Of everything in the Charleston, the blind pass and courtesy pass cause the most confusion for new players — partly because they’re genuinely a little more complex than the standard three-tile passes, and partly because a lot of what gets said about them at the table is table folklore rather than the actual rule. Here’s the accurate version of both.
The blind pass
A blind pass lets you pass along tiles you just received, without looking at them, when you don’t have three tiles on your own rack that you’re actually willing to give up. Rather than breaking apart something useful just to satisfy the three-tile requirement, you can take one, two, or all three of the tiles from your incoming pass and send them straight back out, unseen.
When you’re allowed to blind pass
The blind pass isn’t available on every pass of the Charleston — it’s restricted to specific passes, generally the first left pass of the First Charleston and the last right pass of the Second Charleston. You can’t blind pass on the very first pass of the Charleston (the initial right pass), since there’s no incoming pass yet to draw blind tiles from at that point.
How to actually do it
- Receive your incoming pass as usual and set those tiles aside without incorporating them into your hand.
- Decide how many of them you need to pass blind — one, two, or all three.
- Pass those tiles straight back out, face down or otherwise unviewed, along with any of your own tiles making up the rest of your outgoing three.
It’s considered courteous, though not a strict rule, to say “passing blind” out loud so the receiving player understands what happened rather than assuming you evaluated those tiles.
The courtesy pass
After the Charleston fully ends — meaning after the Second Charleston, or after the First Charleston alone if the Second was declined — the two players seated directly across from each other may optionally exchange tiles one more time. Unlike every pass before it, the courtesy pass isn’t a fixed three tiles: the two players agree between themselves on a number, anywhere from zero to three, and both sides give and receive that same amount.
The courtesy pass is widely practiced but isn’t a strict NMJL rule the way the main Charleston passes are — it’s closer to table custom. Some groups skip it entirely, and that’s a legitimate table decision, not a rules violation.
The rule that applies to both: never jokers
Jokers can never be included in a blind pass or a courtesy pass, exactly as with every other pass in the Charleston. If one ends up going out by mistake — easy to do with a blind pass, since you’re not looking at what you’re sending — the standard fix is simply returning it, no penalty attached. This and a few other slip-ups are covered in common Charleston mistakes.
| Pass type | Tiles | Required? | Jokers allowed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Charleston pass | Exactly 3 | First 3 mandatory, second 3 optional | Never |
| Blind pass | 1–3, from your incoming pass | Only on specific passes, and only if needed | Never |
| Courtesy pass | 0–3, by mutual agreement | Fully optional | Never |
Why the courtesy pass exists at all
Since the two players across from each other have already been through six passes of the Charleston without directly trading with each other in most rotations, the courtesy pass gives them one last targeted chance to fix a specific gap in their hand — a single tile that would complete a pair, or a small handful of tiles that would tip a near-finished hand over the edge. Because both sides have to agree, it also tends to be self-limiting: players generally won’t offer a courtesy exchange that clearly benefits their opponent far more than themselves.
Common confusion between the two
A lot of table talk blurs the blind pass and courtesy pass together, since both involve some deviation from the standard three-tile exchange. The clearest way to keep them separate: the blind pass is about what you’re allowed to do with tiles you didn’t choose (recycling an incoming pass, unseen, on specific passes), while the courtesy pass is about a voluntary, fully visible trade with one specific player after the Charleston proper has ended. One happens mid-Charleston and involves not looking at tiles; the other happens after the Charleston and involves both players looking at exactly what they’re trading.
Etiquette around both
Neither the blind pass nor the courtesy pass has a formal announcement requirement under NMJL rules, but both benefit from a bit of verbal clarity at the table. Saying “passing blind” before a blind pass helps the receiving player understand why those particular tiles arrived rather than assuming you evaluated them normally. For the courtesy pass, it’s standard to simply ask the player across from you directly — “want to do a courtesy pass, and if so how many?” — rather than assuming they either want one or don’t.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I blind pass just because I’d rather not decide?
Technically you can choose to blind pass tiles even if you do have three tiles you’d be willing to give up, but it’s generally reserved for situations where you genuinely don’t want to break up your rack.
What happens if I peek at a blind pass tile by accident?
There’s no formal penalty under NMJL rules, though it’s considered poor etiquette. Most tables simply expect you to proceed honestly even after an accidental glance.
Do both players in a courtesy pass have to agree on the exact number?
Yes — if one player wants to exchange two tiles and the other only wants to exchange one, the courtesy pass for that pair simply doesn’t happen, or they negotiate down to a number both accept.
Can I decline the courtesy pass entirely?
Yes — it’s fully optional for both players, and declining it is a normal, unremarkable choice at most tables.
If I blind pass and it turns out to help my opponent a lot, is that a problem?
No — the blind pass is unseen by design, so there’s no way to game it in either direction. Any benefit or cost to the receiving player is simply the luck of what was in that pass.
Want the bigger picture first? Read what the Charleston is and why it exists →
