Mahjong, also known as Mah Jongg, is a fun tile-matching puzzle game. Most experienced players will tell you that you sometimes need a bit of luck to beat your opponents when playing Mahjong. While this is true, you cannot always rely on luck. Keep reading if you’re looking for a Mahjong strategy that will help you improve your game.
The key to becoming a great Mahjong player is making the most of the tiles that you’re dealt. You can only do this by using carefully planned strategies to increase your chances of winning. Follow these Mahjong tips that are very effective, logical and easy to understand to get an easy win at your next game.
Here, we’ll share some advice to help you become a better Mahjong player.
Be Prepared
The most important advice anyone can give you about playing Mahjong is to be prepared. Mahjong is a fast-paced game and once the game starts, you won’t have much time to think your options through. You’ll probably play against several players urging you to keep the game going, which may make you feel pressured. Therefore, familiarize yourself with the current year’s card before the game starts.
Here are some strategies that can help you master the card:
- Look through the card and take note of patterns.
- Go through the various hands and make two or three winning combinations of each hand. This makes it easier to memorize the hand and recall it later.
- Run through a Charleston while playing by yourself. Choose 13 random tiles and go through the card, looking for matches.
- Play some trial games with your friends or anyone willing to practice. Give everyone as much time as they need to make decisions. Let the trial games be free of the pressures of a real game.
- Play online Mahjong games.
Always Have A Clear Plan
You need to come up with a clear plan of attack. Think about the direction you want to take your hand and stick with it.
Check out the best Mahjong sets here.
Have Patience
Do not be in a hurry to grab all the discards to make Pungs or Kongs. Doing so reveals your game to other players and makes your future moves more predictable.
Pay Attention To Tiles With The Same Symbol
In a larger puzzle with a great number of tiles, several tiles with the same suit and symbol are likely to become available simultaneously. Do not match these tiles randomly unless they are available in an even number and you can pair all of them at once. Check each tile and the possibilities they unlock.
Tip: Match only the tiles that unlock the most pieces and allow for quick progress in the game.
Focus On Similar Tiles On Top Of Each Other
When you see two similar tiles on top of each other, solve them as soon as possible. If you save those tiles for later, it may be impossible to solve the puzzle. You’ll lose the game if those two tiles are the only unmatched ones for their symbol. Even if you shuffle the pieces, the tiles will remain on top of each other and the bottom tiles will never be free to be matched.
Be Flexible With Your Strategies
Mahjong is an unpredictable game and you must be flexible with your strategies to be prepared for anything that comes up during the game. Prepare to switch to a different hand, depending on the discards and exposure.
Improve Your Defense
Improving your defense is one of the best ways to excel in Mahjong. In fact, a good defense is what differentiates average Mahjong players from great ones. Always pay attention to what other players are doing. Determine their hand and compare it to your discard. If you realize you don’t have a high chance of winning, switch to defensive mode and try to prevent your opponents from getting a winning tile.
Note: Defensive play is not against the Mahjong rules and is in no way unethical.
Be Secretive
While paying attention to your opponent’s game, try not to give yours away. Follow these Mahjong tips below to prevent your opponents from figuring out your tactics.
- Control your reactions during picks, discards and exposures.
- Keep your hand concealed for as long as you can.
- Be cautious about how you arrange the tiles on your racks and pay attention to where you place your new picks.
Be Swift
Playing slowly will cause the game to lose its momentum. That said, don’t play too quickly and recklessly as you’ll end up making mistakes.
Try To Memorize The Tiles And Their Position
The symbols and characters on the tiles are similar and it’s easy to mistake one tile for another if you don’t pay attention. It often takes longer for new Mahjong players to search and compare drawings before pairing them up.
Note: Taking the time to memorize the tiles is one of the most useful Mahjong Solitaire tips and it also improves your mental skills.
The Mahjong Tiles Organization
There are no right or wrong ways to organize your tiles but we have a few Mahjong tips that can help you become more efficient.
