December 5, 2010 | 4:44 pm

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

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WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

As part of my classes, I teach important strategies for both beginners and novice players.  But which strategies to use depends on the situation you are faced with. It’s not always an easy decision because there are many seen and unseen factors that need to be taken into account. 

In this post, I’ll focus on a common strategy—what and when   you discard-—and to be specific, a critical discard.

As you play, your discard depends a great deal on the information you have been able to discern from an easy source available—information you pick up from the Exposures. How many Exposures have been made, are the Exposures a Pung or a Kong, one or two Suits, what numbers, Dragons, etc. all can help you determine which hand is being played and whether your discard is safe or hot. You can also observe what the opponent discarded, what tiles have or have not been discarded and another factor is what stage the game is in, early or late.

So here’s a common dilemma that calls for a critical discard.
The game is coming to an end—there are only three or four more picks available from the Wall.  You have a pretty good idea of the hand an opponent is playing and you are waiting for Mahj yourself. It’s your turn and you pick the tile are almost sure the opponent needs for Mahj.  What would you do???

Post your answers….

Til next time…
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU!

November 28, 2010 | 8:38 pm

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS

It’s once again, that time of year when all things traditional are in vogue—the week-end for family reunions, preparing the Turkey feast, the football games and shopping on Black Friday.

But I always wondered why it’s called Black Friday. To me, it conjures up visions of a tragic day.  And on this Friday, for me, it was kind of Black.  Well, not really Black, it was actually a fun day.

I was invited to a Mah Jongg game with a group of former students on Friday and I was eagerly anticipating reconnecting with them and to see how well they had progressed.  It was a happy reunion and after exchanging the news about family and friends we settled down to the game.

We played most of the afternoon and much to my surprise, delight and applause, they won most of the games.  I finally won one game out of the dozens we played…  But I received the most wonderful compliment.  They all warmly thanked me for teaching them and all agreed “They had a great teacher”. It was very gratifying to see how well they played.  It was a really fun afternoon.

Since the season of giving is upon us, let me give all of you, my readers, a warm and grateful Thank You.  I wish you all Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas and a Joyous Kwanza.

Til next time…
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU! 

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November 22, 2010 | 3:39 pm

THE SYMBOLS OF THE SET

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

THE SYMBOLS OF THE TILES

Part of the enjoyment of Mah Jongg is the sensory aesthetic of the set—the color, feel and the different depictions of the Suits, Dragon and Flower tiles. But newer sets are pretty standard in their depictions of the one Bam, Dragon and Flower tiles.

For example, in older sets from the 40s, 50s, 60s, etc. the one Bam tile has a great variety of representations. Some are various poses of peacocks, some are a soaring sparrow or it is perched on a bamboo twig, some are of the bamboo flower, etc.  Some sets use the Chinese symbol for Red and Green Dragon, some use different looking Dragons.  And Flower tiles have the greatest number of variations in these sets. 

In spite of the variations of these tiles, the meaning behind them remains the same as it was since the beginning of the game. The symbolism is a reflection of the values predominant in Chinese culture and well as in the culture and values of all of us.  For example, the red symbol on the Crak Suit literally means 10,000.  That’s a very large number and so it has come to represent the “10,000” virtues of man: honesty, fidelity, loyalty, etc. Hence, the Crak Suit in American Mah Jongg is often referred to as the Character Suit.

The Bam Suit is a salute to the most versatile plant in China—Bamboo.  It’s used for building, furniture, food, clothing, and a myriad of other things, including Mah Jongg sets. And because bamboo is a staple of Chinese life, it symbolizes service, strength, versatility and usefulness.

Dots, called balls or circles in Chinese sets, are reminiscent of coins, or money——associated with business, commerce, wealth and riches. As a matter of fact, the one Dot is a representation of a precious pearl. 

