Next, look at hands that use your base combinations and see how many of your other tiles work with them. Taking the first discard can tell your opponents a lot. NFL Draft 2023: Jets, Lions among five teams with easiest decisions to If you have a pair, keep it. If you do figure out someone's hand and you have tiles you know they need, then discard them at this early stage (unless you need them yourself, of course). In this case, discard a tile that will be the easiest to replace. Be extra careful with your discards and be sure to take into account their exposures and previous discards. The counter-argument is that too aggressive a play may take the fun out of the game when playing with friends. So, if you are new to Mahjong, the All Simples hand is the best place to start. This article has been viewed 116,218 times. We have all had the overwhelming feeling of trying to determine the best American Mahjong hand to play. It can be a fun and challenging game for all ages, but mastering the game takes practice. As such, it is a great way for players to quickly and effectively build up their score. We're done with the Charleston. If you're new to the game, check out our Beginner's Guide to American Mah Jongg to learn the fundamentals. This is a base level hand in mahjong. Please bear in mind that there is rarely a "best Mah Jongg strategy" for a given situation. You will also learn from watching and talking with other players. Mahjong is a strategy game that originated in China. 2468 / Line 3: This year it's all one suit, last year was 3 suits. Be careful not to jump to a conclusion too quickly based solely on discards. The counter-argument is that you may be giving someone a jokerless hand, which requires a higher payment. Mahjong is a classic Chinese game that combines strategy, luck, and skill. 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. So sit back, get yourself a cup of coffee or a glass of Manischewitz and let's get started! Chicken Hand. Section 2468 - Line 3 BOTH hands, line 6. So if you have a pair at this stage of the game it's best not to grab a discard to turn it into a pung. You can search by location and style of mahjong. But what if you're not dead but only a tile away from Mah Jongg and there are only a few tiles left in the wall. The player whose wind direction is dominant for this round gets an extra tile. Place the blocks in a random order. 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. Also the dead player will likely have determined your hand and will purposely not pass that tile (as described in the previous section). This will help you anticipate their moves and give you an edge. It follows that it's fundamentally 75% luck and 25% skill. Your email address will not be published. 1.3 Step 3: Attach the Legs. At the end of the game, the player with the highest score wins the game. Through each step of the Charleston, you are eliminating options and getting a more precise direction of where you're going. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. So we added a special bonus section with advice on dealing with jokers. But it's entirely possible that they switch to a wind-heavy hand at some point (for instance, if they start receiving a lot of them later in the Charleston or through picks). Remember, failure grants wisdom. An American Mah Jongg set consists of 152 tiles of different types. You can use a physical set and work your way through the card making the hands, If using a physical set, place 1 or 2 random exposures in front of you, and challenge yourself to identify ALL the hands they match. So, just like exam season, this is the time to study! If the exposure is a pung or kong, quickly scan the card for potential matches, narrowing down your search by the type of tile. Now is the time to methodically examine your options, since you're on your own and not holding up the game, Play a few trial games with friends who are also willing to practice. Organize your tiles by suits, dragons, winds, jokers and flowers. Discards on their own may not always provide you with a definite hand, but can be used as clues along with exposures to narrow down possible hands. The added bonus is that your weekly Mah Jongg group will have absolutely no idea how youre winning so often!! 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. Enjoy! Again, this will keep everyone guessing, just so long as you arent guessing too. Practice, practice, practice: The more you play, the better youll become. This will give you an idea of what tiles they may be collecting and help you decide which tiles to discard. That being said, waiting until the end of the game is too risky (and potentially fatal). Clean the outsole and midsole thoroughly, taking time to clean every part of the soles. This strategy goes hand in hand with having a clear plan part of that plan must have a contingency for flexibility. The only way you can have fun in the game is if you play it fair! There will be cases where you have only one tile you can discard and you suspect it may be another player's Mah Jongg tile. A Beginner's Guide to Riichi Mahjong That means potentially discarding tiles that were crucial to your hand and jokers. In todays article, we put together a list of Mahjong strategies to help you improve your Mahjong skills. What Mahjong set of rules can be recommended to beginners? The tips listed in this article have been gathered over many years from our own experience and from the wisdom imparted to us by more experienced players. 