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FAQ 15. How Can I Find Mah-Jongg Players or Mah-Jongg Teachers?
There are two methods you can use, and I recommend using them both (in a two-pronged attack on the problem of finding players). One method is the internet, and the other is the old-fashioned way. These principles work for finding players AND teachers -- folks to teach you how to play mah-jongg. If you are seeking a mah-jongg teacher, see FAQ 4a, where we have several teachers listed. AND read the following!
INTERNET - THE NEWFANGLED WAY
There are several sites on the internet specifically designed to help people locate people to play mah-jongg with. You go to these sites, read what's there to see if there is someone in your area, then if you don't find anyone, you post your own message so someone can find you. These are the sites:
* http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/findplayer.htm (this bulletin board is right here on this website!) This is a dual-purpose BB.
* http://www.mah-jong-contacts.net/ is an international contact platform for Mah-Jongg players where they can search for and find other players worldwide.
* http://www.mahjongg.com/clubs.htm lists players and clubs in Europe and the U.S. - and you can submit your own information too.
* http://mahjong.meetup.com/ is a site where you can meet fellow mah jonggplayers online.
* www.mahjonggmatchup.com is another site where you can match up with players and teachers online.
* news:rec.games.mahjong (International) -- if you aren't set up for newsgroups, you can access the mahjong newsgroup on the web at http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&group=rec.games.mahjong
In every case, before you post anything, read the posts to see if you can find players in your area, and if you don't find anyone, then write your own post. Also check to see how recent the posts are - if a board hasn't had a new post in a long time or has only a few "seeking player" posts, then it might not be all that useful for your purposes. It's ALWAYS a good idea to read the posts on a bulletin board or newsgroup before you post yourself. It's not only good netiquette, it's good sense.
Also, you will have to reveal your email address in order for folks who read your post to contact you. When revealing your email address online, be aware that there are "bots" that scour the web looking for email addresses so you can be added to junkmail lists. Click here to learn what you can do to foil the "spambots."
You will also need to specify which kind of mah-jongg you play. Perhaps you play American-style mah-jongg? FAQ 2 (Part II) can help you tell the difference between different kinds of mah-jongg. The FAQs can be accessed in the Site Links list, always found at the left side of every page on this website.
BoardGameGeek.com
boardgamegeek.com is a free site about board games. You sign up for free, then you can go into their "Gamer Database," it might be at the bottom of the left pane. When that page is up, click on "Find Individual Gamers". That'll take you to a place where you can enter a zip code and a mileage range. That'll bring up a list of boardgamegeek members within your chosen radius, along with what types of games they like to play. Then you can contact them through boardgamegeek's member contact service. I imagine most people who sign up on boardgamegeek play role-playing games and newer "designer" games, but if enough mah-jongg players sign up, it'll become a useful resource for everyone.
THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY
Check at senior centers and recreation centers in your area (look in the yellow pages of the phone book). Ask around. Read bulletin boards. Put your own note up on the bulletin board.
Here are a few more ideas (you can take these as a starting point and modify as needed to suit your area and your chosen kind of mah-jongg).
For instance, if you play Japanese mah-jongg, try posting fliers at the Japanese supermarkets, bookstores, and other places in your area where Japanese players may see them. See if there's a Japanese community newsletter or Chamber of Commerce. Here in Los Angeles, there is a Japanese Yellow Pages (phone book), and I used it to locate the local mah-jongg parlor.
For Chinese mah-jongg, look for Chinese community organizations or supermarkets - if there's a Chinatown in your area, go there and ask around. But there's a hitch! There are at least seven (7!) different Chinese varieties of the game! See FAQ 14 for how to deal with different rules at the different tables you may join, and see FAQ 9 for some etiquette tips (you're bound to encounter odd situations, and you need to be at your diplomatic best).
If you play American mah-jongg, you need to find women to play with. Many players of American mah-jongg are "empty nesters" and/or Jewish. Post fliers at the supermarkets, senior citizen centers, recreation centers, and Jewish community centers, see if there's a Jewish community newsletter or civic organization. Or just find someplace that women congregate, since not all American players are Jewish. See if there's a local Women's Center or newsletter where you can announce that you're seeking players. See if there are any local tournaments (contact the NMJL and AMJA and see if they can help). Here in the Los Angeles area, you can get a schedule of tournaments at http://www.geocities.com/jnachenberg.rm/index.html.
A WORD ABOUT "CLUBS"
Most folks who play in the U.S. play in the home, rather than in a "clubhouse" setting.
Clubhouses - actual neutral meeting grounds where there are tables, rulebooks, and refreshments available - are not the norm among players of American and Western styles of mah-jongg. There are such things as clubs like that, where Japanese and Chinese forms are played, for example, but don't expect to be welcomed with open arms there, especially if you don't speak the language or if you look like you might be a novice. So sometimes when you hear the term "club" used, it may just mean a group of folks who get together (usually at someone's home) to play. Some games, though, may well take place at senior centers, country clubs, recreation centers, or even food courts (and of course gambling is not smiled upon in that sort of public place).
To return briefly to the topic of novices - It is an unfortunate truth that experienced players often don't have a lot of patience with beginners. If you are a beginner, don't try to bluff it out - be forthright and honest about your skill level, and inquire about opportunities to join, or to play with other beginners or with patient players.
Good luck! - Tom
Name: Kamie
Email: kamiebaxter@hotmail.com
Date: 01 Jun 2003
For players looking for other players as well as people looking for teachers, I would suggest contacting the local Newcomers Club. Almost any city has such a club, and most clubs have an "amnesty period" every year where residents who have lived there over 3 years can still join. That's how I learned MJ in the Chicago area and where I found several groups to play with here in Las Vegas. We have a lovely lady of 80 years old who plays with us who just learned MJ through our Newcomer lessons last year. Maybe Joel's mother could find a group that way! We also teach any new members to play as soon as we get 4 interested in learning. That way we have an ever-increasing pool of new groups and therefore, new "subs". Just call the local Chamber of Commerce for the Newcomers Club in your area. In doing research for a talk at a Newcomers Coffee on the history of MJ, I came across THIS wonderful website. And from that talk, we got another group interested and taught and now they are on their own. Now I keep reading your strategy columns to stay one step ahead of the "Newbies"!!! Thanks, Tom, for my favorite website--(nothing else gets me up at 5:30 am on a Sunday).
Copyright 2002, 2003 Tom Sloper. All rights reserved.
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