As you know, most modern sets have Flower tiles that come in two distinct categories.  There are the “Flowers” and there are “people” tiles. The Flower tiles reflect the Spring Plum Blossom, the Summer Orchid, the Autumn Chrysanthemum and the Winter Bamboo.  But the People tiles reflect the occupations and/or trade of ordinary people—farmers, fishermen, scribes, philosophers.

But in older sets, the representations of Flowers vary with the whims of the designer. The people part of these tiles can be the Emperors, concubines, animals such as roosters, cats, rats (or mice), fish and all manner of objects. And each older set has its own variations of these tiles. The Flower portion of sets also vary.  Many Flower tiles are called Vase Flowers because they are set in vases.  Some designers created delicate and wispy Flowers, some straight-forward, uncomplicated versions. Again, each designer used his own creative and artistic talents to produce these “variations on a theme”.

But whatever the version of tiles in your set, knowing they represent the values and ideals of the world in which we all participate, can only add to its pleasure.

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

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November 15, 2010 | 4:20 pm

THE MAH JONGG SET

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

There are many reasons people love the game of Mah Jongg—the challenges, the excitement of winning, the friendships and the fun of it all.  And even sometimes the food and drink top the list.

But beyond that there is one reason perhaps you’re not aware of—that is the Mah Jongg set itself.  Players are pretty particular when it comes to acquiring a new set or when purchasing an older, perhaps antique set.  The color of the tiles, the size, the “feel”, the depictions of the   of Flower, Dragon and one Bam tiles, the racks and their color and/or the material—wood vs. plastic, the case—all these make for the “character” of the set and are part of the aesthetic of a Mah Jongg set.

But how was the “set” created?  Almost all Mah Jongg sets, except the very oldest from the late 1920s, are made of plastic. Yes, the very first sets were ivory.  But as the game took off in popularity in the late ‘20s and ‘30s, ivory became too expensive to mass produce. There weren’t a huge number of ivory sets made then and there are almost no ivory sets around anymore.  Which is why when I hear “My Mom’s old set is ivory”, I am very skeptical. 

So bone, actually cow bone, (in short supply in China), and bamboo (in great supply) were the choice of materials.  Since there were(and are) few cows in China, the bone was imported from the United Sates. The tiles were mostly hand-engraved and hand painted.

But with demand increasing for mah jongg sets, mass production became the watchword and a cheap material, a synthetic, a plastic, called Bakelite was invented. It was used not only for mah jongg sets, but for radios, household products, jewelry and many other things.  Yes, Bakelite is an early plastic, and now after many decades, highly collectible.

As the Second World War approached, the chemicals used to manufacture Bakelite became scarce and expensive. A cheaper version was created, very similar to Bakelite, called Catalin.  It became the stuff of most mah jongg sets from the late ‘30s, ‘40s and into the ‘50s. As new kinds of plastics were created, they were used in the sets of the ‘60s, 70’s and so on,—one tried to resemble ivory, called “French Ivory”. Another material in an older set is called “Chinese Bakelite”, which is thought to be made of meerschaum, a material for tobacco pipes. 

Today most sets are made of fiberglass plastic. But no matter what plastic your set is made of-—modern or older, rejoice—-they are all wonderful to play with.

Til the next time….

MAY THE (PLASTIC) TILES BE WITH YOU!

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November 7, 2010 | 6:02 pm

STRATEGY CLASS FOR NOVICE PLAYERS

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

STRATEGY CLASS

FOR NOVICE PLAYERS IN LOS ANGELES
AT AMERICAN JEWISH UNIVERSITY

NOV. 11, 16, 18

FROM 1-2:30 PM

TO SIGN UP—-CALL 310-440-1246

Join the class and your game will improve by leaps and bounds!
       
And you’ll have FUN!

A LITTLE PREVIEW

Here’s a preview of one of the situations we will be discussing in the Strategy Class.

This is one dilemma you have, no doubt, already faced.

An opponent has made two Exposures and you think you know what she needs to Mahj.  You are also waiting for one tile to declare Mahj.  There are three picks left in the Wall and you pick the opponent’s Mahj tile. 

What do you do???

