The Mahjong Craze: Connecting with community through centuries-old Chinese game

Published 9:15 am Monday, March 2, 2026

The sound of shuffling tiles and sporadic shouts of “Mahjong” filled the Bayou Rum event center on Wednesday night.

Groups of players gathered around their boards, focusing on the walls of tiles displayed on mats in front of them, planning their next moves while sipping on a drink and enjoying light bites.

The attraction? A centuries-old tile-based Chinese game called mahjong whose objective is to match a player’s tiles with one of several winning combinations on the official game card.

“I just learned how to play in August, and then I started teaching my family and friends, and then this is what has become of it,” Aimee Benoit of Jennings said, as she looked about the room. “I don’t know how this happened.”

Benoit, a local mahjong instructor, was among 32 players from Jeff Davis and Calcasieu parishes who attended an open play session of the American version of the game, which is similar to gin rummy and dominoes. Over the last three weeks, the group has met at local businesses, restaurants, and homes.

“I think, people got into playing games on their phones and stuff during COVID, and now they’re ready to be social again and get out,” Benoit said.

Mahjong is a game that includes your brain and involves a little luck, she said.

“I think it’s social, but I think it’s also competitive,” Benoit said. “It’s just one of those games where you’re like, ‘Just one more, I can win this next one.’

The recent spike in popularity is attributed to both pop culture influences, such as the iconic scene in “Crazy Rich Asians,” and the introduction of modern, themed tiles featuring designs like Mardi Gras, sports, animals, gardening and traditional Chinese symbols.

Benoit said the game draws players of all ages, skill levels and backgrounds. A typical match lasts between 15 and 30 minutes, Benoit said.

Players use hundreds of tiles, featuring symbols based on a suit, color or number. Suits are known as craks (Chinese characters), dots (circles) and bams (bamboo trees). The set also includes dragon, wind, flower and joker tiles. Players transfer their unwanted tiles to other players while trying to form one of several winning combinations of 14 tiles.

Benoit said the game is an excellent way for couples, families, college students to connect with the community.

Benoit’s twin sister, Katie Maddox of Sulphur, also teaches the game and enjoys playing with her family.

“It’s just kind of a family thing,” Maddox said.

Maddox has been playing since this summer and now plays every night with her husband, mother and other family members.

She describes the game as a strategic combination of luck and skills that offers both intellectual and social benefits to the players.

“It’s just fun playing with other people,” Maddox said, adding that whether you win or lose, you walk away having learned more about the game and making new friends.

Participants like Yvonne Eastman of Jennings said the game requires players to be fully present as they focus on the tiles.

“One thing I have noticed is that no one ever looks at their phone the whole three hours we are playing,” Eastman said. “They are focused on playing.”

Yvonne’s husband, Steve, said while the game’s complexity can be intimidating at first, it becomes highly competitive once understood and serves as a great way for players to stay cognitively sharp.

Lesli Ericson of Lake Charles, who has been playing less than a year after learning the game on a girls’ trip, emphasized the social and mental rewards.

“It’s good for my mind and I love the social aspect of it and meeting and playing with other people,” she said.

Ericson said she plays almost every day with her husband, daughter, son-in-law and sister-in-law.

“Sometimes it’s just my husband and I, but we enjoy it,’ she said. “It gets competitive sometimes. I play faster than him, but not better.”

Ben Cook of Lake Charles said the game has become an enjoyable family activity.

“I enjoy spending time together, and it’s a fun game to play with my wife and daughter,” he said, adding that his wife wins 80 percent of the time and his daughter the rest. “My daughter learned the game quickly and if the three of us are playing, she always wins.”

Other players shared similar sentiments, noting that skill level is secondary to the experience of having a good time, meeting new people, and getting lost in the game.