October 17, 2010 | 1:21 pm

I NEED HELP!

Posted by Elaine Sandberg

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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