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Questions tagged [mahjong]

A Chinese rummy-like game played with tiles. Depending on the version being played the tiles consist of suits (Bamboo, Crack, and Dots) of 10 tiles each, Winds (North, South, East, and West), Dragons (Red, White, and Green), Flowers, and possibly Jokers.

Mah Jongg is a rummy-like game played with tiles rather than cards. The game originated in China, dating back to the time of Confucius. There are several versions of Mah Jongg, but each fall under two broad categories: American Mah Jongg and Chinese Mah Jongg. The four player table version should not be confused with the popular Western single player (tile matching) computer game known as Mahjong solitaire.

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What Mahjong set of rules can be recommended to beginners?

I play Mahjong with friends every now and then, using a set of rules that we sort of invented along the way: we knew the basics, but had no internet connection for one summer and played with what made the most sense. Now, we'd like to settle on…
F'x
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How can I quickly calculate the shanten number in Mahjong?

I am able to calculate the shanten number myself, but it often takes me more than a minute. I'm looking for ideas how to become more efficient. Background: I'm currently writing a paper about determining the shanten number with a computer algorithm.…
mafu
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What manners are specific to mahjong?

Many games, especially ancient ones, have their own set of manners. For instance, Go players bow before the game and greet each other ("onegaishimasu") and play the first stone in the upper right corner [etc]. Is there something similar in mahjong,…
mafu
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Mahjong - declaring another player dead

I played the other day with a very experienced player who held the 2(same) of the 1 tile that I needed to go win - she stated based upon where she knew I was playing, she was declaring my hand dead and that I would need to sit out the rest of the…
Julie
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In Mahjong , what is the chance to get a hand that allows a player to finish on their first turn?

Made hands are very rare in mahjong. Is there a table that lists the possibilities of starting with a complete hand?
mafu
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Mah Jongg set recommendations?

I have wanted to get a Mah Jongg set, but have hesistated because I don't know what to look for in a set so I don't buy something flimsy. Can anyone suggest what makes a good (or bad) Mah Jongg set? (e.g. materials, printing, etc.)
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Information gain from discarded tiles in Mahjong

What information do you gain when another player discards a tile apart from seeing which tile it is? In particular from the position from which the tile is discarded. I neglect the timing side-channel in this context. You can sort your tiles, but no…
CodesInChaos
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Two player mahjong?

My understanding of Mahjong is that you need four players. Is that right? Or is it possible to play with 2 or 3? If so, can anyone assist with a link to the rules.
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When do you draw loose tiles in Chinese Mahjong?

I have been playing with English rules with a dead wall or ruin, which you can only access through flower/season tiles or Kongs. We end up deadlocked often, so I wanted to try the Chinese style where you have no flowers or seasons, can have more…
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Why is there no black dragon in Mahjong?

A pretty simple question to which I haven't been able to find an explanation (if there is one). The Mahjong set contains red/green dragons, and a white dragon, but no complementary black dragon. I was just curious if there's a reason behind this,…
thanby
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Mahjong exposing And discarding

So, i'm learning mahjong at the moment and there is something I don't understand. When you expose a set, do you need to discard a tile afterwards? Also, do you draw before you expose a set? If been trying to understand the game but the many…
Lhb
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Three player mahjong: flower as dora

We didn't have a fourth player for some time so we switched from riichi to three player version with korean\japanese rules as described on Wiki (I guess that's the most popular version for 3 players). Used to doras in riichi we played with one…
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Three player mahjong: 5 bamboo variation

We didn't have a fourth player for some time so we switched from riichi to three player version with korean\japanese rules as described on Wiki (I guess that's the most popular version for 3 players). But description on that Wiki page seems not that…
icebat
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Three player mahjong: scoring clarifications

We didn't have a fourth player for some time so we switched from riichi to three player version with korean\japanese rules as described on Wiki (I guess that's the most popular version for 3 players). But I got a bit confused with scoring here. In…
icebat
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Can you ron with these hands?

Can a person ron from a person that sits across or right next to him but the last tile he takes from discard pile are sequence melds? (assume all hands are closed) Can a person call ron and the last tile he need to complete are the pair? And if…
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