August 8, 2011 | 11:27 am

EXIT

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

Follow JewishJournal.com on

                                                                EXIT

Sorry to say, my weekly posts have come to an end due to family and professional commitments. 

If you have any questions or anything you would like to discuss, don’t hesitate to contact me at elasan@msn.com. 

Thanks to all of you who have followed my posts and I hope I’ve helped.  It’s been fun for me…..

And
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU!

July 31, 2011 | 11:30 pm

SHE WHO HESITATES

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

                                                                        SHE WHO HESITATES

As a beginning Mah Jongg player, or even as a novice, making a decision about a hand to play is not always easy, simple or quickly made.  It’s when you first get your tiles,  passing in the Charleston or, as the game progresses,  you might want to change your hand.  Let’s talk about deciding to change your hand by calling for a tile which can reveal information about your probable hand—- helpful to your opponents. 

And unfortunately, there’s not a lot of time to make the decision.

In a recent game, one of the players, Carol, called for a 6Dot, but she hesitated—for a long time.  Eventually, she decided not to take the 6Dot. By taking a long time to decide, the message was that she probably couldn’t decide to play one hand over the other.  Her indecision about calling the tile gave her opponents another advantage—that 6Dots were probably the discard to make.  If she couldn’t (didn’t) call, once all of the 6Dots were out, Carol would be forced to try Plan B.  And if she had decided to play Plan B, 6Dots were safe.

Although it’s not always fateful to be indecisive, it’s not a sign of a confident player.  She who hesitates, helps the opponents, one way or the other.

Til the next time….
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU!

0 Comments — Leave your comment

July 25, 2011 | 1:38 am

THE PROBLEM HAND

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

                                    THE PROBLEM HAND
In my last post, I presented a hand a student had after the first Charleston.  It posed a problem for her, and for me.

Here is the hand…..and here’s how she resolved it.

F 11 3Dot,  1 33Bam,  11 33Crak,  N E

She might have played the Like Numbers hand, using either the 1s or 3s, but she had no Dragons and she’d need 5.  There were 2 odd hands that were a reasonable fit, the last hand, but she had no 5s and the hand is Concealed, something she was reluctant to try. And the 2nd.  All those options seemed not the greatest opening hands, each utilizing just 5 tiles—-but not completely out of the question.  Singles and Pairs hands were out..

But after some searching, she found another hand that gave her a third option, the 2nd Quint hand, albeit she didn’t have Jokers—yet.

1223 22222 22222

All she needed to get was a 2—any 2 in any Suit. Since there are 12 2s in the set, the possibility of getting one was great. As the game progressed, depending on what she picked from the Wall, she could make a decision about which number to Quint—either the 1s or the 3s.

So she stopped the Charleston, gave the 2 Winds in the Courtesy and got a 2 Bam, completing the first and most crucial combination and giving her 7 tiles to start.  Her decision was made to play the Quint hand—and hope for Jokers and 3s.

In the end, she came really close…..needing a 3Dot, a 3crak or a Joker……But she had an exciting game, even tho she didn’t win,  it was great fun!

Til next time…….
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU!

0 Comments — Leave your comment

July 17, 2011 | 11:54 pm

A PROBLEM HAND

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

                                                                      A PROBLEM HAND

In the last class this was the hand one of my students ended up with after the first Charleston—
 
F 11 3Dot,  1 33Bam,  11 33Crak,  N E

I would love to know what tiles would you pass?

What hand would you pursue? 

Let me know……

Til the next time…..
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU!

0 Comments — Leave your comment

July 11, 2011 | 1:15 am

THE END OF THE GAME

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

                                                                          THE END OF THE GAME

I’ve been playing with a group of friends over the week-end and I was a little surprised to see what these pretty good players discarded at the end of the game.
But let’s define what I mean by “the end of the game”.  I teach my students that when there are only two or three picks left in the Wall for each player, it’s “the end of the game”.. time to aggressively defend by discarding the only really safe tile—the Joker—painful tho it may be!

