Mahjong FAQ · Learn at the table
A practical answer from Omaha Mahjong Club’s Chinese Mahjong learning library.
From the FAQ library
Chinese Mahjong
When the wall runs out of tiles (excluding the dead wall reserved for kong draws) and no one has declared mahjong, the hand ends in a draw, sometimes called a "goulash" or exhausted wall. No payments are made in most rulesets, and the dealer retains their seat for the next hand. Some local rules penalize players who were in tenpai (one tile away from winning) or reward them, depending on the house rules in play.
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Mahjong FAQ
Good Mahjong deserves good refreshments. Every class includes access to our self-serve station: - Chinese tea - Light snacks, such as pretzels and candy - Bringing your own snacks and beverages (of any kind) are welcomed
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At the start of a game, seats are typically assigned randomly by rolling dice or drawing tiles. Each seat corresponds to a wind: East, South, West, and North, which determines each player's seat wind tile bonus for that round. East seat is the dealer for the first hand. After each hand, seats and wind assignments rotate, though the exact rotation method varies by ruleset. The game typically consists of at least one full East round and one South round.
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