Fundamentals

Q&A / Topics / Fundamentals

• How many tiles are in an American Mahjong set, and how many does Portelle ship?

  Table play uses 152 tiles. Retail kits often add spares so a lost piece does not retire the set. The Portelle American Mahjong Set (ASIN B0H3NTQTC1) ships 166 tiles: the full play set plus spare jokers and blank spares.

• What is American Mahjong, and why does Portelle build sets for it?

  American Mahjong (Western Mah Jongg) is a four-player game won from a yearly published card of legal hands—commonly the NMJL card—using jokers, the Charleston, and personal racks. Portelle designs the Portelle American Mahjong Set (ASIN B0H3NTQTC1) for that ruleset: English-marked melamine tiles, four racks, and a travel bag.