Initial Tile Racking
When you receive tiles, you first need to organize them so you can identify patterns. Start by arranging your number tiles in numerical order. Keep flowers or bonus tiles on the left and place honor tiles (winds and dragons) and jokers between flowers and suits.
Identifying A Potential Hand
Here’s everything you should know about identifying a potential hand.
- If you’ve identified a potential hand, rearrange your tiles so that they match the order on the card.
- In case you have several potential hands, rearrange the tiles to model the different hand options and count how many tiles fit each potential hand.
Note: You may be slow initially but you will get faster at shuffling tiles with time.
As The Game Progresses
Here are some tile organization tips that can help you play better as the game progresses.
- Keep your blocks together to prevent players from figuring out your hand.
- Don’t turn the tiles of completed blocks upside down. It makes it easier for experienced players to determine your hand.
- You do not need to arrange your exposures as they are on the card. You can rearrange your tiles when you call Mah Jongg.
Check out our blog post to learn how many tiles are in Mahjong.
Initial Analysis/Picking A Hand
Once you’re faced with your initial tiles, deciding which direction to go can be challenging. This section will describe a structured approach you can use to choose a hand.
Only Choose A Section
You don’t have to choose a specific hand in the early stages of the game. Just try to determine which section of the card your tiles lend themselves to.
Building Around Strong Combinations
Look for things that may be more difficult to come by in the game. Keep an eye out for flowers, pairs and singles combinations. Check if any of the combinations go together.
Tip: Finding a flower or season tile gives you an advantage because you can match them with other flower tiles.
Focus On The Free Tiles
Most of Mahjong’s 144 tiles are blocked, so ignore the blocked ones. Only focus on free tiles that you can turn into matching tiles.
Note: You can only match a tile if there is a space on one side of the tile.
Be Mindful Of The Tiles You Pick Up
Be very careful when picking up tiles. Selecting certain tiles can make the game more difficult for you in the long run.
Stick To A Plan Of Attack But Flexibly
Think about the direction you want to take your hand and stick with it but give room for flexibility. If your current Mah Jongg strategy isn’t working, change tactics and look for other ways to win.
Lots Of Jokers
If you have two or more jokers, consider the card’s quint section, as you need jokers to make those hands.
Look For Trends
If there are no pairs or single combinations, try to find a trend in the tiles. Check if you have any of the following:
- Lots of even numbers
- Several high or low odd numbers
- 3s, 6s or 9s
- Lots of winds and dragons
- Same suit or closely related number tiles.
Several Options
If you have several options, narrow them down using the criteria below.
- Select the option which requires the fewest number of pairs.
- Non-concealed options are safer than concealed options.
- Count the tiles you have for each option and choose the one with the highest count.
No Option
If you still can’t decide on the clear winner or even potential option, pick the three tiles which will least likely fit with the rest.
Tip: After picking the three tiles, try to identify a better pattern during the Charleston.
Charleston Strategy
The Charleston allows you to reinforce your hand and narrow down your selection to a specific hand.
General Process
While you should try and narrow down your options, you don’t necessarily need to have a specific hand to play after coming out of the Charleston. During each step of the Charleston, focus on eliminating options and determining the precise direction of your game.
Tip: Although it is good to keep your hand options open, keeping too many open options can create confusion.
Passing Strategy
Besides discarding tiles that do not support your hand, be careful about what you pass to your opponents. Your discarded tiles could help other players get ahead. Therefore, avoid passing valuable tiles such as pairs, flowers and white dragons.
It’s also best not to pass tiles that will be valuable to your opponent, such as:
- Tiles with the same number (even if they’re not of the same suit)
- Tiles with close or consecutive numbers
- Same suit tiles
- All wind tiles.
Taking Notice Of What Gets Passed
Although your primary focus in the Charleston is to strengthen your hand, you must also pay attention to the tiles you and other players are passing around.
