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By Tom Sloper
June 7, 2015 Column #637 |
American Mah Jongg (2015 NMJL card). Defense. What do you do when an opponent has exposed these?
1. Easy. She's making Consec. #5, the most powerful (read: "easiest") hand on the card. Hot tiles are threes and fours in the other two suits.
2. Two possible hands: 2015 #4 and W-D #6. The hot tiles are twos, ones, and fives - and red and green. Ones and fives are key tiles (whenever you see a one or five go dead on the table, that tells you what suit she is not using if she's making the 2015 hand).
3. This could make Consec. #5 or Quints #1. The hot tiles for Quints are 2C 5C. 2C is key; if you see that it's dead on the table, then she can't make Quints, and has to be doing Consec. The hot tiles for Consec. are more difficult: 1B 2B 1D 2D 5B 6B 5D 6D.
4. Could be Consec. #1 or Consec. #5. 1D and 5D are key; if you see either one go dead on the table, you know she can't make Consec. #1, in which case her only recourse is Consec. #5.
5. Consec. #4 or #5; hot tiles are 3D 6B 6D G.
6. Consec. #5 or 369 #3; hot tiles are 3B 3C 6B 7C 8D. 3B and 6B are key tiles; because she needs pairs of both, if you can see either one dead on the table, you know she cannot make 369 #3.
7. Odds #2; the hot tiles are fives and sevens in the other two suits.
8. Consec. #3. Hot tiles are F and soap. An easy read.
9. This exposure is a dead giveaway; no hand on the 2015 card can be made with a pung of nines*. Call her dead. Note: although many groups espouse a "never call anyone dead" rule, strategically speaking, you should call her dead; removing a player gives you more picks and increases your odds of winning.
10. Easy. Odds #2; hot tiles are 3B and 3D.
11. Also easy. Consec. #4; hot tiles are R and 3B.
12. Another easy one. 369 #1; hot tiles are 3C and 9C.*
A tip o' the Sloper hat to Phyllis R and Barbara H!
* Question or comment about this column? I often, um... intentionally... "miss" something; maybe you'll be the first one to spot it! Email 
and the discussion will be posted on the Mah-Jongg Q&A Bulletin Board. Hit me with your best shot!
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Column
feedback x3
>From: "row019
>Sent: Monday, June 8, 2015 5:12 AM
>Subject: Column 637
> Tom - Column 637, exposure#9. Couldn't this be Winds and Dragons #3? Pung any like odd number.
> Phyllis
>From: barbara H
>Sent: Monday, June 8, 2015 9:13 AM
>Subject: Your latest email
>For #12 of Column #637 Couldn't the player also be attempting Consecutive Run #4 with
>3 red Dragons and 3 of 6 Cracks?
>From: "Shipp, L
>Sent: Monday, June 8, 2015 9:34 AM
>Subject: Questions about Column #637
>Hi, Mr. Sloper.
> Re. Hand #9 within Column #637, couldn’t the player’s pung of 9s be exposed for Winds/Dragons #3 (i.e., Ns & Ss + odd nos.)?
> Re. Hand #12 within Column #637, couldn’t this also be Consecutive #4, with 5s and 7s in Bams and Dots being hot?
> Love your column,
>Libby
Good morning, ladies. Let's see what you wrote:
exposure#9. Couldn't this be Winds and Dragons #3? Pung any like odd number.
Very good, Phyllis. I missed that one.
For #12 ... Couldn't the player also be attempting Consecutive Run #4 with
>3 red Dragons and 3 of 6 Cracks?
You are right, Barbara. I missed that one.
Re. Hand #9 ..., couldn’t the player’s pung of 9s be exposed for Winds/Dragons #3 (i.e., Ns & Ss + odd nos.)?
> Re. Hand #12 ..., couldn’t this also be Consecutive #4, with 5s and 7s in Bams and Dots being hot?
Yep. Phyllis and Barbara beat you to it, though.
May the tiles be with you all.
Tom Sloper
トム·スローパー
湯姆 斯洛珀
Creator of
the weekly Mah-Jongg column and
the Mah-Jongg FAQs -- donations appreciated.
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on Mah-Jongg East & West.
Los Angeles, California, USA
June 8, 2015
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