How to Practice American Mahjong Online for Free
American Mahjong Practice Online, Free
Friends at Mahjong gives you a free, browser-based table to practice American Mah Jongg between your regular games — one hand against the computer with no account, and four more free hands once you create one, no card and no expiration.
If your group only plays occasionally, Friends at Mahjong offers practice between sessions.
What a free practice game looks like
Each free game is one hand, about a quarter of an hour — a chance to practice without blocking out a full evening. You play against three computer opponents using either Friends at Mahjong's own 51-hand card or your own current National Mah Jongg League card if you have the current year's card in hand (57 hands) — Friends at Mahjong isn't affiliated with the League and doesn't sell its card.
Before you start, the single-player setup lets you set:
- Time to call — Relaxed, Standard, Extended, or No rush, depending on how much time you want to think through each decision.
- Opponent pace — Brisk, Calm, or Slow.
These settings carry over the next time you play on the same device, so you can choose your practice pace.
Why this works as practice, not just play
American Mah Jongg is hard to practice solo in person — it needs three other people and an evening. A browser table removes both constraints. You're running the same mechanics (the Charleston, calling tiles, building toward hands off a real card) without needing to organize a group first. That makes it a fit for players who already know the game and want reps in. If you're brand new to American Mah Jongg, Friends at Mahjong's own instructional chapters cover tiles, the Charleston, calling, jokers, and scoring.
When you've used your free hands
The free allowance is five games total — one before signup, four after. It doesn't expire, so there's no rush to use it in one sitting. Once you've played through it, a membership keeps the table open and lets you choose longer games (four, eight, or sixteen hands) instead of the single free hand. Current plan details and pricing are on the membership page.
Get a hand in
Open friendsatmahjong.com/single-player and start your first free hand — no account, no download, no card required to begin.
Friends at Mahjong is an independent teaching and gaming resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the National Mah Jongg League.