The following tips can help you identify what your opponents are playing and passing.
- Take note of which tiles the receiving player keeps when you pass them.
- Try to remember the tiles that didn’t come back to you after passing them.
- Take note of the types of tiles that you didn’t receive. For example, if you didn’t receive winds during the Charleston, someone is likely collecting them.
When To Stop The Charleston
After the first Charleston, players can do another three passes during a second Charleston. Alternatively, you can skip the second Charleston and start the courtesy pass. You should stop the Charleston when you have a strong hand or two strong contenders and don’t want to give away three tiles.
Tip: It’s best to continue the Charleston if you have at least three obvious tiles to discard.
Early-Game Strategies
Now it’s time to explore strategies that can help you thrive in the early stages of the game.
Don't Be Too Quick To Pick Discards
Don't Grow A Pair
Pairs are quite difficult to make. Therefore, if you have a pair in the game’s early stages, don’t grab any discard tiles to turn them into a Pung. The only exception is if you have already chosen a definite hand and would never need that pair.
Don't Worry Too Much About Discarding Hot Tiles
Don’t be too worried about accidentally discarding valuable tiles. Instead, discard tiles that others might want but can’t pick up.
Discard Popular Tiles
You can dispose of popular tiles in the early stages of the game, provided you don’t need them for your current hand or any fallback.
Discard Tiles Your Opponents Need
If you paid attention to the tiles your opponents passed and kept during the Charleston, you should be able to work out which hands they’re pursuing. If you have tiles your opponent needs, discard them. It is unlikely that your opponent would be able to claim the discards at this early stage because their combinations aren’t far enough along.
Don't Change Your Hand Too Soon
Don’t change your hand even if you’ve settled on a hand and a few tiles you need have been discarded. It’s early on in the game, so there is still a good chance to pick up the tiles you need.
Note: There are eight flowers, eight jokers and four instances of all other tiles.
Mid-Game Strategies
In the middle of the game, you must change your strategies again.
Pick The Discards You Need
Keep track of the tiles you need that players have discarded, as this will help you decide on the best time to expose. Ideally, aim to have seven tiles toward Mahjong before you call a tile and expose.
Be Careful With Your Discards
Consider how many tiles you want to discard are already on the table. If your opponents have discarded two, you can discard yours. However, discarding is riskier if there is only one or no discards on the table.
Change Your Hand If Necessary
In the section above, we warned against changing hands in the early stages of the game. However, you should not wait until the end of the game to change hands either.
Here are a few reasons that could prompt you to change hands at this stage.
- You haven’t discarded one or more of your crucial tiles. Another player is likely collecting the same tiles.
- Several tiles which were crucial for you have been discarded and you were not able to pick them up.
- A player exposes tiles that were crucial for you and you were waiting for.
- You accidentally exposed part of a concealed hand or the wrong combination.
End-Of-Game Strategies
As the game nears its end, you need to modify your strategy and become more defensive.
Be Very Careful Of Your Discards
By the final stage of the game, you should know the hands your opponents are playing or at least make a reasonable assumption. Avoid discarding a tile if you suspect it is the last tile a player needs to win the game. There may even be cases where you can discard only one tile that would be useless to your opponents. If you suspect that one player has the same tile, do not discard it.
If You're Dead
If you realize you can’t win, spend the rest of the game preventing others from winning. Discard tiles that you don’t need.
Tip: Keep your body language under control not to give away your goals.
Calling Someone Dead
If you realize a player is dead, call them “dead.” The dead player is likely to have determined your hand. By calling the player dead, you prevent them from taking tiles from the wall, which increases your number of picks. In turn, this will make it easier to get the tiles you need.
Reading Mah Jongg Hands
One of the essential skills at the Mahjong table is the ability to determine what hands your opponents are playing. Follow these tips that can help you figure out your opponent’s hand.
Know Thy Card
Understanding the card is key to determining other people’s hands. When you get a clue, in the form of a Charleston pass, discard or exposure, you must be able to quickly determine where those tiles belong.
