Aug 25, 2014 the great mahjong book todays posting is about a book that is fairly new it was first published in 2003 but then tuttle publishing translated it into english and published the book in 2007 for the american audience. May 01, 2001 until now, a comprehensive book on chinese mahjong for englishspeaking readers did not exist. A winning hand in mahjong consists of fourteen tiles. The values of each hand is calculated as per the following two tables. This is an illustrative guide to the mah jong hands listed in max robertsons book 2007 edition. Use a thin stickynote to mark your chosen hand, if it gets lost easily. Singles and pairs are underlined on this practice card as a helpful reminder to a player that a discarded tile cannot be picked up to make a single or a pair, unless it is the 14 th tile the final tile needed to make mah jongg. Yaku conditions may be combined to produce hands of greater. Chinese children learned to play by watching, so there were no. Mahjong is a strategy game that originated in china. An introtuction to basic mahjong strategy examples of winning hands and their probalities it is the only book to present cantonese, taiwanese and shaghainese variations of the game. Teach yourself mahjong by david pritchard, teach yourself books, 2001, isbn 0340802936. Thats especially true for fans of the book, who wont recognize it.
As is indicated in the chart, hands won by the dealer are typically worth 50% more than hands won by a nondealer player. If a player went mah jong with a special hand or a player was calling on a special hand at mah jong, the scores in the special hand table apply. The following index of hands, will assist in choices. Az contact the following index of hands, will assist in. It is essential to know the yaku for game strategy, since a player must have a minimum of one yaku in their hand in order to legally win a hand. American mahjong utilizes racks, jokers, hands and rules score cards and has several distinct gameplay mechanics. Otherwise, the value of each hand is calculated, bonus points are added and, if appropriate, any doubling then takes place. Unfortunately these do not have any illustrations but all the info is there. Match at least 2 of your tiles to a hand and stick with it. Explanations and examples of handssequences shown on the card. The only book you will probably ever need to start and keep playing mahjong.
Leatherette carrying case, 4 solid black racks, instruction book, bettor, current score card. Its guide to hands is invaluable for any beginner, as is its helpful basic strategy advice. The mah jong players companion by patricia thompson. An invaluable handbook for mah jong newcomers and experienced players alike, with fiftyone fullyillustrated hands. Aug 31, 2018 thats especially true for fans of the book, who wont recognize it. Special hands are used most widely in the western game. Included are the rules, tactics, techniques, strategy and the rituals only the most experienced players know. It also includes all of the most popular variations, such as the shanghai game, the 16tile or taiwanese game, and the 12tile game. By their nature, they are difficult to get and the beginner is perhaps wise to ignore them at first. Although mah jong has been played by many nationalities through the ages, there are few books on the game. Special hands are unusual combinations of tiles which also allow the player to declare mahjong. Finally, the book of mahjong meets that longsought need, as author amy lo, in consultation with many master players of different forms of mahjong, offers the most complete mahjong guide ever. Threeplayer mahjong or 3ka is a simplified threeperson mahjong that involves hands of tiles with a total of 84 tiles on the table and may use jokers depending on the variation. This is the first mahjong book to cover the cantonese or old rules game fully.
In the west, some players require special hands that is to say, a normal legal hand of chows and pungs and a pair does not qualify for a win. For those who have inherited an earlier version of the book there. Except when drawing a tile during a turn, however, a player should only ever have thirteen tiles in their possession. The extra hands give an international flavour to the book, adding new interest and challenges. It contains all the hands you will ever need pictured showing the tiles as they would be on the tile rack. Occasionally, using the intrinsic value of your tiles i. This is a wellwritten book, brimming with advice for anyone who has an interest in learning the riichi style of mahjong. Keep track of all your mahjong games with this 102page book, with room for over 150 game details. These rules will focus on the most basic rules of mahjong, which are the same across most other variants.
