March 6, 2011 | 7:15 pm

WHICH HAND TO CHOOSE?

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

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                            WHICH HAND TO CHOOSE?

One of the challenges of Mah Jongg is out of the 50 or so hands on the card, is being able to choose the one that will win. But how many times do you have to decide between possible hands that you think will win?  Many!!!

The first is when you put your tiles up on the rack and decide on a tentative hand(s). Then, when you get new tiles in the Charleston and possibly again, as the game is progressing, changing your hand is not unusual—sometimes changing it more than once. It’s often not an easy choice and many times there isn’t much time to make a reasonable and winning decision. As the Mah Jongg guru says, “She who hesitates, holds up the game!”

In all of these “decision times” there is a commonality.. In other words, the same criteria can/should be used in all of these situations to make a reasonable decision about choosing one hand over another.

As a general rule, my advice is when you have to choose between two hands, choose the hand that’s easier to make.

1.  Count the number tiles toward Mah Jongg for one hand   vs. the number of tiles for the other.
    Choose the hand with the greater number.

2.  Choose an Exposed hand over a Concealed hand.

3.  Choose the hand that has no gaps—-tiles you have that are the start of each combination the hand requires.

4.  Choose the hand that requires no Pairs over the hand that requires one or more Pairs. 

5.  Or choose that hand that requires the fewest number of Pairs.

6.  Choose the hand for which you already have the Pair or Pairs required.

Follow these guidelines—they will make it easier for you to come to a decision and hopefully improve the ratio of wins over losses. 

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

February 27, 2011 | 7:52 pm

TO RACK OR NOT TO RACK

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

TO RACK OR NOT TO RACK—THAT IS THE QUESTION

Once again, the controversy over whether to rack your tile or not is the topic of today’s post. It is a point of disagreement in many groups.

For those who are not familiar with the strategy of racking—-it is to immediately place the tile just picked from the Wall into the rack, next to the other tiles.

It is a defensive strategy because as soon as a tile is racked, no player may call for the just discarded tile. If the tile is not racked, a player may call, until the tile is racked or, as the rule (It’s #5 on the back of your card.) states, “discarded”. So the longer you hold the tile, or turn it upside down, or look at, or think about it before you rack it, the greater opportunity there is for another player to call. (And tapping it on top of your rack is not “racking”.)

So with that in mind, the other day my friend Susan complained to me that her group was, unfortunately, at odds because some people racked and others didn’t and when a player called a tile, there followed a controversy about whether racking should be the reason a player’s call was negated. 

Susan is a “racker” and, as it turned out, she was the center of the disagreement. She explained someone, we’ll call Joan, had called. Susan objected saying “I already racked”, followed by Joan complaining it wasn’t fair and she didn’t rack when she picked, so Susan shouldn’t have racked. (Logic I don’t quite follow!)  So to keep the peace in the group, Susan relented and Joan made her Exposure.

“What can I do?” she asked. “They’re my friends.” 

Well, this is not the first time I’ve been asked that. But if no one in your group racks, or if everyone racks, it’s obviously not a problem. But if some do and some don’t, it is.

So my suggestion to Susan was to make a “table rule” that everyone agrees to—a player who doesn’t want to rack, doesn’t, and a player who wants to rack, does, and if the call is negated by a racker, so be it—and no complaints!

I have a feeling that under those circumstances, everyone will soon be racking!

Til next time…
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU! 

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February 20, 2011 | 4:45 pm

ERRONEOUS EXPOSURES

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

                              ERRONEOUS EXPOSURE

I’ve been receiving several questions about Exposures that have been challenged and found to be incorrect—particularly if the Exposure contains Jokers.  What happens to the Jokers?  Are they available to be exchanged or not?  The answer is sometimes Yes and sometimes No. “Timing is everything”—an old cliché but still relevant—especially in Mahj—-an essential element—if you want to capture someone’s exposed Jokers!

The answer is “Yes” if the Exposure containing a Joker is made before a subsequent Exposure is challenged and found to be erroneous.

An example: Let’s say a player has made an Exposure of a Pung of 2s with a Joker.  Then she makes an Exposure of a Pung of 3s with a Joker.  Her second Exposure is incorrect because there is no Exposed hand on the card that requires a Pung of 2s and a Pung of 3s. Her Exposure has to be challenged and she must return the incorrect Exposure to the rack and the Joker and hand is “dead”.  However the Pung of 2s with a Joker is “exchangeable”.

When an incorrect Mah Jongg is declared, the answer is again “Yes” and “No”—depending upon whether the Exposures are made before the challenge to a declaration of “Mahj” or after. “Yes” if the Exposures are made before the incorrect Mahj is declared. The Jokers are “exchangeable”.

“No”—if the Jokers are exposed after the declaration of an incorrect Mahj hand. They are not exchangeable. Only the incorrect Exposures and their Jokers must be returned to the rack and the hand declared “Dead”.

