Learn the goal: make a complete winning hand before other players
Use a standard set of 136 tiles, usually 4 of each tile
Know the tile types: suits, honors, and optional bonus tiles
Suits are dots, bamboo, and characters
Honors are winds and dragons
Deal the tiles to all players
Draw and discard tiles on your turn
Try to build sets of three or four matching or connected tiles
Make a pung by collecting three identical tiles
Make a chow by collecting three consecutive tiles in the same suit
Make a kong by collecting four identical tiles
Keep one pair in your hand as part of the winning structure
Win by completing a legal hand, usually four sets and one pair
Watch other players’ discards to help plan your hand
Call tiles only when the rules of your version allow it
Learn the scoring rules for the version you are playing
Stop play when someone declares a winning hand
Practice often to recognize useful tile combinations quickly