How do you deal American mahjong?

The Deal. Starting after the break (i.e. continuing in a clockwise direction around the wall), four tiles are dealt to each player in turn starting with East and working anti-clockwise until each player has 12 tiles.

What is the American version of mahjong?

American mahjong is played with four players using mah jongg tiles. The goal of the game is to be the first, by picking and discarding, to match one's tiles to a specific hand from the annually distributed scorecard published by the National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) and American Mah-Jongg Association (AMJA).

What is a hot wall or cold wall in Mah Jongg?

The last stacks of tiles in the wall to be played are sometimes referred to as a "hot wall." If a discarder throws a "hot" tile during this wall (a "hot tile" is one that the discarder can't account for at least 3 of the same tile - either in an exposure, or in their hand, or on the table) and that tile gives someone ...

Is American Mahjong easy to learn?

Mahjong is a tile-based game that's been played in Asia for over 300 years and is gaining global popularity. Although the game is hard to master, it's fairly easy to learn the basics.

How many tiles do you start with in American Mahjong?

The dealer will have fourteen tiles and each of the other players will have thirteen. Once the game begins, the dealer will discard a tile and each player will then have thirteen mahjong tiles.

American Mah Jongg Lesson Fundamentals 8 Shuffle Up and Deal (mock card)

What is the direction for picking tiles from wall and playing in mah-jongg?

Play continues in a counter-clockwise direction, with each player picking a tile from the wall and discarding a tile until someone calls Mah Jongg or there are no more tiles to pick (this is called a “wall game”).

What is the difference between mahjong and American Mahjong?

What is the difference between American and Chinese mahjong? Traditional Chinese mahjong sets have 144 tiles, while American version is played with eight additional joker tiles and different score cards.

Which is easier Chinese or American mahjong?

A: There are around forty known mah-jongg variants - and more than a dozen Chinese variants! Those other variants are not harder to learn than American mah-jongg. American is the hardest to learn of them all.

Why is American Mahjong so complicated?

The American version includes many additional tiles (like Jokers) not used in other versions. Several Asian variants also include the use of Dragon tiles and Wind tiles. A player with a complete hand scores points based on its complexity, and everyone's points are adjusted accordingly.

Is there a technique to mahjong?

Have a clear plan of attack – Think about the direction you want to take your hand and stick with it, while also remaining flexible. Picking up tiles for the sake of it won't work, and patience will always win out in the end. If your strategy isn't working, change tactics and look for other winning possibilities.

Is American Mahjong played clockwise or counterclockwise?

Each player sits down at their respective position (called the wind position) at the table in positions of an inverted compass: East is dealer, the right of the dealer is South, across is West, and the left is North. The order of play is traditionally counter-clockwise.

What is the difference between American and Western mahjong?

A: There is no difference between American and Western Mahjongg sets. American and Western refer to the rules playing Mahjongg. Western Mahjongg follow the Wright Patterson rules, while the American Mahjongg go towards the national Mahjongg association rules.

What does mahjong mean in English?

or mah-jongg (ˌmɑːˈdʒɒŋ ) noun. a game of Chinese origin, usually played by four people, in which tiles bearing various designs are drawn and discarded until one player has an entire hand of winning combinations. Word origin. from Chinese, literally: sparrows.

Can American Mahjong be played with 2 players?

Absolutely! When playing Mahjong with two players, players use two racks with the goal of declaring Mahjong twice. Each players builds two walls, one against each pusher. Another option is to not build walls and pick from the shuffled tiles in the middle of the mat.

Can I play mahjong by myself?

Mahjong solitaire can be played either solo or with a partner, in which case the aim is to accumulate the most pairs, to be the last one to match a pair, or to score the most points.

Which is better American or chinese mahjong?

When in doubt, we recommend that you purchase an American mahjong set. American mahjong sets contain all of the tiles for Chinese mahjong as long as you substitute dragons for the "zhong"and "fa" tiles.

How long does a game of mahjong last?

This depends on the level of experience of the players (newbies tend to need more time to think). With experienced players, a game typically takes around 10 minutes.

Should you push or fold in mahjong?

In general, you should push if: You are in tenpai and your minimum value is above 3900 points with a good wait. You are in tenpai and your minimum value is above 7700 points with a bad wait. You are 1-shanten and your worst hand development guarantees you 7700 points and a good wait.

What is a dead hand in Mah Jongg?

A hand is considered “dead” if the player has too many or too few tiles. A player should always have 13 tiles, except in the middle of her turn (after picking up and before discarding), as the “dealer” (before discarding the first tile to start the game), and when she has called Mah Jongg.

What is a chicken hand in mahjong?

A chicken hand comprises four sets and a pair, so it is technically a winning hand. It is fairly easy to produce quickly but scores few points. Under some rules, it can win but scores nothing. Players use the hand as a spoiler to block opponents' higher-scoring combinations.