Listings last checked 2026-08-18 · verified monthly
From 5 listed starting prices on this page (free classes excluded).
Prices change — confirm the current price with the venue before booking.
JCC Denver (Jewish Community Center of Denver)
Price note: 6-week course; sliding-scale pricing available
Book this class on JCC Denver (Jewish Community Center of Denver)'s sitePlatt Park Recreation Center (Denver Parks & Rec) · Platt Park
Price note: Per class; ages 50+
Book this class on Platt Park Recreation Center (Denver Parks & Rec)'s siteScheitler Recreation Center (Denver Parks & Rec)
Price note: Per class; ages 50+
Book this class on Scheitler Recreation Center (Denver Parks & Rec)'s siteMah Jongg Workshop Series (Eventbrite organizer)
Materials included
Book this class on Mah Jongg Workshop Series (Eventbrite organizer)'s siteMahj Squad at Source Hotel RiNo Ballroom · RiNo
Materials included
Book this class on Mahj Squad at Source Hotel RiNo Ballroom's siteThe Phoenix (Denver)
Materials included
Book this class on The Phoenix (Denver)'s siteNo classes match those filters.
| Class | Price | Duration | Level | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginning Mahjong (JCC Denver) | $175 (6-week course; sliding-scale pricing available) | 1h 30m | Beginner | Beginners who want a proper 6-week course |
| AOA: Learn to Play Mah Jong (Platt Park) | $24 (Per class; ages 50+) | 2 hours | Beginner | Adults 50+ learning for the first time |
| AOA: Learn to Play Mah Jong (Scheitler) | $24 (Per class; ages 50+) | 2 hours | Beginner | Adults 50+ on Denver's northwest side |
| Mah Jongg Workshop Series (Beginners) | $75 (Per workshop) | 3 hours | Beginner | Beginners who want tiles, setup and winning hands in 3 sessions |
| Mahjong 101 + Open Play at the Source | $95 (Includes appetizers and one drink) | 2 hours | Beginner | Beginners who want a lesson plus a night out |
| Open Mahjong with Teaching Table | Free (Free for members of The Phoenix) | 2 hours | All levels | Sober-curious players learning in community |
| Provider | Level | Price from | Classes | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JCC Denver (Jewish Community Center of Denver) | Beginner | $175 | 1 | — |
| Platt Park Recreation Center (Denver Parks & Rec) | Beginner | $24 | 1 | Platt Park |
| Scheitler Recreation Center (Denver Parks & Rec) | Beginner | $24 | 1 | — |
| Mah Jongg Workshop Series (Eventbrite organizer) | Beginner | $75 | 1 | — |
| Mahj Squad at Source Hotel RiNo Ballroom | Beginner | $95 | 1 | RiNo |
| The Phoenix (Denver) | All levels | Free | 1 | — |
From free at The Phoenix's open tables to $175 for the JCC's six-week course. The middle is well served: Parks & Rec classes run around $24 a class, the three-session workshop is $75, and the Source Hotel event (lesson, appetizers, drink) is $95. JCC sliding-scale pricing makes the flagship course cheaper for many.
No. The JCC course, the parks series, and the workshop all start with the tiles themselves. The Phoenix teaching table is built around first-timers sitting down mid-game and learning as they play.
Mostly yes. The workshop includes tiles for the sessions, The Phoenix provides sets, and the Mahj Squad event includes everything. Parks & Rec classes ask about the current National Mah Jongg League card — instructors bring samples and explain where to buy yours.
The workshop gets you from zero to a winning hand in three sessions; the JCC course spreads the same arc over six weeks. Parks players typically sit at real tables by week three or four. Denver's structure favors deliberate learning over drop-in chaos.
The AOA parks series is explicitly 50+, and a strong older community is part of Denver's mahjong culture. But the Source Hotel events and Mahj Squad nights draw professionals in their 20s–40s, and The Phoenix welcomes every age. The city genuinely covers the whole range.
The mahjong you'll learn in American classes is the National Mah Jongg League game: four players, a set of 152 tiles, and a new card of winning hands every year. It's a game of pattern recognition, memory and table talk — genuinely easy to pick up the flow, and genuinely hard to exhaust. Most people leave their first class able to play a full hand with the card in front of them.
You do not need to know anything before your first lesson. A good beginner class walks through the tiles (bams, cracks, dots, winds, dragons and jokers), how the walls are built and broken, and the Charleston — the passing ritual that opens every hand — then sits you at a table where the teacher calls out what to do. Two hours is typical, and by the end of it you will have played at least one complete hand with help.
Tiles are almost always provided, and most classes loan or include the current year's league card. Where you'd spend money: free library and community-center classes (several cities in these guides run them weekly), drop-in club sessions that ask for a small donation, one-off classes around $20–$60, multi-week series from about $75, and private lessons from around $300 for two hours. There is a way in at nearly every budget.
The best practice after a lesson is more play. Open-play tables at game stores, community centers and clubs are beginner-tolerant — the card sits on the table, and players who've been at it a decade are happy to help a newcomer. Between sessions, the rhythm of the game (the Charleston, the jokers, what a single is) sticks fastest if you watch a round or two played by experienced players before you sit down yourself.
One thing to know before your first table: mahjong etiquette is simple and friendly. Don't touch other players' tiles, announce your claims clearly, and keep the table talk light — half the point is the company. And the old lady game reputation is a relic: the classes and clubs in our five cities run the range from retirees to college students, and most tables genuinely welcome anyone who wants to learn.
We're adding more city guides as each one proves out. Meanwhile, these neighboring guides are live: