Unless you're playing with beginners, your opponents will know what hand you're pursuing and are unlikely to discard your winning tile. Don't do this too early in the game since it's less likely someone will pick it up at this stage, When someone discards a joker, it's a clue they are potentially getting close to mah jongg and usually waiting for a single tile or to complete a pair. The easiest hand to make in Mahjong is the One-Suit. A hand with a value of 25 is usually easier to work out than a hand with a value of 50. Now, not only do they know you're playing, say, a pung of 5 cracks, but they have a hint at its position, which helps narrow down your hand. Give each other as much time as needed, without the usual pressure of a realgame, Practice with a bot using an online Mah Jongg game such as, Be aware of tiles being passed in the Charleston and what is passed to you in the exchange, Always be aware of exposed jokers and don't miss an exchange on your next turn, Be aware of the types of tiles each player is discarding, Watch the body language of other players, particularly when tiles are picked, discarded or exposures made, Learn the playing style of the people you regularly play with, Controlling your reactions to picks, discards or exposures, Keeping your hand concealed for as long as possible, Being careful how you organize the tiles on your rack and where you place your new picks (more details, Try to not interrupt the flow of the game by overthinking. The pair is known as the Head, and can be made up of any two tiles of the same suit or number. Remember that the defensive part of Mah Jongg is an important aspect of excelling at the game, and this involves being able to identify what your opponents are playing (and not playing). For example: Various shapes (eg: 2 pairs/2 pungs/1 kong or 2 pairs/2 quints), Gate hands (kongs on the end and pairs in the middle), Go through each hand and make 2 or 3 winning combinations of that hand (this will help you memorize the hand and easily recall it later), Run through a Charleston on your own. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. With your sticks, approach any of the. As we know, pairs are more difficult to make. You can only match a tile when . The odds are therefore really low and you may be better served playing defensively, unless you are sure your discard is not one of your opponents' mahj tiles. There are endless ways to enjoy these noodles, whether with my 10 Minute Spicy Garlic Noodle recipe . But if you have only two or fewer (and you can't blind pass) you will be forced to pick one potential hand over another. While you may have many tiles that belong in one category, a player may be missing a whole family, or a pair of tiles that may prove difficult to obtain. So adapt your timing to the people you're playing with. As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Try to not overtly give away your game by: The way you organize your tiles on your rack is a matter of personal preference and there's no official right or wrong way. Keep an eye on the wall: As you play, keep an eye on the wall. Your email address will not be published. By following these tips and strategies, youll be sure to improve your Mahjong skills in no time. If you realize a player is dead, it is generally in your best interest to call them "dead". Another tile is picked up at the start of each turn so that the player can try to make four groups of three tiles and a pair. At this stage, combinations are less likely to be at a point where opponents can claim those discards, even though they may desperately need them. If the game changes direction be prepared to abandon your plan and change your tactics. After the first Charleston, there is an option to do another three passes during a second Charleston. It's true that luck has a large part to play in the game, but whether you're playing in person or online, having a good grasp of strategic and tactical moves can increase your chances of turning this "nothing" hand into a winning one. One of the most common questions asked by new players is, What is the easiest hand to make in Mahjong? The answer to this question depends on the specific rules of the game being played, as well as the skill level of the players. wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. This game can also be played with 2 or 3 players. The object of the game is to create melds until you can go out, or go Mah Jongg! A game of Mah Jongg features 16 rounds and at the end of each round, players calculate their scores. 4. Each player draws a total of 13 tiles, and each variant of Classic Mahjong has different draw rules. For example, familiarize yourself with things like: During the Charleston, pay attention to the tiles you receive from each player and which of the tiles you passed end up coming back to you. It usually has a mixture of suits, and also a mixture of sets and sequences. You should always have a clear plan of action or at least have a fairly good idea where you want to go with your hand. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Having a Mahjong strategy is important; its whats going to help you win the game. The game has been around for centuries and is still popular today. Additionally, it might reveal the hand you are playing too early. Thank you so much for the confidence to go. Follow the manufacterer's instructions to cook as much pasta as you'd like. Is this your first time playing Mahjong? Hand is closed. The four sets of three tiles are known as Pungs, and can be made up of either the same suit or the same number. Firstly, it might reveal your lack of experience. This is a base level hand in mahjong. This article has been viewed 116,218 times. For instance, in 2020, 2s are a hot commodity. Focus on the free tiles available to match and remove, and make a play when the opportunity arises. