The Charleston

Why it exists

You're dealt 13 tiles at random, so most starting hands aren't close to any hand on the card. The Charleston lets everyone improve their hand a little before the game really begins, so play doesn't start with four players stuck holding tiles that don't fit together.

How it works

You pass three tiles at a time to another player, and receive three tiles back from someone else — first to the player on one side, then across the table, then to your other side. That's the required first round.

If everyone at the table agrees, there's a second round right after — it repeats the same pattern in reverse order (other side, across, first side). Everyone agrees before it starts, not partway through, so if anyone would rather stop, you skip straight to play.

You don't have to pass your best tiles — the whole point is to let go of tiles you don't need and hope for something more useful in return. You won't always love what you receive, and that's normal.

What to pass

As a beginner, a simple approach works fine: look at the card, pick a hand or two that seem realistic based on what you already have, and pass tiles that don't fit those hands. Hang on to jokers, pairs, and anything that shows up in several hands on the card — those are worth keeping until you're sure you won't need them.

After the Charleston

Once passing is done, regular play begins: the dealer discards first, and turns move around the table from there. See the Rules guide for what happens next.