Charleston
During the Charleston, take note of the tiles you receive and pay attention to the tiles you pass that end up coming back to you. This will give you a clue as to what type of hand your opponents are considering.
Exposures
Exposures are the easiest way to figure out a player’s hand. Players’ exposures can help you narrow down their hands to a few possibilities.
Tip: You can narrow down exposures by correlating them with your Charleston analysis.
Discards
Discards can also help you figure out another player’s hand. To determine players’ hands based on discards, you must be able to recall what tile a player discarded.
Jokers
Here are some practical tips for dealing with jokers when playing Mahjong.
- Always redeem a joker to prevent another player from acquiring it.
- If you have two jokers, split them between two Pungs and Kongs rather than using both in one exposure.
- If you have a pair you don’t need, you can hold on to it for a short time. Another player may call it and use a joker in their exposure, allowing you to claim the opponent’s joker.
Tip: You can discard the joker later if you don’t need it.
Hong Kong Specific Mahjong Strategies
The following strategies can help you excel when playing Hong Kong Mahjong.
Go For The High-Scoring Combinations
You only need some high-scoring hands to win the game, so aim for high-scoring combinations.
Be Flexible
If your plan is not working, be ready to switch plans.
Don’t Be Too Quick To Chow Or Pung
You have a good chance of getting a better score if you conceal your hand.
Tip: Don’t lay your tiles down, as it lets people see what you’re doing.
Watch The Discards
Try to identify what other players are holding.
Be Mindful Of Your Wind And The Prevailing Wind
Hold on to your winds until you believe they are hopeless or your hand begins to shape differently.
Watch Your Flowers
If necessary, you can go out with a chicken hand if you have the right flowers.
Watch The Flowers And The Seasons
Constantly monitor the flowers and season tiles. If any player has a chance to get a bouquet, it can affect your game plan.
Don’t Let Kong Opportunities Sway You From Your Targeted Hand
If the Kong isn’t worth more than the Pung and you’re not ready to go out, you don’t have to declare it.
Get More Cautious As The Wall Gets Lower And Lower
Don’t discard tiles that other players haven’t discarded either.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is There A Strategy To Playing Mahjong?
Yes, there is a strategy for playing Mahjong. There are many different Mahjong strategies that can help you excel at different stages of the game. For starters, you must be prepared and have a clear plan of attack. Think about the direction you want to take your hand and stick with it.
Is Mahjong A Luck Or Strategy?
Mahjong is a game of both luck and strategy. Since there are four players in the game, you can only do your best to maximize your chances of winning. You can’t control what other players do. To be a successful Mahjong player, you must be able to combine your luck with the skill to come out on top.
How Do You Pick A Hand For Mah Jongg?
To pick a hand for Mah Jongg, you must analyze your tile options carefully. Look for tiles that may be more difficult for you to come by in the game. Check for flowers, pairs and singles combinations. Try to figure out if any of the combinations go together. Be careful when picking tiles, as removing certain ones can make the game more challenging.
Is Every Game Of Mahjong Winnable?
Yes, all Mahjong games are winnable. Although some boards may seem impossible to solve, there are several strategies and different sets of moves that you can apply to achieve a board cleared of tiles. To be a great Mahjong player, you need to be observant, patient and flexible. You also need to develop a winning strategy.
Is Mahjong A Game Of Skill?
Mahjong is a game of skill but luck, strategy and calculation also affect your chances of winning. A win is based on the players’ strategy and the luck of the draw throughout the game. You can increase your chances of winning by improving your skills and employing effective strategies. You can achieve this by practicing the game with other players.
Conclusion
We hope our Mahjong strategy guide and the helpful tips we provided can help you increase your chances of winning. Practicing the game regularly is of paramount importance. Play Mahjong with friends and you’ll know the rules soon enough and be capable of predicting your opponents’ moves while disguising your own intentions.
