Sort by family
Make five groups: numbered suits, winds, dragons, flowers, and jokers. Then divide numbered tiles into Dots, Bams, and Craks.
What success feels like
You can name the family before studying the exact tile. Speed is not the goal.
Practice the rhythm,
not perfection.
Short drills for recognition and table comfort. None requires memorizing the annual card.
10minutes is enough
Choose one drill.
A short, completed rehearsal is more useful than a long session that makes the game feel heavier.
- 01
- 02
Say the turn aloud
Repeat: “Draw one. Evaluate. Discard one. Name it clearly.” Then explain why a legal call can interrupt the ordinary order.
Check your answer
After a normal discard, your hand returns to 13 tiles. A called discard is used to complete a permitted exposure, then the caller discards.
- 03
Read structure, not strategy
Choose one printed line. Identify its section, value, exposure status, color changes, groups, singles, and pairs. Do not decide whether it is “good.”
What to notice
Colors distinguish suits within that printed hand; they do not permanently assign a color to Dots, Bams, or Craks.
- 04
Rehearse a Charleston pass
Place three harmless practice tiles to your right, then across, then left. Say each direction before moving them.
Important boundary
This models the required first Charleston directions only. Never pass a joker.
Friendly-table readiness
You are ready to learn at a table when...
- You recognize the main tile families.
- You know the goal uses a valid 14-tile hand from the current card.
- You can describe an ordinary turn.
- You know the Charleston happens before ordinary play.
- You can say, “I am learning—can you narrate that step?”
That is enough. Your first game is part of learning, not a test after learning.
Prepare for your first game