June 27, 2011 | 12:13 am

14 TILES FOR EAST

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

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                                                              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!

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!

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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!

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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!

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