American Mah Jongg for Beginners E-Book

Greg Olive

• Herausgeber: BookRix
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Mahjong is a 4-person game of skill and chance that originated in China. There are many variations of the game, but in this book, we focus exclusively on the American version, following National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) rules. American Mahjong employs racks, jokers, and some different mechanisms of play. The objective is to be the first player to match fourteen tiles and declare, "Mahjong." This book will cover all the basics required to get started with American Mah Jongg. We will discuss the rules and mechanics of the game so that those new to Mah Jongg can get up and running. Once these have been mastered, get your game and a copy of this book and get started. Each section in this book is illustrated with pictures that will help you have a better understanding of how the game is played. The process of playing mah jongg has been broken down in this guide so that everyone can understand it and play like a pro even if you are a complete novice. ORDER YOUR COPY NOW

Leseprobe

Greg Olive

American Mah Jongg for Beginners

A complete beginner’s guide to learn the rules, tricks, skills and strategies on how to play and win American mah jongg

BookRix GmbH & Co. KG81371 Munich

Title page

American Mah Jongg for Beginners

A complete beginner’s guide to learn the rules, tricks, skills and strategies on how to play and win American mah jongg like a pro

Greg Olive

copyright@2022

Table of contents

CHAPTER ONE: How to Play American Mahjong

Mahjong is a game of skill and chance that originated in China many centuries ago and was introduced to the Western world in the 1920's with the publication of Joseph Park Babcock's "Rules of Mah-Jongg." American mahjong (also occasionally spelled "Mah Jongg" or referred to as "Maajh") is distinct from Asian mahjong in several ways. American mahjong makes use of racks, jokers, and "Hands and Rules" score cards, as well as a variety of unique gaming features. Although an American mahjong set may be used to play Chinese Mahjong, the following rules apply to the American version of the game.

Mahjong is usually played around a table with four players sitting around it. The tiles are shuffled, the dice are cast, and the rituals involving tile allocation and then exchange commence. The first player to match 14 tiles and so "call mahjong" concludes the game, at which point tiles are scored and a winner is determined.

The most exciting part of playing the mahjong game is in the frequent decision-making that is needed. Is it better to discard a tile and gain an edge, or is it better to maintain a good hand? There is excitement associated with winning a hand, as well as regret associated with not being courageous enough to make a better option. While with poker, you will learn a great deal about your opponents as you play mahjong and will modify your approach accordingly.

Equipment

• 152 ceramic tiles

• Two Dice

• Four Score Cards (Not included)

• Sticks or Coins for Scoring

• 1 Indicator of Wind (optional)

• Four racks (optional, but highly recommended)

• Four Pushers (optional, but preferred by players)

Tiles

There are 166 tiles in your Mahjong set. 152 are in service and the remainder are spares.

The 152 tiles are organized into four categories, each with its own subcategory:

1. SUITS (108 tiles)

Dots or Circles (36 tiles - 4 of each)

Bamboos or Bams  (36 tiles - 4 of each)

Craks or Characters (36 tiles - 4 of each)

2. HONORS (28 tiles)

The winds (16 tiles - 4 East wind, 4 South wind, 4 West wind, 4 North wind)

Dragons (they are known to contain a dozen( 12) tiles - 4 white dragons "Soap", 4 Green dragons, 4 red dragons). On the left, the white dragon tile is also known as "Soap." When assembling specific hands, soaps may be utilized as zeroes.

3. SEASONS and FLORALS (8 tiles - 1 of each)

4. Wild tiles also known as JOKERS (8 tiles - all identical)

Jokers may be used to replace any tile in a Pung (three identical tiles), Kong (four identical tiles), Quint (five identical tiles), or Sextet (6 identical tiles). They cannot be used to replace a tile in a Pair (2 identical tiles) or any individual tile.

Dice

Two dice are used to decide the dealer (East) and the location of the wall breach (explained later).

Score Sheets/cards

The National Mah Jongg League develops a list of hands for scoring purposes (NML). The NML publishes and updates these score cards on a yearly basis. Each player maintains a card as a reference for constructing hands and strategizing.

Wind Indicators

Wind indicators come in a variety of styles and are used to indicate the direction of the present wind (the player who starts off the round). The wind indicator is an optional feature that is not necessary for gameplay. Additionally, it is referred to as a better and is utilized by a fifth person to wager on which player will win. The following translations apply to wind indicators that include just Chinese characters:

East (E)-東

South (S)-南-

West (W) -西

North (N)-北

Sticks and Coins for Scoring

To keep track of points and scoring, scoring sticks or coins (round chips) are utilized. You may give them whatever point or monetary worth you want and distribute them in any amount you choose. The following is a proposed amount to provide to each participant prior to the start of the game:

STICK / COIN VALUE AND QUANTITY

QUANTITY

SCORING STICK / COIN

VALUE

1

9 dot / Yellow

200 points

2

5 dot / Blue

100 points

8

1 dot / Red

25 points

10

8 dot / Green

5 points

Racks and Pushers

While racks and pushers are not required, they are strongly recommended. Each player is allotted a rack to keep their hand of tiles. Alternatively, you may arrange the tiles on the table in front of you in a grid pattern.

Pushers are "arms" attached to each individual's rack. They come in handy when it is time to move your section of the wall to the middle of the table for play. Additionally, using a pusher protects you from accidently exposing your hand when advancing your wall.

CHAPTER TWO: Getting the Game Started

A. Position one rack (and optionally a connected pusher) in front of each player.

B. Each player places all 152 tiles face down in the middle of the table and shuffles them.

C. Construct the Walls. Each player constructs a two-tile high wall of tiles in front of her rack, as seen in the figure below, using all 152 tiles. Each wall is comprised of two rows of nineteen tiles.