Table Manners

Agree the house rules before the first tile, call your claims clearly, and settle mistakes calmly. Most mahjong arguments come from a rule nobody agreed on, not from bad luck.

Most mahjong arguments aren’t about luck. They’re about a rule nobody agreed on. A few minutes before the first tile saves a lot of awkward silence later.

Agree Before You Deal

Singapore mahjong has no single rulebook that every table follows. Before dealing, settle these:

Minimum tai and limit. Most tables play a minimum of 1 tai and a limit of 5 tai, but some raise one or both.
Payments. Whether the shooter pays double or pays everything, and what Kongs and bonus pairs pay at once.
Special hands. Which limit hands count, and whether a concealed hand earns a tai on Zi Mo.
Bao. Which cases make one player pay for everyone.
Kongs. Whether a concealed Kong is shown, and who may rob one.
The Banker. Whether East keeps the deal after winning.
Mistakes. What happens after a false win (zha hu) or a wrong claim.

The house rules guide walks through the common choices, and this game lets you set many of them when you start.

Playing With Learners

If someone at the table is new, agree up front when they can ask questions and whether they can take back a move. A learner who knows they won’t be laughed at for asking plays faster and enjoys it more. Everyone was new once, even the auntie who now counts tai faster than a calculator.

Making Your Calls

Say your call clearly: Chi, Pong, Kong or Hu. A mumble that might have been a claim causes trouble.
Remember the order, not the volume: a win beats a Pong or Kong, which beat a Chi. Shouting first doesn’t win the tile.
Put claimed sets face up and keep them neat and easy to see. Other players need to count them.
Keep your discards in order too, so everyone can read what’s been thrown.
Draw and throw at a steady pace. Long thinks are fine at a key moment, not every turn.

When Something Goes Wrong

Mistakes happen: a wrong claim, too many tiles, a win that isn’t one. When it does, stop before anyone moves more tiles. Check the hand and the rule you agreed together, calmly.

Apply what you agreed beforehand, and only that. No inventing penalties after the fact: that’s how friendships end. If the rule wasn’t covered, settle it kindly for tonight and add it to the list for next time.

Small Courtesies

Don’t touch other players’ tiles or count their hand for them unless asked. Don’t coach the player next to you mid-hand unless the table agreed it. Lose with good grace and win quietly. The Banker rotation, the dice and the deal all go more smoothly when everyone keeps the rhythm.

Good manners are the reason people want to play with you again. That matters more than any single hand.

Playing with friends in the app? The same idea applies: settle the house rules together when you set up the table, so nobody is surprised by a Bao or a limit halfway through the night.