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Drawing begins from the wall in front of the East Wind player. This early in the game, there are rarely hot tiles (tiles needed by opponents to complete sets or - God forbid - mahj). The truth of it though, is it is too telling. Think ahead: When youre deciding which tiles to discard, try to think ahead to the next turn. However, a better term to replace "luck" would be "probability." Mostly written on scraps of paper, or typed with carbon copies, I have amalgamated them as best I can. With a few simple steps, you can quickly learn how to make the hand and start playing the game. Alternatively, players can decide to skip the second Charleston and move on to the Courtesy pass. The easiest ways to get a winning hand (conealed or not) are: A match 3 of dragons, or of the wind character (N, S, E or W) that matches your seat at the table, or of the wind mentioned in the middle of the table. Mahjong is an ancient Chinese game that has been around for centuries. More on that later. If you're new to the game, check out our Beginner's Guide to American Mah Jongg to learn the fundamentals. ", https://www.mastersofgames.com/rules/mah-jong-rules.htm, https://www.ateacherfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Mah-Jongg-Instructions-2018-1.pdf, https://heroic-adventures.com/mahjong-for-dummies/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRCb_LOkEmQ, http://mahjongtime.com/Chinese-Official-Mahjong-Scoring.html, 36 Chinese Character tiles, 4 sets numbered 1-9, 12 Dragon tiles, 4 red, 4 green , and 4 white, 16 Wind tiles, 4 of each wind direction (North, South, East, and West), Chow: a run of the same type of three tiles, such as three Chinese character tiles numbered 2, 3, and 4, Pong: a set of three tiles, such as three number 2 Bamboo tiles, Kong: a set of four tiles, such as four number 5 Circle tiles. You'll need to weigh this risk vs the risk of not getting anywhere at all. Your email address will not be published. And, if so, are they mostly high (5, 7, 9) or low (1, 3, 5)? Here are a few reasons which might prompt you to switch your plan at this stage: While changing hand is sometimes necessary and even wise, refrain from changing repeatedly, as it will only lead to confusion and probably loss. So this mid-game section is the right time to pivot, if you need to. You can use them as pairs or build a Pung (three of a kind), a Chow (three tiles of the same suit), or even a Kong (four of a kind). 1.2 Step 2: Draw the Main Body of Your Vampire Drawing. For example, two sequences of Bamboo tiles. We hope you found these strategies helpful. This post will focus on American Mah Jongg (National Mah Jongg League rules) because this is the style we are most familiar with, though many of these tips will apply to all styles of Mah Jongg. 2023 Mahjong Culture LLC. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. It depends how you play, but generally the winner receives points and no one else. When the cards are dealt, begin forming melds by drawing and discarding tiles. They can do this by choosing not to discard a tile they dont need but believe that you need it. But here are a few tips to help you be more efficient: When you receive your tiles, it's important to organize them so you can start identifying patterns. Making a winning hand in Mahjong is a combination of luck, skill, and strategy. You may be able to narrow down who it is through successive passes, You are locking your jokers into that combination and may find later you could have completed it with a picked tile and could have used the joker for something else, You give your opponents the opportunity to take that joker from you, thereby assisting them towards winning the mah jongg game, If one or more of your crucial tiles have not been discarded, it's possible another player is collecting those same tiles (maybe even playing the same hand), If several of your crucial tiles have been discarded and you were not in a position to pick them up (either because they're part of a pair, or you did not have enough tiles in that set, or a lack of jokers or it's a concealed hand), A player exposes crucial tiles you were waiting for (especially if it's for a pair), You're waiting for a tile to complete a pair and the third instance of that tile has been discarded, You made a mistake (for instance you exposed part of a concealed hand, exposed the wrong combination or realized you're playing a hand that does not actually exist - perhaps it was a hand on the previous year's card! It's a balancing act. The All Simples hand consists of any fourteen tiles that are all numbered one through nine. In particular, avoid passing: Though your main focus in the Charleston is to strengthen your hand, it is also important to pay attention to the tiles being passed. Sure, use those tiles you need for the hand you have chosen to achieve, but play it smart. It follows that it's fundamentally 75% luck and 25% skill. If you're lucky enough to have two or more jokers, consider the quint section (since you will need jokers to make those hands). Here is a great video walking you through the steps to find the best hand to play each time! The goal is to form 4 melds and a pair, creating mahjong. But even in that case, picking discards early is still risky as detailed in the previous section. Do this without looking at the card, then check your work Chows hand: Chows are easier to form in mahjong since they are open-ended, unlike Pungs and Kongs, where one has to wait for one or two . Again, this will keep everyone guessing, just so long as you arent guessing too. Mahjong is a classic Chinese game that combines strategy, luck, and skill. Your discards could potentially help other players to get ahead, so it would be wise to avoid passing tiles that could be valuable, such as: Also, it's best to not pass groups of tiles that naturally fit together in a section. His Ohio State offense was No. The easiest hand to make in Mahjong is the all-chows hand. We warned against changing hands too prematurely. Clint McCormick January 18, 2023 Board Games. On the other hand, by calling the player dead, you are preventing them from picking tiles from the wall, which increases your number of picks and therefore your odds of getting what you need. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Organize your tiles by suits, dragons, winds, jokers and flowers. If it's a kong of 8s, look at the 2468 section, consecutive runs and like numbers (and sometimes math-based hands depending on the year). o Try to go out waiting for multiple tiles (not just one). All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Welcome to Mahjong Culture. Dont be afraid to bluff. 8. Though it's true that it's a possibility, the odds are quite low. No matter how much research you do, you will learn the best strategies by playing the game. In the previous section, we cautioned against picking discards too early. We have all had the overwhelming feeling of trying to determine the best American Mahjong hand to play. You can leave gaps to throw other players off. Now it's time to start the game proper. To make a One-Suit hand, you must first collect two sequences of the same suit. It may be wiser to keep your flowers elsewhere or rack the flower in a random spot, then move it to the left later once the attention is no longer on you, When making an exposure, the temptation is to place it in the "right" order in relation to the remaining tiles on your rack. 1 in the FBS in points per game (45.0) and yards per game (526.0 . We will provide hints along the way to help steer you in the right direction, but remember these strategies are not rigid rules to follow. 