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. By exposing early, you also lock yourself into a hand (or small subset of hands) which may prove fatal if that hand does not pan out (which may very well be the case, since other players will be managing their discards to kill your hand). Get our free guide to the 50 Best Bar Games. You can always make a Pung as you go along, and its easier if you already have a pair or two in your hand. This section is typically the easiest since it offers a lot of flexibility. Play fun, quick games offline, anywhere, anytime. Pair is not the player's own wind, wind of round, or dragon. The easiest hand to make in Mahjong is the One-Suit. We review the games, research the rules, and uncover helpful tips and strategies. Once you get past the initial stages of learning and you've mastered the rules and the general mechanics of the game, an important skill to develop is the ability to determine what hands others are playing. You can only match a tile when . So, you could argue the risk of being "found out" is smaller in that case. Next to each hand is a number, which tells how much the hand is worth. This can also be an advantage. Mahjong is a game of both, "luck" and skill. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Review - IGN This will make it easier for the other players to adapt their own strategies around your play. The Easiest Hand to Make in Mahjong: A Guide for Beginners This makes it easier to complete sets, as all of the tiles can be used in combinations to form any type of set. In summary, be patient and don't pick discards until your hand is strong enough (typically 7 or 8 tiles towards Mah Jongg). Generally, you play with 4 people, though you can play with 3 as well. This article has been viewed 116,218 times. If you feel you have too many options, try to narrow them down to two using the following criteria. Remember that your opponents are watching and taking note of what you are doing. This will help you maximize your points and minimize your opponents points. When you have a winning combination, call out Mah Jongg and calculate the scores. Other players will be able to make a good guess at what you are up. ), Which hands or section use pungs/kongs of a given number, If the exposure is a quint, then the section (and likely the hand) should be obvious, If the exposure is winds, that is usually an easy one to narrow down as well. Yes, but they have to have an open side. Think carefully about which tiles you choose to pick up. Ideally, you should aim to have at least seven tiles towards Mah Jongg before you call a tile and expose. American Mah Jongg Lesson Strategy How to Pick a Hand - YouTube With two or more exposures, it's likely others will know what you're doing. All Rights Reserved. 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. As long as you have three tiles that definitely do not fit into any of your options, just pass those first and see what comes your way in the Charleston. Additionally, opponents may not have solidified their choice of hand and, therefore, may just not be ready to claim discards at this stage of the game. With two exposures, it's usually possible to figure out the exact hand being played. Quint Section - Lines 1 and 3. Several number tiles closely related (within 1 or 2 of each other)? Is this your first time playing Mahjong? 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. 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. Think ahead: When youre deciding which tiles to discard, try to think ahead to the next turn. Having a Mahjong strategy is important; its whats going to help you win the game. This hand earns level 0, and usually will have a small minimal payout. Abandon your original strategy and adopt a new one. Given one exposure, you may not always be able to determine the exact hand being played, but you can narrow it down to a few possibilities. But at this stage, the chances increase. There are 3 suits (cracks, dots and bams) and the numbers run from 1 to 9. In this video,. Keep in mind that other players may pick up the tiles you discard. This is where your knowledge of the card comes in handy, as it helps quickly determine which combinations work together. If you have no pairs or singles combination, then look for a trend in the tiles. Lining up your tiles in combinations makes it easier for you to see your next moves. Enjoy! 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. Pung or Kong of Winds matching dominant Wind for the round earns 2 points. Mahjong Strategy For Beginners & Advanced Players To Help You Win. The first thing to realize is that, at this early stage in the game, you don't need to settle on a specific hand. Again, keep close tabs on what others are playing, determine their hands and watch your discards accordingly. 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! Making the One-Suit hand is the easiest way to start playing Mahjong. This is the simplest of all Mahjong hands and it consists of two sequences of tiles and one pair.