Beginner walkthrough · Step 4 of 8

4. The Charleston — pass Right

ⓘ Fictional training card · NOT the official NMJL card

Not a real card. Fictional practice card — NOT the official NMJL card. Its hands are made up for learning. To play real games, buy the current NMJL card from the League and study it. Real hands, sections and points will be different.

Practice card line (fictional) · Bams

11222333344455

One color = one suit. On the card, two or three colors mean the line needs two or three different suits.

Any one suit · exposed (X) allowed · 14 tiles

Your rack (13 tiles)— outlined: + Received

You passed 8 Dot, 9 Dot and West to the right and received a 6 Crak, a Green Dragon and a South Wind. The first Charleston continues Across, then Left — and those passes bring you a 3 Bam and a 5 Bam.

“Don't worry if your first pass feels messy. Everyone's hand starts as a puzzle, and the Charleston is how you sort it out.”
Mae · Friendly neighborStrategy Tip

North

East

passes to you →

3 tiles in ← from East

+1 →

Your 3 out → to West

West

← you pass here

You — South

First pass goes Right: your 3 tiles go to the player on your right, and you receive 3 from the player on your left.

Watch it happen: The Charleston, pass by pass

EastNorthWestYou · South

Passing out:

1/9 First Charleston, pass 1: Right. All four players pass 3 tiles face down at the same time. Yours go to West. Official Rule

Takes about 27 seconds. You can pause any time and pick up where you left off.

Seen from above. You are always South at the bottom; East is on your left, North across, West on your right. Practice tiles only, not a real NMJL card hand. About 27 seconds.

Show details: how it happens, League rules and tips

How it happens at the table

1.
Choose 3 tiles to pass. Place them face down in front of the player on your right. Official Rule
2.
Pass first, then pick up the 3 tiles passed to you. Don't look at incoming tiles before you've passed. Etiquette
3.
Repeat Across (to the player opposite), then Left. On the Left pass you may blind pass 1–3 of the tiles you just received, unseen. Official Rule
4.
Everyone is asked whether to do a second Charleston: Left, Across, Right. If any one player says no, it stops. Official Rule
5.
Finally the courtesy pass: you and the player across may agree to swap 0–3 tiles. Official Rule
6.
Never pass a Joker at any point in the Charleston. Official Rule

What the League requires

Official Rule The first Charleston is required: 3 tiles Right, 3 Across, 3 Left. A second Charleston (Left, Across, Right) only if everyone agrees, then an optional courtesy pass of 0–3 with the player across.
Official Rule Jokers may never be passed. A blind pass (passing on tiles you just received, unseen) is allowed only on the last pass of each Charleston.

Good advice — not a League rule

Strategy Tip Golden rules — legal to pass, but usually unwise: Flowers, Dragons, pairs or triples, runs like 3-4-5, and Wind (NEWS) or year tiles. The League allows it; it just tends to help opponents.
Etiquette On a blind pass, slide the tiles you're passing forward before you look at what you received.

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