LEARN
Frequently asked questions
A question from your last game? Find a quick answer here, with links if you'd like to try an example. Answers use American rules unless they say Siamese.
Do the colours on a card row tell me which suits to use?
The colours show how suits relate. Same colour, same suit. Different colours, different suits. You choose the suits, so green print does not automatically mean Bams.
Can I use numbers other than the ones printed in a row?
Only when the row’s instructions allow it. For a movable consecutive run, shift every number together and keep the group sizes. Otherwise, use the printed numbers.
Should I pick one hand at the start?
You don't have to decide straight away. Try comparing a few rows that suit your tiles, and keep useful alternatives as you draw. You can change your plan.
Can I call a discard to take a joker out of someone's exposure?
No. You need the matching natural tile in your hand, and the exchange happens on your own turn.
When in my turn may I exchange for a joker?
After drawing or calling, before discarding. You may make several exchanges in the same turn.
Are there exposures I cannot take a joker from?
Yes. Jokers in a declared Siamese hand or the exposure that made a hand dead cannot be exchanged. Earlier valid exposures on a dead rack remain available.
Can a joker stand for any tile?
Only within a matching group of three or more. Singles, pairs, runs, NEWS and the separate digits of a year cannot use jokers. Pungs and kongs elsewhere in a year hand can. Nobody can take a discarded joker.
Can I expose a group with jokers while I still hold the real tile?
Yes. You can use a joker in an exposure and keep the natural tile for another part of your hand.
Which discards may I call?
Call to complete a group of three or more matching tiles, or to complete your whole winning hand. A concealed row allows only the winning call.
Is there any case where I can call a discard for a pair?
Yes, if completing the pair also completes all 14 tiles of your winning hand. Call Mahjong.
What happens to a group I called?
Show the completed group face up on your rack. It stays exposed. Then discard without drawing.
Two players want the same discard. Who gets it?
Mahjong takes priority over an exposure. Between two exposure calls, the player next in turn order after the discarder gets the tile.
What makes a hand dead?
An exposure that fits no winning row makes the hand dead. Check that a group fits your row before exposing it.
Does a dead hand lose its jokers and its other exposures?
Jokers in earlier valid exposures can still be exchanged. Jokers in the exposure that made the hand dead cannot. In American play, the dead player stops drawing and calling but still pays the winner.
Who says a hand is dead?
TileClack marks an impossible exposure dead automatically. At a table, another player calls it based on visible tiles, and the table checks the claim confirm.
Which Charleston passes are required?
The first round is three tiles right, across, left. A second round goes left, across, right, but any player can stop it before it begins confirm.
When may I pass tiles I have not looked at?
On the third pass of either Charleston: first left or final right. You may pass incoming tiles unseen, using only tiles arriving on that same pass.
What is the courtesy pass?
You and the player across exchange 0 to 3 tiles. Both pass the lower number offered. If you offer 3 and they offer 1, you each pass 1. Jokers cannot be passed.
What should I pass?
Look at the rows you are considering. Keep tiles that help any of them and pass tiles that help none. Recheck after each pass because new tiles may improve another option.
How long may I take on my turn?
Take a moment when you need to check a decision. The rules have no turn clock. Let the group know you're new, and keep your rack organised to help you follow play.
Why did the app refuse my call?
Tap the unavailable control to read the reason. Common causes include trying to call for a pair before mahjong, or trying to enlarge a group you already exposed.
How long does a discard stay available?
In TileClack, everyone can respond, and Claim holds the tile while you choose. At a table, speak before the next player racks a tile, discards or starts an exchange confirm.
Are mush, blanks, extra jokers, hot wall and PIE part of the rules?
They are house rules that vary by group. Ask which ones are in use before starting. Some sets include blank tiles, but TileClack does not use them.
Does East deal everyone's tiles?
Each player takes their own tiles. Deal and play go right, and the next wall comes from the left confirm.
Does concealed mean no jokers and nothing called?
Concealed means no exposures while building the hand. You may still call the winning tile, and jokers still work in matching groups of three or more.
Who pays the winner, and how much?
In American play, start with the row value. On a discard win, the discarder pays double and the other two players each pay once. On your own draw, all three pay double.
What is the jokerless bonus?
An eligible hand won without jokers doubles every payment again. Singles and Pairs does not receive this bonus confirm.
Do we have to keep score?
That's up to your group. Many home games simply celebrate each mahjong without keeping a running score. Ask how your table likes to play.
Nobody won the hand. Did we do something wrong?
No, a wall game is a normal result. It happens when the wall runs out and the final discard is settled without a winner. In American play nobody pays.
In Siamese, do I hold 27 tiles or 28?
Before your first declaration, 27 between turns and 28 before discarding. After declaring, count 13 or 14 active tiles, with the declared hand separate.
I put my drawn tile in the rack and then someone called. Was the call too late?
If they had not already asked you to wait, the call is too late once you rack the tile confirm. TileClack gives everyone a chance to respond before continuing.
Two players call mahjong on the same discard. Who wins?
The player next in turn order after the discarder gets the winning tile confirm.
What is the polite way to take a joker from another player's exposure?
Announce the exchange and hand over your matching tile. Let the owner give you the joker.
Who decides where the wall is broken?
Dice determine East and where to break the wall. First mix the tiles face down and build walls 19 stacks long and 2 tiles high per player confirm.
What if we do not have four players?
With three players, standard play skips the Charleston. A “ghost” fourth player is a house rule. With two, try Siamese: two racks and two hands each.
Do I have to say my discards out loud?
Yes. Say the tile name as you discard, or “same” if it repeats the previous discard. TileClack displays the name on screen.
How do I declare a win at a table?
Say “Mah Jongg” and show all 14 tiles so everyone can check them against the card.
Does it matter which card year the table uses?
Yes. Make sure everyone uses the same card and year because the winning hands differ between cards.
How should I lay out an exposure?
Keep each completed group separate and put its jokers in the middle so everyone can read it.
What do I do if I make a mistake?
Let the table know what happened as soon as you notice. You can work through it together.
Teaches on the Learner card · reviewed 2026-09-14