Passing
The act of exchanging tiles during the charleston, or deciding which tiles to give away.
Definition
Passing refers to the exchange of tiles that occurs during the Charleston at the beginning of an American Mahjong game. Each pass involves selecting three tiles from your hand and giving them to another player in a prescribed direction (left, across, or right). The skill of passing — choosing which tiles to give away — is a critical strategic element.
How It Works in Gameplay
Good passing is about two things: getting rid of tiles you don't need and avoiding giving opponents tiles they do need. Before each pass, review the NMJL card and your hand to decide which tiles are expendable. Avoid passing Jokers (they're always valuable) and be cautious about passing tiles that could complete common hands. During the across pass, you can "blind pass" — passing tiles you just received from the opposite direction without looking — to avoid giving away tiles you wanted to keep.
Example
Your hand leans heavily toward Bams, so you decide to pass away your three Wind tiles to the left. From the player on your right, you receive two Dots and a Crak. During the across pass, you give away those same Dots and Crak without hesitation. By the end of the Charleston, your hand is focused and ready for play.
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