The content of this book will help u3a members to start to play mahjong if noone is. Mahjong, the classic chinese tile game, dates back to the tai ping rebellion of 18511864 and was popularized in the west in 1920 with the publication of the book rules for mahjongg. Except when drawing a tile during a turn, however, a player. Mah jongg is the 4player chinese tile game that took america by storm in the 1920s. About the author patricia thompson and betty maloney are well established experts in mah jong and have written several books on the game. Mahjong remains extraordinarily popular among chinese. Others, which incorporate pungs and kongs, need not. Special hands special hands are alternative target sets of tiles that a player can go mah jong with. Below is a list of special hands, including their name, description and award. Buy mahjong majong black tile pattern by elaine kehew as a tshirt, classic t shirt, triblend tshirt, lightweight hoodie, fitted scoop tshirt, fitted vneck. See more ideas about chowder cartoon, first world problems meme and problem meme. The hand must also have a minimum of 8 points not including points for flowers. Book s special hands include 7pairs hands so its not pure classical chinese, i guess and the book even includes one alltoobrief page about the japanese game.
Wrightpatterson rules books 2015 editions mah jongg rules. The aim is to have your hand divided neatly between a number of groupings. Until now, a comprehensive book on chinese mahjong for englishspeaking readers did not exist. If the player wins by ron, then the points for the winning hand are paid by the player who discarded the final tile this penalty places a high emphasis in riichi mahjong for not discarding other players winning tiles. A very sweet mahjong solitaire game with lots of candy. Introduction quick reference guide to hands mah jong hands.
Although normally played with four players, mahjong can be played by two people with only a slight variation to the rules. Apr 23, 2019 a lovely book that immerses you in the history culture of the game, with clear explanations of the rules, beautiful photos and even recipes to eat while you play. The format and color code of the american mah jongg card can be a bit daunting at first glance. The original chinese game allowed only a few special hands but some western derivatives controversially include many more. One by one, over three rounds, the players take four tiles at a time and one last tile for a total of thirteen tiles each. The only time a player may have 14 tiles is at the beginning of a game if she is east, at the moment of picking a tile and before discarding, and at the time she makes a mahjongg. Mahjong is always played with four players seated around a table. The rules are kept as close to the normal game as possible, only differing to allow for cards to be used instead of tiles. This book explains stepbystep how to play so you can play without having to rely on someone else teaching you. Be sure to recognize the difference between a 1 bam and a flower in any given mahj set. The hand must contain 14 tiles and be composed of four sets and a pair with the exception of special limit hands. There are many versions of mahjong, but the main 4 are chinese hong kong american japanese.
Mahjong is a popular chinese game played with sets of tiles. Its similar to rummy, but its played with tiles instead of cards. A u3a beginners guide to mahjong u3a site builder home page. Nov 04, 2018 mah jongg is the 4player chinese tile game that took america by storm in the 1920s. If you have any questionscomments please email them to me as i will be unable. Game play proper begins with the dealer taking an extra tile and then discarding a tile of his or her choice. Mahjong is a four player game of skill, originating in china. The chinese game recognizes a small number of special hands. American mah jongg lesson fundamentals 5 reading the card. All versions of the game can be played with these cards, including american mahjongg and riichi mahjong.
Below are the normal winning hands not considering the bonuses contributed by the flowers and animals. If a player miscounts and has more or less than tiles, she is declared dead and is excluded from play. Our small group has been playing mahjong for several years now and this is the one book we always refer back to. Generally, you play with 4 people, though you can play with 3 as well. I like the book because it explains the rules and scoring of mahjong and provides pictoral references of dealing, set up of walls, and scoring hands. Like many popular games, mahjong has many regional variations, from the chinese prevailing wind system to american mahjong with special bingolike scoring cards. How to play american mahjong yellow mountain imports. If two players call mahjong for the same discard, the player sitting closest to east in turn order is given the tile. The format and color code of the american mah jongg card can.