Learn American Mahjong online, one calm step at a time.
A modern, welcoming way to pick up the game. Free guides, a beginner digital guide, live Zoom bootcamps, and a full strategy community for women who want to play with confidence. No memorization marathons.
New to American Mahjong? Here's the short version.
American Mahjong is a four-player strategy game played with 152 tiles and a card of hands that changes every year. It's social. It's fast. It's part puzzle, part conversation, part calm-under-pressure practice. It's also a very different game from the solitaire matching app on your phone and from the Chinese or Japanese versions you might have seen.
The version most people learn in the U.S. follows the rules of the National Mah Jongg League (the NMJL), which releases a new card of hands every April. Each player builds toward one hand on that card using tiles they draw, steal from the Charleston, or claim from the discard pile. The first to complete a valid hand and call "mahjong" wins the round.
If you've ever watched a game and thought I want to do that, I just don't know where to start, you're in exactly the right place. This hub pulls together every learning path at Lara's Mahjong Edit, from the free cheat sheet that gets you fluent on tile names in an afternoon, to The Foundations Edit digital guide, to the live Beginner Bootcamp where you learn alongside other women over Zoom.
Who this is for
Lara teaches women who are starting out and women who've been playing casually and want to feel steady at the table. You don't need a partner, a club, or a card to begin. You don't need to memorize anything. You just need thirty minutes, a cup of coffee, and a willingness to play a few practice rounds. Everything else, we walk through together.
The way Lara teaches leans play-first, drill-second. You build skill by sitting down at the table and making real choices, not by flashcarding tile names for weeks. That means you start having fun faster, and the game gets stickier.
How to pick your starting point
Below are the four paths. Start with whichever feels right for where you are today. If you want to browse first without spending a dollar, grab the free cheat sheet. If you want one comprehensive resource for self-paced learning, The Foundations Edit is the answer. If you'd rather learn live, the Beginner Bootcamp is a multi-session Zoom cohort where Lara teaches each step in real time. And if you want ongoing strategy support after you've learned the basics, the Confidence Club is the weekly-strategy membership where Lara covers the card, answers questions, and keeps you playing.
Four ways to learn
The mahjong cheat sheet
A free printable reference that covers tile families, Charleston passes, and the lingo you'll hear at the table. Gets you fluent on the basics in a single afternoon.
Get the cheat sheet ›The beginner's guide
A complete online walkthrough of American Mahjong for brand-new players. Written by Lara, updated for the 2026 card, and currently ranking on Google for beginner searches.
Read the beginner guide ›The Foundations Edit
The full digital guide. 25 pages plus 5 printable strategy cards, walking you through the five pillars of confident play. Download once, yours forever.
See The Foundations Edit ›The Beginner Bootcamp
A live multi-session Zoom class. Go from zero to confident player with Lara teaching each step in real time, alongside other women learning with you.
See bootcamp dates ›Want more free content like this?
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Get the free cheat sheetFrequently asked questions
Can I really learn American Mahjong online, or do I need a teacher in person?
Yes, you can learn online. Thousands of women have learned the game through Lara's free guides, The Foundations Edit, and the live Zoom Beginner Bootcamp. Online works especially well because you can pause, rewatch, and practice at your own pace, which is harder to do when a group is waiting on you.
Do I need to buy the NMJL card to start learning?
Not right away. You can learn the tiles, the Charleston, and the basic flow of the game before you ever pick up a card. Once you're ready to play real hands, you'll want the current year's card from the National Mah Jongg League. The Foundations Edit covers how to read and use the card.
What's the difference between the free guide and The Foundations Edit?
The free online beginner's guide is a blog post that covers the big picture of how the game works. The Foundations Edit is a 25-page digital guide plus 5 printable strategy cards that walks you through the five pillars of confident play, step by step, with exercises you can come back to. Free to start, paid to go deep.
Is American Mahjong the same as the mahjong solitaire game on my phone?
No. Phone mahjong is a solo tile-matching game. American Mahjong is a four-player strategy game played with an NMJL card and 152 tiles. Different tiles, different rules, different vibe. If you've only played the phone version, expect American Mahjong to feel like an entirely new game.
How long does it take to learn?
Most people feel comfortable at the table within three to four weeks of learning and a few practice games. Confidence comes faster than people expect, especially with Lara's play-first teaching style. The live Beginner Bootcamp walks you through the full arc in a set number of sessions so you can plan around it.
I've been playing casually for a while. Am I in the wrong place?
Not at all. Plenty of Lara's students have played for years and want to feel steadier on hand selection, the Charleston, or defensive play. The Confidence Club membership is built for exactly that. And the three skill builders (Charleston Confidence, Hand Selection Mastery, Threat Awareness Foundations) each zoom in on one skill without making you start over.
Ready to play?
Grab the free cheat sheet, or go straight to The Foundations Edit. Either way, we'll have you at the table with confidence.