We’ll be resolving this and many other issues about

FINDING A VIABLE HAND, QUICKLY AND EASILY

DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT TO KEEP, WHAT TO PASS, WHAT NOT TO KEEP, WHAT NOT TO PASS IN THE CHARLESTON,

EXPOSING AND EXPOSURES,

WHEN AND IF TO CHANGE YOUR HAND,

DEFENSIVE PLAYING,

And much more…

See you there….

!

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November 1, 2010 | 12:27 pm

ATTENTION L.A. NOVICE PLAYERS: Class registration

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

A WINNNING STRATEGY CLASS FOR THE NOVICE PLAYER will be held at the American Jewish University.

Strategies, Strategies, Strategies!  If I only knew some more!  Yes, it’s the lament I hear from so many novice player.  And it is often the critical element you need that can determine whether you win or lose.  Although many people think of “Strategies” as a separate element of the game, I don’t.  To me, everything you do from a first peeking at your tiles to the last discard in the game affects your “strategic” decisions and your win/loss ratio.

It will deal, in depth, with topics ranging from how to quickly and easily select your hand, what is “defensive” play, its role in the game, “reading” Exposures, which hand to choose, changing the hand and the   many, many more problematic situations you encounter in every game you play.  The class is open to players who are fairly familiar with the card and have been playing steadily for about 6 months to about a year or so.

Come to the class!  It will sharpen your skills, improve your play and add to the fun of the game!


CLASS DATES: 3 CLASSES——NOV. 11, 16, 18

CLASS TIME:  1-2:30 P.M.
REGISTER AT: AMERICAN JEWISH UNIVERSITY (PHONE: 1-310-440-1246) or
                      (ON-LINE:  wcce.ajula.edu)
LOCATED AT:   15600 MULHOLLAND DRIVE, BEL AIR, CA. 90077
DIRECTIONS:  405 EXIT SKIRBALL/ MULHOLLAND   FOLLOW SIGNS TO AMERICAN JEWISH UNIVERSITY.

See you there!

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October 25, 2010 | 1:22 am

RETURN A CALLED TILE?

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

                                    RETURN A CALLED TILE?

The other day I had a surprise call from a former student who was now playing in a regular game once a week.  She was calling from her game and I could hear the chatter of voices in the background.

It’s always fun to hear from former students who are really enjoying the game and have made fast friends with their “class mates”.  And after the Hi!s and How are you?s, she explained the group was having a disagreement and she asked for a “ruling”.

Here is the scenario. One of the players had called for a tile for an Exposure, put the tile up on the rack and after reexamining her hand, said “No, I don’t want it” and put it back on the table.  Another player immediately challenged her and claimed that she was not allowed to return a tile once it was placed up on the rack and had to proceed with the Exposure—whatever it was. Others in the group disagreed and since they didn’t have my book handy for reference, they decided to call. (The book is A Beginner’s Guide to American Mah Jongg.)

The “rule” is a player may call for a tile, place it up on the rack and return it, if no other part of the Exposure has been made. Once any part of the Exposure is made, the called tile is not returnable.  The player who challenged was not altogether mistaken, but she was quoting a tournament rule. 

Mah Jongg tournaments are very strictly organized, competitive and the top prizes can be in the thousands of dollars. Tournament rules differ from the rules of a regular Mah Jongg game. For example, there are very strict time limits to a game. Players play in rounds of 4 games at one table, move to another table for another round of 4 games, etc. Games are scored. Winning players get a score, and rules for disqualification may vary from one another, depending on who the sponsor is and so any special rules a tournament may impose are usually announced at the beginning so everyone knows what they are. They are held in resort towns, on cruises, to raise money for charitable organizations, hotels, and any place that can accommodate sometimes hundreds of players.

But in any event, it’s not a good idea to call a tile and return it, even when no other tiles have been exposed because inadvertently, information about the hand you could be considering has just been given away. 

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

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October 17, 2010 | 1:21 pm

I NEED HELP!

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

I NEED HELP!

