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Go To: Tiles - Setup

Setup
Each player is assigned a wind direction for the first round, which determines where they sit. Seating does not follow compass positions: East sits across from West, but North is on East's left and South is on East's right.

Table
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Traditionally, the three players other than East mix the tiles facedown on the table, then build them into a square fence known as the "wall." Each side of the wall is 18 tiles long and two tiles high. A common way to proceed, not unlike cutting a deck of cards, is for East to throw dice and then count from player to player, moving counterclockwise--East 1, South 2, West 3, and so on--up to the dice count. The player where the count ends then throws the dice, adds the total to East's previous throw, and counts this number of stacks from the right end of the side of the wall facing the player. The stack where the count ends is removed from the wall and its two tiles are placed on top of the wall to the right of the breach. (Yahoo! players don't need to concern themselves with remembering any of this, of course.) Procedures vary, but typically the seven stacks to the right of the breach--and which include the two removed tiles--are separated from the rest of the wall. This separated group of tiles is known as the "dead wall" or "kong box," and is used to provide replacement tiles during play. The rest of the wall is known as the "live wall."

Beginning with East, players now draw tiles four at a time from the wall, taking from the left of the breach. and continuing clockwise, until each player has 12. East then draws two more tiles, and every other player draws just one more. (This is the most common way to play, but players hold hands of 16 tiles in a popular Chinese version of the game.)

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Setup
	Each player is assigned a wind direction for the first round, which determines where they sit. Seating does not follow compass positions: East sits across from West, but North is on East's left and South is on East's right. Back to Top Traditionally, the three players other than East mix the tiles facedown on the table, then build them into a square fence known as the "wall." Each side of the wall is 18 tiles long and two tiles high. A common way to proceed, not unlike cutting a deck of cards, is for East to throw dice and then count from player to player, moving counterclockwise--East 1, South 2, West 3, and so on--up to the dice count. The player where the count ends then throws the dice, adds the total to East's previous throw, and counts this number of stacks from the right end of the side of the wall facing the player. The stack where the count ends is removed from the wall and its two tiles are placed on top of the wall to the right of the breach. (Yahoo! players don't need to concern themselves with remembering any of this, of course.) Procedures vary, but typically the seven stacks to the right of the breach--and which include the two removed tiles--are separated from the rest of the wall. This separated group of tiles is known as the "dead wall" or "kong box," and is used to provide replacement tiles during play. The rest of the wall is known as the "live wall." Beginning with East, players now draw tiles four at a time from the wall, taking from the left of the breach. and continuing clockwise, until each player has 12. East then draws two more tiles, and every other player draws just one more. (This is the most common way to play, but players hold hands of 16 tiles in a popular Chinese version of the game.) Back to Top