In my experience, if I am two or more tiles away from Mahj, the chances of me winning are zero—I can’t win.  Mostly, since the Exposures have given away the hands being pursued,  players will not (should not) be discarding any tiles, other than Jokers. So I use my Jokers to defend against giving an opponent Mahj..  Even when I have no Jokers, I break up my hand and find the safest tile to discard.

If you are “waiting”, again, your chances of winning are close to zero, because in most cases, the others will not discard your Mahj tile or any tile, but they will, again be discarding Jokers.  The only chance you have to win is to pick the tile for Mahj—very, very, very slim. And if you pick an opponent’s Mahj tile, you are forced to discard Jokers and/or break up your hand.  Discarding tiles, hoping someone will discard your Mahj tile at the end of the game, is dangerous and can be costly.

So, I was surprised to find these players discarding tiles other than the Joker at the end of the game— players sometimes discarded Flowers—something I teach my students to never do!  But I stayed silent, not wanting to appear critical.  But playing with fire inevitably leads to getting burned and at the end of one game my friend, Marsha, threw the Mahj tile for another player. 

She was roundly chastised by the others and, no longer being able to contain myself, I “suggested” that discarding Jokers was the correct and preferable play, explaining something I thought every player knew.  It turned out to be a case of “All’s Well that Ends Well” because after that,  for the most part, playing ended “well”.

Til the next time…..
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU!

0 Comments — Leave your comment

June 27, 2011 | 12:13 am

14 TILES FOR EAST

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

                                                              14 TILES FOR EAST

There are a couple of peculiar things about mah jongg.  One is why East gets fourteen tiles and another is why they are chosen by picking the first and third tile off the top..  It’s one of the questions I invariably get asked by someone in class.  At last—-the answers!

Why East gets fourteen tiles is easy.  Fourteen tiles are needed for Mahj and East is given the privilege having the possibility of having Mah Jongg as an opening hand before the start of the Charleston.  Actually, there is a name for it—The Heavenly Hand.  Personally, I have never experienced any East ever having the Heavenly Hand.  But I guess it’s a possibility… albeit an infinitesimal possibility…..

Why does East pick the first and third tiles off the top???? I have finally discovered the answer while doing research for my Strategy book (coming out in the Spring of 2012).  Again, the rule states East starts with 14 tiles.  So everyone picks 12 tiles—3 rounds of 4 tiles each.  East,  instead of waiting two turns to pick 14 tiles, picks the 1st tile as #13 and the 3rd tile as #14 in one turn.  Everyone else picks the 13th tile in their proper turn.  Simple!!!!! And makes sense…I guess

I’ll be gone for the week-end of the 4th so HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY!

Til the next time….
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU!

3 Comments — Leave your comment

June 19, 2011 | 2:19 pm

THE ATOMIC HAND

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

                                                                        THE ATOMIC HAND

There hasn’t been a substantial change to mah jongg sets since 1964, when the League ruled that sets should contain 8 Jokers.  Before that, 2 and then 4 Jokers were mandated in the early 60s and before that there were no “official” Jokers.  Sets sometimes came with up to 22 Flowers, which could be used as Jokers.  And it’s been almost 50 years that any substantial changes to the traditional card and its hands have been made.  And actually, although the hands do “change” year to year, they still remain basically the same.

I have recently been made aware of something new—called “Atomic Hand”  or “Nuclear Hand”.  Sounds Explosive!  It’s a hand that consists of Pairs—any Pairs.  I confess, a friend, in passing, said her group was playing it and reported that lots of people are playing it and it was great fun. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to pursue the details.  So I don’t know what the parameters, restrictions, its monetary value, etc. are. Does “Any Pairs” mean Dragons, Winds,  Flowers,  any Suits,  etc. to make up an Atomic Hand?

