Printable American Mahjong Cheat Sheets & Table Reference Guides (2026 Edition)

Free downloadable and printable PDF guides designed for players, hosts, and tournament organizers. Zero ads, high-contrast typography, and 100% compliant with National Mah Jongg League standards.

1. The Official 2026 Charleston Passing Flowchart (1 Page)

The Charleston pre-game passing phase is where opening deals succeed or collapse. Our printable flowchart maps out all 6 sequential passes across Round 1 (Right, Across, Left) and Round 2 (Left, Across, Right), highlighting critical decision gates:

Blind Pass Clearances: Exactly when and how many tiles (1 to 3) you are permitted to steal without looking.
2nd Charleston Veto Protocol: Explains how any single player's objection stops the second round immediately.
Courtesy Pass Limits: The rules governing mutual across agreements (0, 1, 2, or 3 tiles).

2. Table Dispute Arbiter Sheet & Player Concord Compact (1 Page)

Avoid bitter arguments that ruin friendly game nights. This two-column printable reference sheet features:

The Joker 8 Dos & 8 Don'ts: Concrete legal rulings on Joker substitutions in triplets vs. strict prohibitions in pairs and singles.
Dead Hand Challenges: The four legal criteria for dead hand declarations and the severe penalty for wrongful accusations.
Simultaneous Calling Hierarchy: Mahjong declaration priority over Pungs and Kongs, turn-order proximity ties, and racking timing windows.
4-Player Table Compact: A signature area where all four players sign at the start of the evening to abide by tournament rules.

3. Table Bank Dispenser & Chip Payment Reckoner (1 Page)

Designed specifically for casual stakes and party game nights, this reckoner provides:

4-Color Chip Allocations: White (10¢), Blue (25¢), Red (50¢), and Yellow ($1.00) starting stack breakdowns.
Instant Payout Matrix: Direct calculations for discarder payouts (2x points) vs. Non-discarders (1x points), and self-picked double-pay rules across all standard card valuations from 25¢ to 85¢.

4. 2026 NMJL Dead Hand Traps & Tactical Pivot Matrix (2 Pages)

An exhaustive strategic companion covering:

Soap Zero Ambiguities: How the White Dragon functions as digit 0 in Year hands across non-Dot suits.
Concealed-Hand Violations: The hands marked with a green "C" that cannot be called on discards.
Pivot Pathways: When your primary hand gets blocked, how to pivot without breaking natural pairs.