A checklist for setting up your table, your space, and your players, whether you're playing casual house rules or the full official card.
Get the printable checklist One page, ready to print and keep with the tiles.
Everything below is per table of four. Running two tables for the night means two of each: two tile sets, two sets of racks, two pairs of dice, and ideally two copies of the card.
A standard American set has 152 tiles, plus jokers, enough for four players. A 160-tile set is fine too, and worth considering, the extra tiles are just blanks and two extra jokers. Better to have them and not need them than to have a group who wants to play with blanks and be stuck without any. It'll also come in its own case or box, so storage is already taken care of, nothing extra to find for that.
Sarah's tip: a tile set is a real financial commitment, so if you're not sure yet, borrow one for your first night before you buy. I did exactly that, and it let me touch and feel a set before deciding which route I wanted to go. When you're ready, there are great sets on Amazon if you want to spend under $200 to get started, or if you know you want a nice heirloom set, anywhere from $400 and up gets you something real. See the shopping section below for two of my own favorites.
You roll them to decide where to break the wall and to help set the first dealer, every hand starts with a roll. Nothing to shop for here though, dice come packed with almost every tile set already.
Sarah's tip: the one time to double check is a smaller travel or mini set, a few of those skip the dice to save space. Worth a quick look in the box before your first night so you're not caught without them.
One per player, to hold everyone's tiles upright and hidden from the rest of the table. Make sure they have pushers built in, you'll want those. They come as magnetic or pivoting, both work just fine, it's a matter of preference (magnetic is my own).
Sarah's tip: racks start around 17.5 inches, and the size doesn't matter much beyond making sure you're not accidentally buying something sized for a travel or mini set, those run 14 inches and under and will feel too small. Also double check the listing is really a set of four, not one solo rack, I've made that mistake myself.
Tiles get built into a wall in the middle before play starts, so you need real space beyond just four place settings. We've used square, rectangle, and round tables, square is the obvious preference, but you can make any of them work.
Sarah's tip: most mats run about 31.5 to 34 inches, so on a square table aim for at least 32 inches wide so the mat doesn't hang over the edge (mine's a 38 by 38 inch square, and it's ideal). A rectangle is totally doable too, angle the mat so its corners touch the sides of the table instead of lining it up square, and have players sit at an angle rather than straight on, so racks stay out of view from the side. It works better than it sounds.
One per player, at a height that lets everyone see over their rack comfortably.
Tiles have small printed details. Dim lighting slows the game down more than people expect.
Sarah's tip: a cordless, rechargeable lamp for the middle of the table isn't essential (though lighting itself stays essential), but it gives a nice vibe and good direct light. Pick one that's genuinely fast-charging and long-lasting, I once got some that matched my tile set perfectly but didn't hold a charge, and if they weren't at 100% at the start of the night, we lost our light halfway through the game.
If you're playing official NMJL scoring, or your group's own house rules written down somewhere, if you're playing casual.
Sarah's tip: a little stand or clip to prop it up is a nice touch, but totally optional, plenty of people just lay it flat on the table.
A pad and pen works. The free printable score sheet or The Mahj Report app does the math for you and keeps a season going across multiple nights, if you'd rather not do it by hand.
These are optional, but they're what actually make a night run smoothly. The table itself is fully covered once the wall goes up, so there's nowhere else to set anything down.
One shared between each pair of neighboring seats. The main table is completely covered in tiles and the wall, there's genuinely nowhere to set a drink or a plate down otherwise.
If the surface is something that would take a ring from a cold glass.
At each side table, for snacks people want within reach without leaving the game.
Search "mahjong" and you'll find a handful of ready made playlists, an easy way to set the tone without building one from scratch.
Small paddles you use to mix the tiles into a messy pile before everyone builds the wall, instead of doing it by hand. You don't need them, mixing by hand works exactly the same and is what most people do starting out. Some players just like the feel of them, and they're a little easier on your nails.
Sarah's tip: don't confuse these with the pushers built into your racks, above, those are a different thing, the little sliding piece that holds your own tiles forward as you play. Shufflers don't come with a tile set, you'd buy them separately if you want them, and they double as a fun, cheap prize for the winner, see below.
Set up somewhere separate from the side tables if you're feeding a crowd, so refills don't mean reaching across the game.
Sarah's tip: keep them easy, nothing too messy, something you can grab and set back down without much fuss. You don't have a lot of time between games, and certainly none between turns, to spend time making a plate.
Doesn't need to be expensive. A drink out of a special glass, a trophy that gets passed around, or something from a prize basket. For more ideas, see the full page of prize ideas.
Sarah's tip: a set of tile shufflers is a great one to start with. My first night playing, the teacher brought a set for the winner, easy, and it made the night that much more fun.
A few places to start, from an under-$200 starter set to the heirloom-quality sets Sarah actually plays on. We've picked a couple of options in each category, plus two brands we love, so you can compare and choose what fits your table.
Under $200 gets you a real starter set. Look for 152 tiles, or 160, which just adds a few blanks and two extra jokers, worth having even if you don't use them right away.
See Sarah's picks →Know you want a nice heirloom set? $400 and up gets you something real. Two of Sarah's own, two very different looks:
Make sure pushers are built in and the listing is really a set of four, not a single rack. At least 17.5 inches, 14 inches and under is a travel size.
See Sarah's picks →Small and foldable is fine. You need two per table, one between each pair of neighboring seats.
See Sarah's picks →The Amazon links above may earn The Mahj Report a small commission if you buy after clicking through, at no extra cost to you. The Mahjong Loft and Mahjong Row & Co. links are not affiliate links, we just love their tiles and wanted to point you toward two very different looks.
An official NMJL teacher is a great touch if you can get one, we had one and it was great, but it's totally not necessary. You just need someone with patience and the basics.
Sarah's tip: if you've got more than one table and someone else in the group already knows how to play, scatter them across tables rather than seating them together, so each table has someone who knows the general idea.
For at least one full table (four), or a plan for who sits where if you have more.
and make sure everyone at the table knows which. See the house rules checklist for what's worth settling.
House rules vary table to table more than people expect, and a quick walk through before the first hand saves confusion later.
The Mahj Report tracks every hand, crowns a nightly winner, and settles the season title, so hosting is the only job left.
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