Questions tagged [mahjong]

A Chinese rummy-like game played with tiles. Depending on the version being played the tiles consist of suits (Bamboo, Crack, and Dots) of 10 tiles each, Winds (North, South, East, and West), Dragons (Red, White, and Green), Flowers, and possibly Jokers.

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Mahjong Probability Graph Question [closed]

Picture from pierebean's post in In Mahjong , what is the chance to get a hand that allows a player to finish on their first turn? I was wondering what the graph on the right meant? How does the ...
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Riichi Mahjong on PS4 Game "Judgement"

I came across Mahjong whilst playing a Playstation game called "Judgement". I enjoyed it so much I bought a set and got my family playing it. Now we have regularly Mahjong evenings. ...
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Mahjong exposing And discarding

So, i'm learning mahjong at the moment and there is something I don't understand. When you expose a set, do you need to discard a tile afterwards? Also, do you draw before you expose a set? If been ...
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Mahjong board formation and drawing rules

In Mahjong basic rule (this one for example), the board is setup in a spiral formation and the tiles are drawn in order from the 4 draw piles. With all the tiles facing down and shuffled, the ...
Fried Rice's user avatar
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In mahjong, how will joker tiles change the game strategy?

I'm developing a new ruleset of mahjong. It's supposed to be a hybrid of Japanese rule and Chinese rule. I'm also considering including the joker tile, also known as baida (百塔). Here is the sketch of ...
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What are rules for completely blank tiles?

Few days ago I got a Mahjong set. The majority of tiles I could identify from standard rules, but there were 8 I could not. 4 of them are completely blank. Another four have same desing of 2 red ...
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Why is there no black dragon in Mahjong?

A pretty simple question to which I haven't been able to find an explanation (if there is one). The Mahjong set contains red/green dragons, and a white dragon, but no complementary black dragon. I was ...
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Mahjong - declaring

I'm a British beginner and am learning by playing 2 player Mahjong with my Chinese lady in Hong Kong. Yesterday, she picked up the 9 of circles that I discarded and laid it with 2 other 9s to (so I ...
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When do you draw loose tiles in Chinese Mahjong?

I have been playing with English rules with a dead wall or ruin, which you can only access through flower/season tiles or Kongs. We end up deadlocked often, so I wanted to try the Chinese style where ...
nsandersen's user avatar
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Am I allowed to take a red 5 after reaching?

When I'm in riichi and draw a red 5 from the wall, am I allowed to exchange it with the non-red 5 in my hand? I would argue it might be allowed, because it does not change the yaku, wait or hand ...
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Where does the term "sacred discard" come from?

In most variants of Mahjong with restrictions on when a player can complete their hand off a discarded tile (especially Japanese Mahjong with furiten), the English rules refer to the situation as a "...
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Two player mahjong?

My understanding of Mahjong is that you need four players. Is that right? Or is it possible to play with 2 or 3? If so, can anyone assist with a link to the rules.
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What is a four-wind game called in Japanese mahjong?

In Japanese mahjong generally the longest game most people play is a hanchan (半荘), where the han part (半) implies that it's "half" of something, presumably a full four-wind game with 16 hands. But is ...
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Mahjong Betting Rules

Have been playing Mahjong for over 45 years and played today with a lady who filled in and we had a discussion regarding payout for betting. For purposes of this question: Playing with 4 players at ...
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Three player mahjong: flower as dora

We didn't have a fourth player for some time so we switched from riichi to three player version with korean\japanese rules as described on Wiki (I guess that's the most popular version for 3 players). ...
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Three player mahjong: 5 bamboo variation

We didn't have a fourth player for some time so we switched from riichi to three player version with korean\japanese rules as described on Wiki (I guess that's the most popular version for 3 players). ...
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Three player mahjong: scoring clarifications

We didn't have a fourth player for some time so we switched from riichi to three player version with korean\japanese rules as described on Wiki (I guess that's the most popular version for 3 players). ...
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Can you ron with these hands?

Can a person ron from a person that sits across or right next to him but the last tile he takes from discard pile are sequence melds? (assume all hands are closed) Can a person call ron and the last ...
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Can someone explain me this furiten?

