For Shauna Bruckman, mahjong has never been just a game.
She originally learned to play from her grandmother. Later, while living in Chicago with a new baby, a weekly game became her moms’ night out; a few hours to see friends, concentrate on something beyond household responsibilities, and feel like herself again.
When Bruckman moved to Las Vegas 14 years ago, mahjong helped her build another community. A Facebook post showing someone else’s winning hand led to a regular Monday-night game, new friendships, and eventually a business. She launched Las Vegas Mahjong in September 2025 and within approximately six months, she has taught more than 200 people by leading private lessons, corporate events. and restaurant gatherings all around town.
The demand becomes visible whenever Bruckman carries her tiles into a restaurant. Her first Honey Salt event drew 24 players. The second expanded to 40. The next gathering at the Summerlin restaurant is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 31.
On Saturday, Aug. 1, she will celebrate International Mahjong Day with a 3:30 p.m. event at Café Lola in Henderson, where the café’s photogenic vibes will share the spotlight with racks of colorful tiles.
Bruckman teaches American mahjong according to National Mah Jongg League rules. Players use the league’s annual National Mahjongg League (NMJL) card of winning hands and complete the Charleston, an organized sequence of tile passes unique to the American game.
“It used to be a grandma game,” Bruckman says. “It’s not your grandma’s game anymore.”
Designer sets, brightly colored tiles, themed mats, and decorative racks have certainly helped modernize the game’s image. Bruckman has found sets covered in hummingbirds, beach scenes, and even Grateful Dead imagery. She is still searching for a true Las Vegas edition.
Four players sit at one table, focus on the same game, and interact without any screens between them. Some groups become intensely strategic. Others spend so much time talking that they forget whose turn it is.
“You don’t think about the laundry you have to do or the grocery shopping,” Bruckman says. “You’re in the moment.”
Bruckman plans to begin hosting events in her new studio space in September. It is outfitted with two tables and will offer lessons, open play, private parties, and social activities.
More importantly, it will solve one of the first obstacles confronting a new player: finding three other people who know the game. At Bruckman’s studio, beginners will be able to arrive alone, learn together, and leave with the beginnings of their own table.
That may be mahjong’s best move: turning strangers into regulars, one tile at a time.