Having been (and still am) a teacher for 9 years and a player for close to 20 years, plus the author of the successful book, A Beginner’s Guide to American Mah Jongg,  I was pretty sure I had seen and been confronted with just about every situation possible.  And if a situation arose and I wasn’t sure of the correct answer, I’d call the Mah Jongg League office and get the “official” rule. 

At a recent Mah Jongg get-together, a player was confronted with the dilemma I’ll describe in a minute, and she asked for my advice. It was a situation in which there is no rule and in spite of my “expertise”, although I made a suggestion, I frankly, wasn’t completely happy with it.

Here’s the situation.
After the second left in the Charleston, the player found that she had 11 tiles toward a Mah Jongg hand. 

She was playing the 6th 2468 hand. 

Here were her tiles.
22 44 66J Dot 88 Bam 88Crak E 1Bam

The hand was amazing! But she only had two tiles to pass, still had to pass three tiles to the opposite player and couldn’t steal. What could she or should she do?

So I am asking for you, my readers, to help me out! What would you do? I would appreciate some feedback. So please send me your answers or thoughts or suggestions in the comments space to the situation the player was in.

I will pass them on to her if and when, hopefully, she ever is faced with that kind of decision again.

And thanks!! 

Til next time…
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU

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October 10, 2010 | 11:22 pm

PLAN A AND PLAN B

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

                              PLAN A AND PLAN B

I recommend to my strategy class to have a Plan A and Plan B in mind at the end of the Charleston, if the hand is not “set”.  A set hand should be one that you have no doubt about pursing and already have seven or eight tiles toward Mah Jongg, sometimes more.  The chosen hand is solid.

A Plan A and Plan B hand is one that has two options and can go either way, depending on what tiles become available. 

A Plan A and Plan B hand was the situation one of my students was in during a recent class.  The player had two Pairs, one useful toward one hand and one useful toward the other.  As the game progressed, she picked a couple of tiles for Plan A and that seemed to be the hand to choose.  It was obvious that the Pair for the Plan B hand was no longer useful.  But she was reluctant to part with it, her rationale being that she wasn’t sure about Plan A and Plan B might still be a good option.  I noticed that this was a “style” she had adopted..keeping unneeded tiles for a hand that was no longer doable..in case…

She’s not alone.  Novice players have a tendency to keep tiles for hands that are no longer useful, even though they are pretty sure they are no longer useful. It’s a sign of inexperience.

When the hand has eight or nine tiles toward Mah Jongg,  “in case” is no longer reasonable. Mah Jongg requires 14 tiles and 8 or 9 is well over half. You can’t win with two different hands—only when you have a definite hand.  Keeping extraneous tiles for hands you no longer pursue keeps you from focusing on the task at hand and is a distraction that leads to indecision.  Once you have a definite hand, stick with it and have no regrets about abandoning the useless tiles, even if they are an enticing Pair.

So I pointed out she already had eight tiles toward Mah Jongg.  Since Plan B only added to the uncertainty she was experiencing, getting rid of it was the proper play. And now she could focus on creating a win with Plan A.  Which she did and won!

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

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October 7, 2010 | 10:26 pm

BEGINNERS MAH JONGG CLASS FOR LOS ANGELES

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

ATTENTION LOS ANGELES

I AM OFFERING A MAH JONGG CLASS FOR BEGINNERS

WHERE: THE AMERICAN JEWISH UNIVERSITY
    15600 MULHOLLAND DRIVE
    BEL AIR, CA 90077

WHEN: TUES/THURS.—- 8 SESSIONS——STARTING OCT. 14TH.—-NOV. 9TH.

TIME: 1:00-3:00 P.M.

                                              ALSO

                                WINNING STRATEGIES CLASS FOR NOVICE PLAYERS

WHERE: SAME LOCATION AS ABOVE

WHEN;  TUES./THURS.—- 3 SESSIONS——NOV.11TH-NOV.18TH

TIME;  1-2;30 P.PM.

