Mah Jong

Mah Jong Tile Game

The mah jong tile game is a popular game that was likely invented in the mid-1800s in China. It is a game that is very similar to rummy and is a lot of fun to play!

I love Mah Jong and that is why I am reviewing it here It is my most played game and it is the “first” game that I was taught in my young adulthood. I love the game because it is a very social, very engaging game of luck, skill and strategy. So now you know how I feel about the game you can take this review as you will.

When I first teach Mah Jong, I will go on a spiel like the following:

“Mah Jong is a metaphor for life. Just as life has a bit of luck, a bit of management, a bit of sadness and a general flowing through of money, so too does Mah Jong. It is a game of luck in that you draw ‘random’ tiles but beyond this simplistic description, it is more of a game of strategy, a game of knowing your opponents and working with what you have been dealt. The more you play, the greater your skill becomes. The more skillful you become, the more fluid the game play works and before you know it, you will be dancing!”

It is hard to do a proper review for Mah Jong because there are many different ways to do the scoring and each table has their own quirks, penalties, bonuses. The review here will be for the style of scoring known as Hong Kong Old Style (HKOS) and I will assume that the reader is familiar with general Mah Jong play and terminology.

Overview

The mah jong tile game appears to have a mystical air about it and many say it is hard and difficult.

Nonsense!

It is a very simple game of sets. The only thing that about it that needs agreement is the scoring. Please click here for some examples of mah jong rules.

Mah Jong is a simple game where you are (typically) dealt a hand of 13 cards. The object of the game is to draw a tile and discard a tile. If on the draw you are able to make a complete hand of four sets of three plus a pair, you declare “Mah Jong” and win.

That’s all the mah jong tile game is about: 4 sets of 3 and a pair.

So, in a hand of 13 tiles, you will need the 14th tile to win.

Game Play

As I mentioned in the overview, the mah jong tile game is about drawing a tile and discarding a tile, all the while collecting sets. Four sets of three and a pair (called eyes) to be exact.

A player can only claim the last discard. Any discard left on the table becomes dead and unable to be used when building sets.

Using the HKOS rules players can claim a just discarded tile for a “chow” (aka a sequence, a straight), only from the player to their left.

Players can claim a just discarded tile for a “pong” (three of a kind) from any player.

As with a pong, players can claim a just discarded tile needed for a win can be claimed from anyone regardless of whether it is for a chow, for the eyes, or for a pong.

Just remember that Mah Jong is a simple game of sets. You will always be dealt a hand of 13 cards/tiles and you go out on the 14th tile.

A couple of things to note is that game play goes ANTI-clockwise and you draw from the wall clockwise.

Summary

HKOS was the original scoring system of the mah jong tile game that was taught to me. As it was the first, I thought it was the only one.

I happily played this style for a number of years until I came across Tom Sloper’s Mah Jong Zone. Now I knew what exactly I was playing!

According to Mr. Alan Kwan, HKOS is a good scoring system for the mah jong tile game if you like gambling.

With HKOS there are greater gains and losses to be made. When played with stringent minimums, penalties and maximums, it makes it a tense game for a few wrong reasons.

HKOS players make these minimums and penalties because the game becomes unsatisfactory when you work on building a strong hand only to have a player go out on a “chicken-hand”, one that fulfills the requirements of Mah Jong but not much else.

On the yahoo groups, you will find many play HKOS style with a 3 point minimum or a 3+2 point minimum. This makes the game more of a chore than something to be enjoyed. Added to this mix the lure of money and it makes it that much more unpleasant–at least for those looking for a casual time.

One co-worker who I had taught the game to said that it is a “simple game made complex with convoluted scoring mechanisms and in-game rituals.”

I have to agree with this and say that some of these rituals may be off-putting for potential new players. However, it is these very same rituals that make this a game worth playing.

Mah Jong is not a game but an experience and if players can be found that enjoy the more esoteric experience of gaming, then this would be a very ideal game and scoring system to introduce them to.