When to steal mahjong?

A player is permitted to STEAL one, two or three tiles on the last pass of each Charleston. For example, if a player only has one tile she wishes to pass, she may take two tiles which are passed to her and add her one tile and pass them to the next player.

When can you take a tile in mahjong?

To pick up a tile, it must complete a pung (3 identical tiles), kong (4 identical tiles) or quint (5 identical tiles, with use of a joker) for an exposed hand. Remember to never pick up for a concealed hand, unless it is the final tile needed to declare Mahjong.

What is the 1 4 7 rule in mahjong?

o The "1-4-7 rule" is a good playing strategy (for all forms of Mah-Jongg except American (style similar to NMJL) in which there are no "chows"). If the player to your right discards a 4, and you don't have another of those to discard, you /might/ be all right if you discard a 1 or a 7.

What is the rule about racking in mahjong?

You are able to claim a discard until the next player has actually racked their next tile. Racking means that the tile picked from the wall is actually placed IN their rack…not in front of, on top of, or in back of the rack.

When can you stop the pass in mahjong?

Any player may stop after the first Charleston (after the three compulsory passes) without giving a reason for doing so. The courtesy pass is permitted by all players. Once the second Charleston has been started, then it must be completed with the last pass to the right.

Hong Kong Mahjong Scoring - 5 things you need to decide before you play

Is there a trick to beating 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.

Can mahjong always be completed?

Using traditional mahjong tiles, the sets include the dragons, the flowers, the seasons, and the winds. Some implementations offer to shuffle the tiles when there are no exposed pairs remaining, making it almost always possible for the player to complete the game.

What is robbing the Kong in mahjong?

Robbing a Kong

When an opponent declares a "small exposed kong", and one is calling for the tile which is being declared as a kong, one can announce "fu" and claim the declared tile to complete his hand. This is called "Robbing a Kong".

What does robbing a kong mean in mahjong?

Robbing the Kong （搶槓）occurs by winning off the tile that an opponent adds to a melded pung. Robbing the kong occurs when you win off of an opponent's tile that is used to promote a melded pung into a small melded kong. For example, you have 2- and 4-bamboo and are waiting on the 3 in order to win.

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 strongest hand in mahjong?

Mahjong Combination: All Honours (字一色)

If you have a hand made up of either the four Winds or three Dragons, you have an All Honours winning hand. This combination only appears once every 5,200 round.

What does Pung mean in mahjong?

A Pung - a set of 3 identical tiles e.g. 3 x Red Dragons, 3 x Two circles. A Kong - a set of 4 identical tiles. e.g. 4 x Eight of Bamboos or 4 x North Winds. A Chow - a run of 3 tiles in the same suit.

What is the best tile to discard in mahjong?

Honors tiles (Winds and Dragons) are the best choice for discarding because they are hardest to work with; you cannot make sequences out of them, only Pungs or Kongs ("sets").

Can you add to an exposed PUNG?

Once you call a tile, you must expose the pung or kong and you may not make any further changes to the exposed tiles. If two players call for the same tile, the one whose turn is next gets the tile.

Can you call yourself dead in Mah Jongg?

If a player declares a wrong mahjong, exposes the hand but all other players' hands are intact, the games still continues. However, the declarer's hand is “dead”, means the player stops playing, does not pick up or discard, and pays the winner the full value of the hand.

What does fu mean in mahjong?

There are two criteria for determining the winning points: han and fu, which correspond to a points table. Han is the unit for the value of yaku, which are particular patterns or conditions of a hand. Fu is the value of melds, waits and "going out".

Is mahjong illegal in China?

Gambling is illegal in China, but mahjong – the tile-based game popular in the country – falls into a grey area. It is customary to bet a small amount of money as part of the game, but the amount that can legally change hands differs across China.

Can you win with 7 pairs in mahjong?

If you recall your games, how many times do you successfully win with 7 pairs? The chances of winning is low, because there are only 3 possibilities of winning in a one-sided wait. Moreover, you cannot acquire any tile from other players to form the 7 pairs.

What is the difference between Pung and Kong in mahjong?

Types of sets

There are 3 types: Chow – a run of three tiles in the same suit. Pung – a set of three identical tiles. Kong – a set of four identical tile.

Can you win mahjong with a Kong?

If another player discards the last tile you need, then you can declare "mahjong" to win by discard. When a player adds a piece to a pung to form a small melded kong, if you require that tile, you can declare "mahjong" by robbing a kong.

Is mahjong more skill or luck?

Mahjong game is dependent on skills , not luck. Although sometimes , getting a wrong card can also result to winning a game. There are instances where a player have very poor basic cards but good skills, thus they utilized rigorous card control to prevent other players from winning.

How do I increase my luck in mahjong?

Does mahjong train your brain?

1. It helps to develop pattern recognition skills. Mahjong players have to be able to recognize and distinguish the symbols on each tile, even if they are not familiar with them. This triggers the development and improvement of mental pattern recognition skills.