So, if any of you are familiar with it or have seen it or have played it, please let me know what you know.  I would be really grateful and would love to try it myself.  Maybe, even the League might like to hear about it……

You can leave a “Comment” or email me at elasan@msn.com. And thanks!

Til the next time…
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU!

4 Comments — Leave your comment

June 12, 2011 | 11:06 pm

THE REPEATS

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

                                                                    THE “REPEATS”

Interestingly, American Mah Jongg is the only variant, (Mah Jongg is played all over the World) that uses a card.  Published by the National Mah Jongg League, it’s one of the things it does—-produce a new card with new hands every year.  It can’t be the easiest job in the World, but, no doubt, it probably is fun….

But players who play frequently soon realize each new card has hands from the previous years. There are only a limited number of hands that can be designed and redesigned, given the restrictions imposed by the game.  For example, Mah Jongg requires 14 tiles, combinations of Singles, Pairs, Pungs, Kongs, etc. restricted by using the kinds ( 3 Suits, Winds, Flowers, etc.) and number of tiles. And there’s the tradition of the League’s card.

This exposition leads me to a recurring hand—and one that many players find confusing. This year, it’s the 2st. Quint hand.  My collection of old cards don’t go back too far—to the 90s—but the hand reoccurs on the ’94, ’95, ’96, and ’99 cards.  I’m sure it has occurred on cards before that. And it occurs again on the 2008 card.

Here’s the hand.
1223 11111 11111

The instructions say “Any 3 Suits, Any 3 Consec. Nos., Pr. Any No. in Run, Pr. & Quints Match”
Which means the hand requires all 3 Suits, any 3 consecutive numbers (5,6,7 3,4,5,  7,8,9). 
The next instruction says Pr. Any No. in Run. So you can Pair any number in your run of 3 consecutive numbers.
The 3rd. instruction requires that the number you Paired, must be repeated in the Quints.

So as examples, the hand can look like this:
3345 33333 33333
6778 77777 77777
2344 44444 444444

The hand is X, but, in answer to an email, you can call a tile to complete the first combination of 3 consecutive numbers only for Mahj…not an Exposure.  It’s a 40c hand, so it’s pretty difficult, but if you have several Jokers and matching Pairs, it is lots of fun, especially if you win!

Til next time…..
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU!

1 Comments — Leave your comment

June 6, 2011 | 1:58 am

THE SLOW PLAYER

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

                                                                  THE SLOW PLAYER

There are many things in Life about which one should be cautious. Being prudent and careful, in many cases, reflects an intelligent and reasonable solution to problems and decisions—like buying a house or a new car or even what to wear to a special event.  And even in Mah Jongg, being cautious and careful reflects good judgment.

But being cautious and careful doesn’t equate to being a slow player. 

A slow player, after learning the game and playing for a while, has a difficult time keeping up with the pace of the game and is indecisive. Unfortunately, many times they are not included and “can’t find” a game.  It’s an unhappy situation for everyone. 

The reason for hesitation and indecision is usually a lack of solid knowledge of the hands on the card—ones available to you and hands others’ Exposures reveal.  A slow player concentrates her attention exclusively on one chosen hand, sometimes by keeping her finger on it throughout the game, revealing to anyone who cares to look, what hand she is playing—is indecisive about keeping or discarding tiles, doesn’t pay attention——to discards, misses opportunities to call the ones she needs, and because knowledge of the hands is weak, finding a new hand becomes almost impossible.

For those who might find themselves in this situation, take heart!  There is a remedy—albeit not easy—but simple!!!

Study the card!  How do you study the card?  By attending to its distinctive characteristics.  For example, there is only one hand that requires a Pung of East and a Pung of West, the 5th Winds/Dragon hand.  Look for how many and which hands require a Pung of 2s vs. a Kong of 2s.  Which hands call for a Pung of nines vs. a Kong of nines.  Which hands require a Pair of Flowers. One hand requires a Pung of Dragons, the Like Numbers hand, and so on.  Pretty soon you’ll start to remember the similarities between your tiles and the cards’ hands.  And pretty soon your skill level will increase—so will your speed and your confidence.
It may take work, time and trouble, but the rewards are more than worth the effort—-you will become a terrific Mahj player!!!!!!