TO REGISTER: CALL 1-310-440-1246
                ONLINE AT WCCE.AJULA.EDU

DIRECTIONS:  EXIT 405 FRWY AT SKIRBALL—FOLLOW SIGNS TO   AMERICAN JEWISH UNIVERSITY

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October 3, 2010 | 3:07 pm

I CHALLENGE THE HAND IS DEAD

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

“I CHALLENGE! YOUR HAND IS DEAD!”

Mah Jongg is a competitive game, like all games.  Your goal is to win, but your other goal is to keep the opponent(s) from winning. So you want to use every (legal) means available to reach both your goals.

And challenging a player’s hand is one of those. No, it’s not often that a hand is challenged, but it does happen.

One rule that permits a challenge is when an Exposure is incorrect, usually revealing a Concealed one. It usually takes more than one Exposure, but not always. For example, an Exposure of 3 Easts (or Wests) reveals the 4th. 2010 hand…Concealed. Seeing two Exposures is more common before a challenge is made, because you cannot be certain of a hand from many single Exposures. But here’s an example: two Exposures of Pung of 3s and a Pung 9s in two Suits is the 6th. hand in the 369 Section. The hand is again, Concealed.

There is another legitimate challenge. A player may challenge another if, by virtue of the Exposures, has determined the hand requires a Pair and three of the necessary tiles have been discarded. Since the player cannot make the hand, you may call the hand “Dead”, and you should.  It’s to your advantage to play with the remaining three players, giving you more chances to complete your own hand.

But suppose only two needed tiles are discarded and you know the player can’t win, because have the third in your hand. Can you still declare the hand “Dead”?  No. The rule is the tiles must be discarded.  So should you discard it, hoping the player will not call it?

The answer is, it depends on what stage the game is in—whether the game is closer to the end, approximately ½. over or in the early stages. 

Of course if the game is close to the end, the chances of it being the Mah Jongg tile is great. So No you do not discard it. The opponent can’t win, but neither can you.

But if the game is in its early stages or about ½ over, don’t wait. Chances are pretty good that the player’s hand is not complete and cannot declare Mahj.  If the player doesn’t call for the tile, then you are correct to declare the hand “Dead”. Again, you should. The challengee is penalized by paying the challenger the value of the hand at the end of the game: win, lose or draw.

But be cautious. Check and recheck the card. If you challenge and it turns out to be incorrect, you will be penalized by paying the challengee the value of the hand, again.. win, lose or draw..

So once again, a thorough knowledge of the hands is the essential key.  The better you know the card, the better prepared you will be to know whether a hand is legit or not. 

Til next time,
MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU!

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September 26, 2010 | 2:50 pm

“CALL” FOR THE SAME TILE

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

“CALL!” FOR THE SAME TILE

Who Gets it?

I was playing in a game the other day when an unpleasant “discussion” broke out. Here’s the story.

The setting was I was East, Amy sat to my right, then Madge and then Jan. I made a discard. Madge and Amy both needed the discard for Mahj. Madge called for it and a couple of seconds later, Amy called for the same tile. Madge is quite competitive and claimed that Amy waited too long to call and that she called only to keep her from Mahj. A big, BIG “discussion” ensued.

So the question is Who get’s it? If two people want the same tile, the rule is the person to the discarder’s right gets the discard. So normally, Amy would get it. But Madge was adamant that her claim was justified. To settle things, although I felt the tile was Amy’s, I thought the rule needed clarification.

So I called the League’s office.  I carefully explained the situation about the time lapse between the calls. The answer was—The person to the right of the discarder gets the tile—no matter there is a lapse between the time one player’s call over another.

But there is an exception. The determining factor is whether Madge had started to expose her hand or not.  If Madge had begun to expose, the tile would be hers. Since she did not, the tile was Amy’s.

We all kissed and made up and had a glass of wine to soothe our savage breasts. And happily, Madge made the next Mahj, uncontested.

Til next time..

MAY THE TILES BE WITH YOU……

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