Please explain to me why I can Ron the opponent's discard? (see screenshot) I suppose I'm in furiten. But I don't understand why - I tried to read the rules, it states that I can't win on an ...
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Mahjong - declaring another player dead

I played the other day with a very experienced player who held the 2(same) of the 1 tile that I needed to go win - she stated based upon where she knew I was playing, she was declaring my hand dead ...
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Does a concealed Kan interrupt the game flow?

If you made a concealed Kan on the first turn and won on the extra tile that you drew, would you get Heaven/Earth? Do your own concealed Kans interrupt the game flow, or does it only apply when ...
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How can I quickly calculate the shanten number in Mahjong?

I am able to calculate the shanten number myself, but it often takes me more than a minute. I'm looking for ideas how to become more efficient. Background: I'm currently writing a paper about ...
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Why couldn't I declare Tsumo with this hand? [duplicate]

I recently played a game of Mahjong on the internet, and I had gotten this hand [2 Characters] [3 Characters] [North Wind] [North Wind] [4 Characters] <- Drawn Tile [Melded Pon of 2 Bamboo] [...
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Element, wind melds worth it to reach minimum han requirement?

Just wanting to confirm whether I'm understanding these rules correctly. The rule set from which I'm deriving most of my (Rīchi-)Mahjong knowledge only has this short paragraph about tiles being worth ...
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Is it allowed for the next player to take the next tile while the current player hasn't finished his move yet?

A Korean-Japanese player I occasionally play Mahjong with insists that it's okay for the next player to take a tile from the wall and contemplate it while the previous player hasn't yet discarded. She ...
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6 answers
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Go, MahJong, and Chess. Together? [closed]

Do you think these games have enough in common to start a serious, competitive club focusing around them? There's definitely enough between Go and Chess, but what about MahJong? I know there is plenty ...
Teofrostus's user avatar
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2 answers
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Mah Jongg set recommendations?

I have wanted to get a Mah Jongg set, but have hesistated because I don't know what to look for in a set so I don't buy something flimsy. Can anyone suggest what makes a good (or bad) Mah Jongg set? (...
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3 answers
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Information gain from discarded tiles in Mahjong

What information do you gain when another player discards a tile apart from seeing which tile it is? In particular from the position from which the tile is discarded. I neglect the timing side-channel ...
CodesInChaos's user avatar
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2 answers
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Common Mahjong wait patterns

In endgame, you typically have a hand in tenpai that is waiting for 1 more tile to be complete. Usually, it is better if you are able to wait for multiple tiles so your chance to finish are increased. ...
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Where can I read Mahjong game commentaries?

To improve, I'd like to read game records of professional players, and to understand these commentaries would be useful. Do you know if these game commentaries exist, and where I can find them?
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In Mahjong , what is the chance to get a hand that allows a player to finish on their first turn?

Made hands are very rare in mahjong. Is there a table that lists the possibilities of starting with a complete hand?
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Which hands do not consist of sets and a pair?

I know of only two hands that do not consist of 4 sets and a pair in riichi mahjong: Seven Pairs, and Thirteen Orphans. Are there more?
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Why can't I win due to "missing multiplier"? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Why couldn't this hand win with ron? Occasionally, I try to Ron, but get prompted that I cannot due to a "missing multiplier". What does this mean, and how can I avoid it? ...
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What is a "dead hand"?

This book states that "If a claimed tile is not taken within the next two opponents’ turns, i.e. before another two discards has been made, the player has a dead hand." What is a dead hand, and how ...
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8 votes
2 answers
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What manners are specific to mahjong?

Many games, especially ancient ones, have their own set of manners. For instance, Go players bow before the game and greet each other ("onegaishimasu") and play the first stone in the upper right ...
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What does it mean to be furiten?

This book states that "a player who is furiten, is not allowed to win on a discard." What does furiten mean, and how does it affect the game?
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What Mahjong set of rules can be recommended to beginners?

I play Mahjong with friends every now and then, using a set of rules that we sort of invented along the way: we knew the basics, but had no internet connection for one summer and played with what made ...
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Are there any English servers where I can play Mahjong online?

I recently stumbled upon the Asian game Mahjong and came to like it. I already play Go and Chess online, but had difficulties finding a good, English-language Mahjong server. Are there any English ...
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