So…Til the next time…..
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU!

. 

0 Comments — Leave your comment

May 28, 2011 | 4:32 pm

GONE FISHING

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

                                                                    GONE FISHING

                          Not really—-just gone for the Holiday Week-end with friends and family.  Will be back with a new posting next week.

                                                              HAPPY HOLIDAY TO ALL!

Til then…..
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU!

0 Comments — Leave your comment

May 22, 2011 | 7:43 pm

DEAD OR ALIVE?

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

                                                                    DEAD OR ALIVE?

About a month ago I wrote a post about a player who declared herself Dead, because she had made Exposures for a hand she thought was no longer on the card—one she remembered from the 2010 card—the 2nd Consecutive Run hand, which required a Pung and a Kong of 2 consecutive numbers in any one Suit.
She made Exposures of a Pung of 3Dots and a Kong of 4Dots.

The theme of the post was that it was not a good idea to call yourself Dead, because it gave you opponents a 25% greater chance to win and it was the responsibility of the other players to make that discovery, not yours.

Well, a really sharp reader, Arlene Herman, wrote to point out that the player’s Exposures were legit—calling attention to the 1st Quint hand, which require a Pung of 3s and a Kong of 4s in any one Suit.  So Kudos to you, Arlene, for your expert reading of the new card and many thanks for your comment. 

Now let’s talk about another situation regarding a Dead hand.  I got an email from a reader who asked if I thought her play-mates were being unfair and “mean” when her hand was called “Dead” because she mistakenly exposed a Concealed hand. She felt, since she was playing a “friendly” game, and the card was “new”, her mistake might (should) have been forgiven.
 
Having been there a couple of times in my playing life, I was sympathetic to the situation, understanding the feeling of being wrong….But Mah Jongg is inherently a competitive game.  Making a mistake has consequences and players do and should take advantage of it.  So unfortunately, reader, No, your play-mates were not unfair or mean.  It’s the game. And hopefully, from now on you will check whether a hand is Exposed or Concealed before you start to play.

Til the next time….
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU!

0 Comments — Leave your comment

May 15, 2011 | 8:48 pm

JOKER EXCHANGE

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

                                                            JOKER EXCHANGE
An interesting question came up in a game the other day about whether it was a good idea to always exchange a Joker for a missing tile.

Mostly, capturing another’s Joker is a consummation devoutly to be wished.  But it’s not always a good strategic move, because it has the potential to help your opponent.  Circumstances define when it helps you and when it helps your opponent.

So let’s talk about when you can make the exchange.
In most cases, making the Joker exchange is good for you—for sure, if there is more than one Joker exposed by your opponent.

So when should you not make the exchange?  When it can lead to giving your opponent a Jokerless hand.

Here is a situation that requires your caution.  The game is more than half over and at this point usually, players have made Exposures. One player has made two Exposures, using only one Joker .  You have come to the conclusion that the rest of her hand requires a Pair(s) for Mahj.  (There should be no doubt in your mind about the hand if three Exposures have been made.) This is particularly true for this year’s card because so many hands require at least one or two Pairs. If you make the exchange, you have effectively provided your opponent with a Jokerless hand, if she wins.  Not good…..  It can be a sign of your inexperience or carelessness or both.  And it is costly.

And don’t make the exchange when all you need to declare Mah Jongg is a tile for a Pair.  Since you can’t use the Joker, it’s of no use to you, but may prove to be of value to your opponent’s hand.

Don’t be tempted to grab an exposed Joker until you are fairly sure the exchange helps you and not an opponent.

So ‘Til the Next Time…..
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU!

1 Comments — Leave your comment