If no Exposures have been made and an incorrect Mahj hand containing Jokers is challenged, the answer again is “No”. The whole hand must be returned to the rack and the hand is declared “Dead”.

An order to “Play Dead” might result in a treat for Fido, but will, no doubt, result in a penalty for the mistaken Mahj player. 

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

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February 13, 2011 | 4:07 pm

THE SAFE DISCARD

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

THE SAFE DISCARD

In my last post I discussed the “hot” tile, defined as a tile that had not been discarded during the game or a tile that you determine an opponent needs for an Exposure or Mah Jongg—-a dangerous tile to discard.

So now we’ll discuss the opposite of the dangerous discard—the safe discard, defined as a tile an opponent does not call or a tile an opponent cannot call.

In the beginning of the game, 99.9% of the time, your discards are safe.  Rarely does anyone call for an early discard because most hands are not solidly decided or the combinations are “uncallable”, needing other tiles to qualify for a “call”.  So you can be fairly sure any discard is “safe”.  And notice, even as the game is progressing, it’s not unusual that when a “new” tile is discarded and uncalled, the others discard the same tile in rapid succession, being assured the “new” tile is safe.

But as the game progresses, how can you tell if a tile is safe?  The answer is you must keep accurate track of the discards.

For example, remembering no 8 Craks have been discarded, you can be almost sure a discard of an 8Crak is not safe.  If there are 2 8Craks out, a third 8 Crak is more safe. If 3 8Craks are out, a 4th is almost surely safe.

But, here’s a caveat!  Just because a tile is safe at the beginning of the game, doesn’t assure it will be safe later on in the game. A player may have waited for a specific tile to be repeatedly discarded before calling or have accumulated the necessary tiles to qualify to call and so what may have been a safe tile is no longer safe. It’s just one of the vagaries of Mah Jongg.

The Exposure(s) of an opponent leads you discover that the hand requires a Pair, which can only be called for Mahj.  Early on, discarding that tile is usually safe, because the opponent cannot call it. And once one of the Pair’s tiles is out, the possibility of others being discarded is great, because the first discard wasn’t called.

But at the end of the game, as discussed in the “Hot Tile” blog, the only safe discard is the Joker.  So pay close attention to the discards——and play it safe!

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

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February 6, 2011 | 3:53 pm

THE HOT TILE

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

THE HOT TILE

No, it’s not a tile that has been boiled, baked or fried or in any way heated by virtue of flame.  It’s a tile that has not been discarded during the game, or a tile you determine (or think) another player needs for an Exposure or Mahj.  A “hot” tile is dangerous to discard.

The only way to decide whether a tile is hot or not is to keep track of the discards and to be aware of the hand your opponents’ Exposures have revealed.

When the game begins, there are no “hot” tiles. But as the game progresses, determining what is hot and what is not becomes more critical. For example, your study of the discards reveals no 2Bams have been discarded.  Since the game is about half over, a discard of a 2Bam is probably not hot. But as the game progresses and still no 2Bam has been discarded, you can be fairly sure a 2Bam is “hot”. If you can see that two 8Craks have been discarded, a third is probably not hot. So keeping a count of the discarded tiles is essential to your defense. 

As a matter of fact, once there are two or three picks left in the Wall, almost any tile, hot or not, is potentially the Mahj tile for a player. That’s why I insist on discarding Jokers and breaking up your hand. 

I can empathize with the general reluctance to discard powerful Jokers at the end of the game, but Jokers cannot magically “make” your hand at the end of the game any more than they did during the game. But they keep your opponents from winning and protect you from the angst and penalty of providing the Mahj tile to an opponent.

If you are “waiting” for Mahj yourself, you have a dilemma.  Do you discard a potential Mahj tile for someone else or do you break up your hand?  Usually, break up your hand. Even if you can count a couple of the same tile you pick, you cannot know for sure how many Jokers a player has for the combination your tile may complete. You can’t be sure the picked tile isn’t the Mahj tile for someone else.

And when you are sure you picked the Mahj tile for an opponent’s hand, you must discard Jokers and break up your hand to keep your opponent from winning. And since the other players will be (and should be) discarding Jokers, the only possibility for you to win is to pick your own Mahj tile—which is almost zero.

Let’s talk about discarding Flowers.  I caution my students to never discard a Flower at the end of the game. Why? On the 2010 card there are 11 hands that require a Pair of Flowers, not including the 5 Singles and Pairs hands.  Waiting for a Flower to complete a Pair at the end of the game is not unusual. There are 11 hands that require a Kong.  Even if you can count five or six Flowers discarded, you cannot see how many Jokers an opponent’s hands contains that can complete the Kong.  That’s why discarding excess or unneeded Flowers early in the game is a good idea, but not late in the game.  Flowers are hot.

