Like many people, you may have been first exposed to how to play mahjong from movies and TV shows, especially of the Asian variety. Many might remember the pivotal power struggle between a matriarch and her to-be daughter-in-law at a mahjong game in the highly-acclaimed award-winning 2018 romantic-comedy drama, Crazy Rich Asians. And who can forget the iconic mahjong duel scene in the 1989 big screen classic from Hong Kong, God Of Gamblers.
And like many people, you may also have picked up a little bit about the game without even realising it. Let’s see if it’s easier than you think to figure out the game.
What is mahjong?
Named after the sound of chattering sparrows inspired by tiles clacking together when being shuffled, mahjong is a game of strategy, skill, and luck. Sometimes spelled as mah-jongg, the game is similar to rummy but rather than cards, it is played with a set of 144 tiles divided into five categories of illustration based on Chinese symbols or characters. Its origins in China is also evident in the traditional material of the tiles, namely bamboo, ivory, and bone. However, more recently, the tiles are mainly made of acrylic and the game has also become digitized for online entertainment.
Mahjong variations
There are several versions of mahjong, including Hong Kong or Cantonese mahjong, Taiwanese mahjong, and American mahjong. Each one varies in their rules and types of tiles, so learning how to play mahjong of different kinds may take practice.
Nonetheless, there are some common basic rules about drawing and discarding tiles, using numbered tiles known as “suits”, wind and dragons tiles known as “honours”, forming basic sets known as “melds”, dealing the tiles, and the sequence of players.
How to start: Understanding mahjong
If you have no knowledge about how to play mahjong, start by understanding the basics. Generally, mahjong is played with 4 people who begin with 13 tiles each. The objective is to form 4 melds and a pair by drawing and discarding tiles until a final hand is completed with the 14th tile. Other than that, there are also a number of special hands that players may win with.
Suit tiles
The majority of the set comprises 3 suits:
- Bamboo
- Dot or circles
- Chinese characters
Take these tiles like suits in a deck of cards. For the suits, there are 4 sets each numbering 1 to 9, totaling 108 tiles. Interestingly, the number 1 tile for the bamboo suit is a bird, usually depicted as an owl or a peacock.
Honour tiles
These are special tiles comprising 7 types:
- East, South, West, and North winds
- Red, Green, and White dragons
These tiles can be used to make melds. For the winds, there are 4 sets of east, south, west, and north, totaling 16 tiles. For the dragons, there are 4 each of the coloured Chinese characters, totalling 12 tiles.
Flower tiles or bonus tiles
These are quartets comprising 2 types:
- Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter seasons
- Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, and Bamboo flowers
These tiles are not to be used in melds but rather to get another draw. For the quartets, there is 1 set each, totalling 8 tiles. There may also be 4 blank tiles which can be taken as jokers.
Melds
- Pong: 3-of-a-kind / three identical tiles
- Kong: 4-of-a-kind / four identical tiles
- Chow: 3 tiles in a straight / in sequence from the same suit
- Eyes: 2 of a kind / a pair
Rounds
There are four rounds (East, South, West, and North rounds) and in every round, each player takes turns dealing. Therefore, a session of mahjong is 16 games which may take up to two hours. In online settings, where players may play against each other or bots, the time taken may be significantly shorter.
How to play: The rules of mahjong
With the basic knowledge in place, now you are ready for the step-by-step guide of how to play mahjong:
Setup
- Prepare a mahjong table with four players sitting around it.
- Turn the tiles facedown and shuffle them around. Some modern mahjong tables have an automatic function to do this and all you have to do is sweep the tiles into the slots.
- Roll the dice to determine the first dealer, as decided by the biggest roll. Then, the player to the right of the dealer plays first.
- Arrange two sets of 18 tiles like a wall. Allocate room in the middle of the 4 walls to discard tiles.
- In turns, draw or deal out 13 tiles from the walls to each player. This hand is concealed.
Gameplay
- To begin the game, the first player draws 1 tile from the wall and discards 1 tile faceup to maintain a total of 13 tiles.
- The next player may draw from the wall or the discard pile.
- A Pong or Kong meld can be made with a discarded tile regardless of turn. A Chow meld can only be made with a tile discarded by the previous player. When making a meld with a discarded tile, you must announce it and reveal the tiles.
Winning
- When you are 1 tile away from winning, you must announce it and let the other players know they only have a limited time to beat you.
- The game is won when a player has four melds and a pair totaling 14 tiles, at which time the winner declares “sik wu”. If you mistakenly declare a win, you will be disqualified while the game resumes. Different variations of mahjong may have different scoring systems for the winning hand.
How to play mahjong with money
If you are playing mahjong with money, players start their pot of chips and when you win a hand, you get paid in chips. The person who pays depends on the win:
- Win by discard: Only the player who discards your winning tile must pay you.
- Win by drawing: Everybody has to pay you.
Where to play mahjong?
These days, mahjong is no longer confined to the realm of smoky parlours filled with ascerbic Asian elders and rowdy triad members. Mahjong is now accessible on various online game sites for all generations, places, and people. The game is made even easier with automated shuffling, dealing, and combination detection. So, why not try it out?
And there you have it, the low-down on where and how to play mahjong. How much of it did you already know? With these basic steps and some practice, you’ll soon be an old hand at mahjong!
