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I know Mah Jongg

Beginner walkthrough · Step 7 of 8

7. The three phases & playing defense

ⓘ Fictional training card · NOT the official NMJL card

Not a real card. Fictional practice card — NOT the official NMJL card. Its hands are made up for learning. To play real games, buy the current NMJL card from the League and study it. Real hands, sections and points will be different.

Practice card line (fictional) · Bams

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One color = one suit. On the card, two or three colors mean the line needs two or three different suits.

1|1|
2|2|2|
3|3|3|3|
4|4|4|
5|5|

Any one suit · exposed (X) allowed · 14 tiles

Discard floor (center of the table)

NN中R7●WW

Your exposed group (face up)

3|3|3|3|

Your rack (13 tiles)— outlined: One tile away

1|1|2|2|2|4|4|4|5|

A game has a beginning (deal and Charleston), a middle (building and exposing) and an end (the last wall). You need just one more 5 Bam for a pair, so keep going. If you were far from winning, you would play safe instead.

Dorothy, the veteran

“Late in the game, watch what others have exposed. If a tile could finish someone's hand, it may be wiser to hold it.”

Dorothy · The veteranStrategy Tip
North
East
NN中R7●WW
West
3|3|3|3|
You — South

▣ = 1 stack (2 tiles, one on top of the other) · each wall = 19 stacks = 38 tiles.

Late in the game, watch the center: tiles already discarded are the safest to throw.

Watch it happen: The three stages of a hand, and playing defense

EastNorthWestYou · South
NN中R
Wall: 80 tiles left
1|1|2|2|2|4|4|4|5|3|3|3|3|

1/5 Early on (lots of wall left): build your hand and throw away tiles you don't need. Strategy Tip

Takes about 15 seconds. You can pause any time and pick up where you left off.

Seen from above. You are always South at the bottom; East is on your left, North across, West on your right. Practice tiles only, not a real NMJL card hand. About 15 seconds.
Show details: how it happens, League rules and tips

How it happens at the table

  1. 1.
    Beginning: the deal and the Charleston. Middle: walls 2 and 3, building and exposing. End: the last wall. Strategy Tip
  2. 2.
    Watch how much of the wall is left — when the last wall is being drawn, the end game has begun. Strategy Tip
  3. 3.
    Count how many tiles you still need. Here you need one: a 5 Bam. Strategy Tip
  4. 4.
    If you need 4 or more at the last wall, play defense: discard tiles already visible on the floor, which are safer. Strategy Tip
  5. 5.
    If no one wins before the wall runs out, it's a wall game and no one pays. Official Rule

What the League requires

  • Official Rule A discarded Joker is dead — no one can call it.
  • Official Rule If the wall runs out with no Mah Jongg, it's a wall game and nobody pays.

Good advice — not a League rule

  • Strategy Tip Rule of thumb: if you're 4 or more tiles from Mah Jongg when the last wall begins, switch to defense — discard tiles already on the floor so you don't throw someone's winning tile.
  • Strategy Tip A player discarding a Joker is usually waiting on a pair or single (Jokers can't fill those), or playing it safe.
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