So my advice, at the end of the game, even if you’re not sure the tile you pick is the Mah Jongg tile for an opponent, protect yourself. Break up your hand and discard Jokers.

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

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January 30, 2011 | 4:37 pm

FAMILY VISIT

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

FAMILY VISIT

No post this week—-I have out-of-town visiting family.

Til next time…

MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU1

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January 24, 2011 | 1:10 am

THE CHARLESTON—PART C

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

                              THE CHARLESTON—PART C

The Charleston is always exciting, because you never know what you’ll get. It offers the player about 21 mostly new tiles, and out them all, usually you’ll get at least one that will be of value to your hand.

But many times the Charleston offers tiles that are useful for two good options for hands and you are faced with the need to decide between them. It can be a dilemma. So here are some guidelines that can help you decide.

Usually, choose the easier hand. So

A) Choose the hand that has the greater number of tiles.

B) Choose the Exposed hand over the Concealed hand.

C) Choose the hand that has no gaps—tiles that you already have that are the start of each combination the hand requires.

And here’s the most critical criterion.  Since Pairs are the nemesis of many hands,

D) Check the card. Choose the hand that requires no Pairs over the hand that requires one or more Pairs. Or

E) Choose the hand that requires the fewest number of Pairs.

F) If your hand contains the Pair or Pairs the hand requires, stay with that hand.

Follow these suggestions and decision of which hand to choose will be easier. I guarantee it… Good Luck!

Til next time…
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU!

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January 17, 2011 | 1:41 am

THE CHARLESTON—PART B

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

                          THE CHARLESTON –PART B

In my last post I discussed particular Charleston Dos and Don’ts that serve as defensive moves designed to keep you from providing your opponents with useful tiles. This post will discuss some suggestions about what to keep and what not to keep.

Obviously you want to keep tiles that strengthen your hand or, in many cases, provide you with decisive tiles for one hand over the other, particularly if you get a tile(s) that gives you the Pair(s) your hand requires.  Once you have six, seven or more tiles toward a hand, stay with that hand. Usually, don’t look for other options.

Until you have a definite hand, keep tiles that are potentially useful for alternative hands that are connected to the hand(s) you are pursuing. For example, it’s reasonable to keep even numbers for the 2468 Section or 3s, 6s, and/or 9s for the 369 Section. 

Don’t keep “maybe” tiles…a mistake many novice players make.  What are “maybe” tiles?  Tiles that you get in the Charleston that you might use for a different hand that has no connection to the tiles you already have for a hand(s).  The thinking is “Well, maybe I should keep these tiles for later if I change my mind”.  Or “Maybe I can use these –just in case”.  Keeping unrelated tiles that do not help your hand, leads to chaos and confusion.

This idea goes for tiles you might get in the Charleston   that gives you an extraneous Pair. As you know, Pairs are an essential part of many hands, but if the Pair you get has no relation to your hand, it is useless.  Just because it’s a Pair, if it doesn’t improve your hand, get rid of it.

Here’s a suggestion for the odd-numbered hands.  If you’ll notice, there are 4 hands that require low numbers—1s,3s,5s and 4 hands that require high numbers—5s,7s,9s. So if you are trying for a 1,3,5 hand don’t keep 7s or 9s. And visa-versa, even if the Suits are correct. It can lead to indecision about a hand to pursue.

And notice again, the odd Section has no hands that require Dragons. If you’re going for an odd hand, Dragons are useless.

Don’t keep tiles that match your Suit but not your hand. Example, if you are pursuing an odd-numbered hand, even numbers are useless, no matter what Suit they are. 2s,4s,5s, etc. are not useful for a 369 hand.

Many times the Charleston puts you on the horns of a dilemma and you have to make a critical decision to choose between two potential options.  In the next post, I’ll discuss some of the crucial criteria for choosing one hand over the other.

In the meantime, I would love to hear any tips you would like to share.  So—-

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

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January 9, 2011 | 3:44 pm

the charleston

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

                                  THE CHARLESTON

The Charleston is an anomaly in American Mah Jongg. No other Mah Jongg has it, be it Chinese, Japanese, German, Philippine or any other that I know of.  And the name, “Charleston”, has no known origin.  It was already a part of the game when the League first formalized the rules in 1937, and even they do not know where the name, or the procedure, originated. I checked.  My guess it came from the dance craze of the era.  Or maybe it was a technique used in games in a city named Charleston.  I don’t know.

It’s always a surprise, because you never know what tiles the Charleston will bring. Sometimes it brings joy and a hand and sometimes frustration, angst and a need to make a quick decision about what to keep and what to pass.  These decisions are often critical “make or break”. 

Be that as it may, one of the functions of the Charleston is to allow the player to rid the hand of unwanted tiles. It offers new, sometimes useful and sometimes useless, tiles—21 to be exact.

