14 tile tournament. We will use basic NMJL rules that apply to the 13 game, with the only difference being throw and pick; not pick and throw;
Hey; Don’t knock it til you try it!
