Mahjong is a social game of skill, cunning strategy and to keep things interesting, a bit of luck. To get an understanding of the game, here are the basic rules of how to play mahjong. This is a description on the most common variation of mahjong play.
The game of mahjong is played by four players at a square table taking the positions of east, south, west, north. The players go through a ritual of using 144 mahjong tiles to stack a side of the “wall” two tiles high in front of each player. The game commences with each player having thirteen tiles taken from the wall of tiles. The player sitting on the eastern seat starts off with the “button” and draws another tile from the wall. This makes the amount of tiles in his hand fourteen. The object of the game is to have a winning hand that is composed of 4 sets of three tiles and a pair of tiles of the same suit. The 4 sets can be a combination of three of a kind or a series of three in the same suit. In other words a winning hand can be described as thus: 4 x 3 + 2 = 14.
The player who draws the tile can decide to keep it but must sacrifice another tile in his hand to throw away in the “courtyard” facing up on the table. Or, the player could have drawn the winning tile and won outright. Remember that a player must have thirteen tiles in his hand but win with fourteen.
After the tile has been discarded in the courtyard, any of the three other players can pick this tile up to make a “pung” or 3 of a kind. However, he must reveal this set in front of other players with the tiles facing up before him.
However, if no player can make a “pung” then the play continues to the person to the right of the player who last discarded a tile. If the tile helps his hand, he has the choice to pick up the tile to make a series of 3 in the same suit otherwise known as a “chow”. As well, he must reveal his intention to do so by putting his set of three tiles facing up for others to see. It is important to note that only a player sitting on the right of the person who just discarded the tile has the right to make a “chow”.
Either way, if a person inherits a tile through a pung or a chow, he must discard another tile to keep the hand at thirteen unless it was the tile to complete a winning hand. The play always continues to the right of the person who just discarded a last tile.
If no pung or chow can be made, then tiles are drawn from the wall. The hand ends either when someone has a winning hand or the number of tiles to draw from the wall run out.
As you can see, there’s an element of luck involved with drawing tiles for a good hand. However, with the discarding of tiles into the courtyard, there is also control of what your opponents can pick up from you to build their hand. A careful strategist can determine what tiles their opponents need by the pungs and chows revealed and what a person does NOT discard into the courtyard.
There are many other strategic elements in the game of mahjong. If the game intrigues you, there’s no better way to learn than to pick up a mahjong set and gather a few friends to discover the game for yourself.
Mariam Ma is a writer for buymahjongsets.com. Buy American mahjong sets online and find cheap antique vintage mahjong sets online.
The game of mahjong is almost uniquely identifiable with the Chinese culture. The cliches run amok with chatty housewives playing the game, triad members gambling in mahjong houses, or senior citizens chasing away the hours with a game that stimulates their mind. But the stereotypes have one thing right. It’s a game that is enjoyed by all walks of life and amongst different age groups. Moreover, it has also been able to spread worldwide. So when exactly did this iconic Chinese game come about and how did it travel half way around the globe to reach the living rooms of the Western world?
There are many myths regarding when and how the mahjong game was invented. Stories say that the game dates back more than 2000 years ago when a princess invented the game in the royal courtyard. She invited three of her maids to play and that’s why the game consists of four players. Others say that it was the philosopher Confucius who invented the tiled game. For sure, folklore has glorified the origin of mahjong but the fact remains that no records of mahjong existed until the mid 19th century. The truth is that a great debate still rages on for who to attribute this stimulating past time. Perhaps mahjong was derived from a card game, or soldiers dreamt up the diversion to occupy their time, or the game was invented by ivory carvers. Whatever the origin, merchants saw fit to talk up its history to increase mahjong sales.
Mahjong was introduced to the United States in the 1920s by an American living in China, Joseph Park Babcock. He wrote a book which simplified the intricate rules of mahjong and the game became wildly popular. Mahjong sets were flying off the shelves during this craze with mahjong sales outstripping imports of silk, lace, tea, and other goods from China.
The mahjong game met with the same success in Britain and Japan with each country adopting new rules and adding other nuances to the game. And with the spread of mahjong to other countries, more changes were incorporated. That’s why today, there are lots of variants of mahjong play.
No matter the variation, players agree that mahjong is the perfect game of skill and chance. It is also a mental battle with your opponents but probably over light banter with a few dollars wagered. It is therefore no wonder that mahjong has gained such a worldwide appeal.
Mariam Ma is a freelance writer for buymahjongsets.com. Here, you will get great deals on American mahjong sets and find antique vintage mahjong sets online.