Question: Does dealing in Mah Jongg work like it does in card games?

Answer: No, dealing in American Mah Jongg is significantly different from dealing in card games. Although we sometimes refer to it as “dealing,” there is no designated dealer as in card games. In Mah Jongg, each player picks their own tiles during the deal. While some groups might have East distribute the tiles to everyone, the National Mah Jongg League recommends that each player individually pick their tiles. This also follows their philosophy that, no one should touch another player’s tiles.

Additionally, in Mah Jongg, the deal is done in a counterclockwise motion, moving to the right. In contrast to card game, done in a clockwise motion, moving to the left.

It is also recommended that the tiles be left in stacks in front of their rack (on their card). This prevents someone from having the wrong number of tiles and potentially have a dead hand due to too few or two many tiles.  

Source: Mah Jongg Made Easy (2024) page 10, paragraph #1 & page 17, #6-8