In addition, the Charleston is a defensive tool, a way for you to deny opponents potentially useful tiles. So here are some basic defensive tenets of the Charleston.

Never pass a Pair of any tile!

Pairs are the nemesis of many hands and presenting an opponent with the gift of a Pair is a definite NO NO! And your Pair may complete a combination your opponent needs.

Don’t pass Flowers!—-unless you can’t steal or have no other option.

The 2010 card has 27 hands that require either a Pair or a Kong of Flowers.  If you pass them you may be helping your opponents.

Pass disparate tiles!

Don’t pass all the same Suit, all even or odd numbers, all Winds/Dragons.  Mix them up as much as you can.

The decision of what to keep and what not to keep depends on your specific choices, but even so, there are some general principles we’ll discuss in the next posting.  Stay tuned!

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

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December 26, 2010 | 11:01 pm

NEW YEAR GREETINGS

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

NEW YEAR GREETINGS

For the Holiday season, I will be taking a short break.
I hope you have enjoyed my posts and have found them useful. 

For the New Year, I would love to hear from you, particularly if you any questions, comments or tips you may have, any interesting anecdotes you have encountered in your games or even some extra good recipes you have made for your buddies. Or anything else other Mahj players might like to hear. 

My email is elasan@msn.com.  So I’m anxious to hear from you.

I wish you all a Wonderful, Healthy, Happy and Prosperous

New Year!

And til next time
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU…….

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December 19, 2010 | 4:11 pm

A QUESTIONABLE CALL

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

A QUESTIONABLE CALL?

I received an email from a former student the other day, describing a situation that was the cause of some “problem” in her group.  She asked for my “professional opinion”.

Actually, there is no “opinion”, but a definite rule, which I gave.

Here is what she wrote, in essence. 

Evie (we’ll call her) called a tile and placed it up on her rack.  She then started to put the rest of the Exposure out when she looked at her hand and realized she had made a mistake and said, “Oh, I don’t want it.” She put the tiles back in her hand and replaced the called tile to the table. The others in the group complained loudly that she couldn’t do that. They declared that once a tile was called and placed up on the rack, the tile could not be replaced to the table, and the Exposure must be made, no matter what! Peer pressure prevailed and after some reluctance on her part, Evie finally did expose, even tho it wasn’t what she wanted.

My email student asked if this was correct.

Here’s the answer.  In Evie’s case, the group was correct. Once you call a tile, place it up on your rack and expose any part of the combination, you are stuck with that Exposure, no matter what.

But you may return the called tile to the table if you do not expose any other part of your combination, with no penalty.

Evie had inadvertently revealed vital information about the hand she was playing, even tho she made an incorrect Exposure, because the others now had a big clue to what she needed.

My student emailed me a “Thanks” and the result of the game—that Evie didn’t Mahj “because we all knew what she wanted”.

So, be sure to check before you call and Expose.  The mistake can be fatal.

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

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December 12, 2010 | 11:13 pm

PAY ATTENTION

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

PAY ATTENTION!

Mah Jongg is the most fun when the participants are friendly even though the game is intrinsically competitive.
When the game is over and everyone is mixing the tiles and building the Wall, that’s the time to chat and exchange ideas.  But once the game begins, your attention should be focused on what’s going on in front of you.
 

Inattention was the problem in a game a couple of weeks ago. As the game progressed, one of the players discarded a 5Dot and mistakenly called it 5Bam.  There is usually not much ado about it—and another player usually picks up on it and corrects the mistake. No harm—no foul. But one of the players we’ll call her Jan, started to call for the 5Dot, which was really a 5Bam.

Didn’t the player have to discard a 5Dot instead of the 5Bam? No. Did the miscaller need a 5Dot and mistakenly called the Bam a Dot?  Maybe. 

Although she didn’t disclose the fact, it became obvious to the others that Jan needed a 5Dot for an Exposure. Her big mistake was not paying attention to what was going on in front of her, because even if a tile is miscalled, players have the responsibility of attending to what is discarded, regardless of what the caller says. So, unfortunately, she revealed to everyone a 5Dot was essential to her hand and of course, no one discarded a 5Dot.

But what if Jan called the tile and used it in an Exposure? Presumably the Exposure is in error and therefore the hand is declared “Dead”.  A shared fault, because again the Exposee should have been paying attention.  It’s pretty drastic, but that’s the rule.

However the rule changes if Jan called the misnamed tile for Mah Jongg.  Then the onus is on the miscaller.  The penalty for misnaming a Mah Jongg tile is to pay the mah Jongg declarer four times the amount the hand is worth. No one else pays anything.  Pretty stiff penalty!

So the lesson here is to pay attention to what’s going on. If you don’t, the consequence can be costly….

Til next time…
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU!

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