Exploiting the characteristics and secrets of suited Mahjong tiles!

Singapore mahjong consists of 148 tiles. Out of these, 108 tiles are suited. (3 different suit, 9 different number of each suit and 4 repetition of each tile). A majority of the tiles are suited and can be used for CHI.  Therefore, it is important for us to understand the characteristics of these suited tiles in order for us to exploit and WIN mahjong! =)

Here is sharing with you guys 2 secrets of suited Mahjong tiles. By inference and understanding the relationship among the suited tiles, we can bring the game to a higher level!

i. Symmetrical relationship

Note that for any suit, it is symmetric about the middle tile which is the number 5. This means that when we are discussing about 1,2, it is equivalent to discussing about 8,9 as the probability and characteristics  are the same.  Similarly, talking about the relationship between 1 and 3, is the same as the relationship between 7 and 9.

Traditionally, the suit can be split into the ‘Smaller’ half and ‘Larger’ half. When we are discussing about the smaller half from one to five, the same reasoning can be applied to the bigger half from five to nine!

 With the symmetrical relationship in mind, we can move on to the secrets in deducing what the opponent does not need. The following analyses are illustrated using the smaller half. The same analyses can be applied to the larger half as well.

1) Adjacent relationship

It is usually safer to throw adjacent tiles from the tile the opponent discard.

Similar logic can be applied to the bigger half. If opponent discards 8, 9 becomes more useless for him and hence, 9 becomes safer for discard.

2) Multiple of 3 relationship (Plus minus 3 rule)

 As a CHI consists of 3 tiles in sequence, there is a relationship between, 147, 258 and 369. From this relationship, we can infer what the opponent does not want. For 456 tiles, which are capable of adding and subtracting 3 from, this rule applies more strongly. For 123789 tiles, which are capable of only adding or subtracting 3 from, this deduction is less valid.

Similar deduction can be made when opponent throws 3789.

Rule of the thumb is that it is safer to discard a tile 3 number away from the tile the opponent discards!!

Summary

1) It is safer to throw adjacent tiles from the tile the opponent discard. The only exclusion is when 5 is thrown

2)    It is safer to throw tiles 3 numbers away from the tile the opponent discard

Note that these are general rules of thumb that might not apply when in certain rare situation, where the opponent still needs the tile that was deemed safe to discard. These cases are rare and by following these general rules of thumb, you can be confident to delay and disrupt your opponents from winning and build your own VICTORY! =)

This saves you money from discarding tiles for opponents to win too! Haha ^^

How to WIN and PLAY Mahjong!

The idea behind mah-jong is simple. It involves just forming groups of three and one pair to win! IT IS THAT SIMPLE. =) (It gets more challenging when you want to play well!  =p)


So, how go about forming groups of three and a pair??

PAIR (2 of a kind)

To win, a pair of the same tiles is needed. This is commonly known as the ‘eye’. (Maybe it is due to a person having a pair of eyes?)

Moving on, a group of three can be formed by either PONG or CHI.

PONG (3 of a kind)

The concept of PONG is easy to understand as well. PONG is having 3 of the same tiles! You can take the PONG from any player who discards! By taking the extra tile from any player, you will have to reveal the completed PONG. (So that others will know that you indeed have a PONG!) Remember to shout out “PONG” happily to disturb the flow of the game as now it becomes your turn. Discard one tile as usual after your turn.

 However, if you draw all the 3 tiles, they can remain hidden.  

Examples of PONG

GANG/KUNG (4 of a kind)

GANG/KUNG is an extended and slightly more ‘powerful’ version of the PONG, where the player has 4 of the same tiles! In this illustration, GANG/KUNG is considered a group of “three” tiles needed for forming the groups of three and a pair for winning. It is slightly more ‘powerful’ as people will have to pay you a small token when u GANG/KUNG. (Obviously, It is a more rare event than PONG!)

Examples of GANG/KUNG

CHI

Another way of forming the group of three is to have a CHI. A CHI is to have 3 suited tiles of the same suit in running order. From example,

Examples of 3 suited tiles of the same suit in running order

How to get the 3 tiles in sequence?  First, you could draw all 3 tiles yourself! These tiles do not need to be revealed =) Second, you can get ‘help’ from the player before you turn. If you have 2 out of the 3 tiles in sequence and the player before you throws out the tile that will complete your sequence, you can take his discarded tile. Reveal your 2 tiles and take his discarded tile and confidently shout out “CHI”! =) Some examples are shown below

 Examples of taking “CHI” from the previous player

Winning the game!

After each turn, each player will be keeping 13 tiles. To win, 14 tiles are needed which consist of the 4 groups of three and a pair!  Where does the extra tile come from? This extra tile comes from (1) any player discarding one tile after every turn (2) drawing of a new tile during your turn.   

When you have gathered the 4 groups of three and a pair, u can WIN! Shout out “HU” and give an ‘evil’ grin to other players. Haha.

Examples of a winning hand

*Note that to win/ “HU” usually a minimum of 1 TAI/FAN is needed. For more information on how to get TAIs/FANs, please refer to  http://en.wikipedia.org./wiki/Scoring_in_Mahjong, which is a decent guide to understand the concept of TAI/FAN and scoring.

Summary: Form 4 groups of three and a pair to WIN! =)