The Beginner’s Guide to Playing Chinese Mahjong

You’ve probably heard of Chinese Mahjong. But maybe you don’t know how to play it, or think it’s too difficult. This is a game that requires memory and strategy, but you’ll also need a bit of luck.

We will guide you through the basics of this game and help you understand the different tiles and the strategies you need to complete a match.

How to Play Chinese Mahjong

First, let’s get familiar with the game dynamics. From learning the different tiles and setting up a table to forming sets and winning a game. Even if you’ve never seen a Mahjong game before, this section will inform you of the basics you need to know.

Understand the Tiles

There are three main types of tiles: suits, honor tiles, and bonuses. Suits are divided into dots, bamboos, and characters, and they are numbered from 1 to 9. There are four sets of each.

The honor tiles are winds and dragons. There are four types of winds and three types of dragons. For each, there are four tiles.

Bonus tiles represent flowers and seasons, and they’re optional depending on the version of the game.

Set Up the Game Table

Four players are necessary to begin a match. The tiles are stacked up in two rows of 17 tiles, making four walls. Each player rolls the dice, and the highest number is the dealer, or East. The other players are assigned South, West, and North in a counterclockwise direction.

Each player gets 13 tiles, and the dealer (East) gets 14.

Learn the Flow of a Turn

Once the game is rolling, each player draws a tile, evaluates the sets they have in their hand, and discards another tile. The discarded tile is placed face-up in the center of the table. There is a possibility of taking a tile discarded by another player, but we’ll expand on that later.

For now, it’s sufficient to know that Mahjong follows a repetitive dynamic. Each player, on each round, will follow this rhythm.

Making Sets During the Game

Every time you draw a tile, you should evaluate how it works towards forming a valid set. Sets can be:

• Pung:A set of 3 identical tiles.
• Chow: set of 3 consecutive numbers in the same suit.
• Kong: A set of 4 identical tiles.

These sets can be formed with the tiles drawn from the wall or by taking discarded tiles.

Winning the Game

To win a game, you need to complete 4 sets and a pair. A pair is simply two identical tiles. After you complete all sets, you must say “Mahjong” to announce your victory.

Sets can be either two chows and two pungs; a kong, a pung, and two chows; or any other possible combination.

You need to learn the sets and combine them the best way possible.

Ending the Round and Counting Points

When a player completes the sets and declares Mahjong, the round is over. Then, the players count their score based on the value of the remaining tiles in their hand.

However, this process is complicated, so many players pay little attention to score keeping or use apps to count the scores.

Common Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

Now you know the basics, and you can jump right into a Mahjong game. But there are some common mistakes that you should avoid. It’s normal to make a few mistakes as a beginner. But with time and practice, you’ll get better each time.

Holding Too Many Unrelated Tiles

Since the first rounds of the game, it’s advised to stick to one or two suits and discard the others. Remember that you have limited space to form your sets, so holding unrelated tiles will reduce your chance of making the necessary moves to win.

Ignoring Discards from Other Players

In Mahjong, knowing how others are playing is as important as building your hand. If you keep an eye on the tiles that other players discard or take, you can guess what suits they’re forming. That way, you can avoid discarding tiles that could help them finish faster.

Forgetting to Declare a Winning Hand

Sometimes, players focus on different aspects of the match, and they don’t notice they have a winning hand. It’s important to double-check your sets frequently. If you don’t declare your Mahjong and another player does, they will win, even if you had the sets formed earlier.

Put Your Knowledge Into Practice!

Get a Mahjong set and gather some friends, or join an online platform and play your first Mahjong game. This guide took you through the basics, so now you know how the game goes. You only need to start practicing, and you’ll be a Mahjong expert in no time.