1.8 Step 8: Now Draw the Facial Features. So sit back, get yourself a cup of coffee or a glass of Manischewitz and let's get started! A game of Mah Jongg usually includes 16 rounds so that each player has a chance to be the dominant wind four times. If you have no pairs or singles combination, then look for a trend in the tiles. A traditional Mahjong set-up uses 144 blocks in a rough "spider" shape, with three extra layers added on top like a pyramid, making it a 3D puzzle. But at this stage, the chances increase. Here are a few strategies to help you master the card: For other interesting forms of practice, check out Michele Frizzell's youtube channel. TIP #1: PRACTICE MAH JONGG HANDS If you are a beginner at mah jongg, I can't stress enough how important it is to practice putting mah jongg hands together. So, don't give up too soon. (Related: 3 Easy Ways to Clean Shoelaces) 4. That's why we recommend you refrain from exposing too soon. Add a comment. What would you discard? Keep in mind that other players may pick up the tiles you discard. While you may have many tiles that belong in one category, a player may be missing a whole family, or a pair of tiles that may prove difficult to obtain. Half flush and full flush: for this combination, a player opts to go for a hand that is biased to a particular suit, especially if their opening hand has 5 to 6 tiles of the same suit and a few honor tiles. However, it is important to note that it is also one of the least exciting hands to make, as it does not involve any sequences or any other type of combination. This is an easy way to verify that you have made the right hand. Early exposure is made even worse if it includes jokers. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. It's best to place your exposures to the left of the rack, and follow with the next exposure to the right of that and so on. Take your time to examine each hand. They do this by seeing a gap you have left in your tiles and watching your moves. Mahjong is a game of skill, strategy, and luck, and can be played with anywhere from two to four players. Good luck and have fun! By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. The game is played with a set of 144 tiles that represent various characters, items, and symbols. Place the blocks in a random order. If you realize there's no way you can win, then you should switch to full defensive mode and try to prevent others from winning. On top of all that, you're likely to feel the frustration of your fellow players, who wish to keep the game moving and this is likely to raise your blood pressure even higher! The player whose wind direction is dominant for this round gets an extra tile. The Pittsburgh Steelers follow the script: The Steelers take Joey Porter Jr. to open up Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Get our free guide to the 50 Best Bar Games. If two have been discarded you are likely ok to discard, but if there are none or only one, the discard is more risky. But if you are able to use the two pairs in one hand, you have a strong contender. As such, it is a great way for players to quickly and effectively build up their score. It is a game of skill, strategy, and luck, and is often played with four players. Use it carefully and strategically, and it can help you win. If you want to learn how to keep track of your score or how many rounds to play, keep reading the article! New players to Mahjong are quite often tempted to leave gaps between their tiles when setting up their rack. It's possible they already have all the Norths they need and are discarding the "excess". So you don't need to be overly concerned about accidentally discarding something valuable. There are 4 players in a game, and you can only control the decisions of one of them. So it's important to familiarize yourself with the current year's card. The main reason for stopping the Charleston is that you have a strong hand or two strong contenders and cannot afford to give away three tiles. This is particularly true if those discarded tiles were for a pung or kong. This means that all of the tiles in the hand are either number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9. Dont rush into it. This is because all that is required to make this hand is for a player to collect four sets of three identical tiles. Always have a clear plan Think carefully about which tiles you choose to pick up and which ones you don't. The first player to do this wins the game. So, if you are new to Mahjong, the All Simples hand is the best place to start. This is a hand where all of the tiles are in the same suit, such as all characters or all bamboos. This hand comprises entirely of one suit, and . The simplest ruleset is Hong Kong Old Style (HKOS). If you've paid attention to your opponents' moves, you should have a good idea of what they're playing (see reading hands for details) and be cautious about your discards. So, now is the time to consider picking discards and exposing (unless you're playing a concealed hand, of course). Half Flush Hand. As you gain more experience, you will be able to do this shuffling, quickly, in your head, Place jokers in your hands, instead of leaving them at the end of your rack. References. The two sequences should be placed side by side, with the pair in the middle. Here too, eliminating the gap will prove helpful (albeit a bit more mentally taxing), Pairs are the best example since you cannot use jokers for these or use discards (other than for Mah Jongg). So, if you have at least three obvious tiles to discard, it's best to continue the Charleston. Then, you must arrange the tiles in the correct order. This early in the game, there is still a good chance to pick up those tiles (keep in mind there are 8 flowers, 8 jokers and 4 instances of all other tiles). It can be a fun and challenging game for all ages, but mastering the game takes practice. If you've played wisely, you will have a "plan B" option in case you're not getting anywhere with your initial choice. To ensure that you have made the correct hand, you should check to make sure that all the tiles are the same suit.