How do you know what hand to play in mahjong?

It's better to play a hand where the pairs or single tiles are in place and you need Kongs or Pungs rather than the reverse. If the hand needs two pairs and you have one pair and one of the tiles of the other pair, that is usually fine. If you have a choice between two hands, let this tip guide you in deciding.

How do you determine who is east in mahjong?

Determining Who is East.

Each player rolls the dice in turn. The player with the highest number becomes East (dealer). The player to their right is South, followed by West and then North.

Do you take from the left or right in mahjong?

East counts the players, starting with East, and working anti-clockwise according to the number thrown. The player who sits where the count ends, throws the dice again and adds the total of both throws and then uses this total to count along his wall from right to left.

What are the basic hands in mahjong?

1. Basic hand in Mahjong is 'four pungs and a pair' in the same suit, including winds and dragons. 2. Special Hands allow you to collect different combinations of tiles.

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.

MAH JONGG for Beginners 5 - American - Picking a Hand - Mah Jongg Class NMJL Lessons How to play

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 are invalid hands in mahjong?

Invalid Hand – The current exposed tiles do not match with any of the possible hands. b. Invalid Exposure -- The current exposed tiles points out that the hand must be concealed.

What is the secret to winning at 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.

How do you pick seats in mahjong?

Each player picks blindly a wind tile to determine where he/she will be seated. According to the tiles they have drawn, all the players take their places at the table.

What does Kong mean in Mahjongg?

There are three main types of melds: a Pong (three identical tiles), a Kong (four identical tiles), and a Chow (three suited tiles of the same suit in numerical sequence).

What is the difference between south and east in mahjong?

Also mentioned in an earlier lesson was the concept of a “seat wind”. Each player has a seat wind that is determined relative to their position to the dealer. The dealer is east, the player to the right of the dealer is south, the player across from the dealer is west, and the player to the left of the dealer is north.

Is the dealer always east in mahjong?

Example 1: The player on the right of the dealer goes out by self-draw. (The dealer's wind is always East in Japanese rules.) The winner's hand is closed and has a closed triplet (ankō) of Souths.

What is the 4 of a kind rule in mahjong?

This is a kong - four of a kind. All four of a single tile = "kong." It counts as a special sort of pung. - When you have four identical tiles concealed within the hand, you have the option of melding them, declaring the four to be a kong that counts as concealed, so you can take a replacement tile.

What is the best strategy for playing mahjong?

Which direction do walls go in mahjong?

Everything goes counterclockwise EXCEPT the walls. Those go clockwise. The way I remember is the wall that's been pushed is at an angle and the end of the wall “points” at the next wall. Sometimes we turn the last tile so we know which is the end, for me this creates an arrow pointing at the next wall.

Can you call a tile for mahjong in a closed hand?

A hand with a C is a closed hand and if a tile you need is discarded, you may not call it from the table. If a tile you need is discarded, and you are playing an open hand, you may call the tile to complete a pung, a kong, a quint or to make mah-jongg.

Why is it called crack in mahjong?

“There are Dots, which represent coins, there are Bams, or bamboos, which represent strings of coins, and then there are Cracks, the Chinese word for character, which represents lots of money.

Is mahjong difficult 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.

Do you play mahjong clockwise?

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 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.

What is the easiest version of mahjong to learn?

The simplest ruleset is Hong Kong Old Style (HKOS). It has simple scoring and very few special hands. Other forms may have few special hands but complex scoring - or simple scoring but many special hands to learn - or complex scoring and many special hands to learn (like American Mahjong).